Heres some interesting reading about lawns. How Green is Your Grass? • According the US Environmental Protection Association, a gas-powered push mower emits as much hourly pollution as 11 cars and a riding mower emits as much as 34 cars (see Small Engine Rule to Bring Big Emissions Cuts). • Lawn and garden equipment emits 5% of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the US, which cause health problems and contribute to ozone formation. • A gas mower emits as much hydrocarbons in one hour as a car driven 20 miles. • Mowers in the US use 580 million gallons of gas per year. • 40-60% of nitrogen from fertilizer runs off or leaches away, ending up in ground or surface water, including wells. • 60-70 million birds die from pesticide poisoning each year in the US alone. • In the US, 30 percent of water consumed on the East Coast waters lawns, 60 percent on the West Coast. • A 2001 Toronto Staff Report (PDF format), reported that using a commercial leaf-blower for one hour generated “498 times as much hydrocarbons, 49 times as much particulate matter and 26 times as much carbon monoxide” as a then newer-model car. • Close to 70 million pounds of pesticides (including herbicides) are applied to US lawns each year. This is approximately ten times the amount applied to American farmland, acre for acre. • As of 2004, about 70 million tons of fertilizer were used on US lawns a year. • A Toronto Public Health Report on lawn and garden pesticides (PDF format) claims that between 2004 and 2006, almost half the homeowners in Toronto used pesticides on their lawns. • The Virginia Cooperative Extension in its publication “Nutrient Management for Lawn Service Companies,” states that some fungicides and pesticides can kill 60 to 90% — or more — of the earthworms where they are applied. Yet lawns, combined with gardens and other landscaping, do a lot of good. They muffle traffic and other noise pollution, and like all green plants, lawns help reduce carbon dioxide levels. They act as filters, removing pollutants from the air that we breath. And nothing beats grass as a place for kids to play. Going organic doesn’t mean you have to give up your lawn, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you have to give up the rest of your life tending for your lawn. It means planting what will do well in your climate, watering deeply but infrequently, and avoiding the use of dangerous and expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This site planetnatural should help, whether you’re ready to dive in head first, or just want to dip a toe in organic waters.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 16:51:31 +0000
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