They are coming for your Lawns

www.yahoo.com...

Ideally, some scientists say, only people living in regions wet enough to grow grass without additional watering would have lawns, and residents of drier regions would plant less thirsty native species, like cactus in the desert.

There are also lower-impact ways of caring for a lawn. Using only manual tools, like a push mower, or electric ones, will remove the emissions from two-stroke engines.

Chipping away at the American dream one image at a time. I guess it doesn’t matter if we will have a lawn when there are no homeowners!
Also, push mowers!!! Try that on acres!

I absolutely agree that we should have things growing other than grass. I agree that we need more pollinator friendly plantings. That we need less toxic chemicals on our lawns. Should the desert have grass, that is debatable, but one could argue should the desert have houses! They have gone after leaf blowers, c’mon leaf blowers but not tens of thousands of trucks sloshing items delivered in two days! Ha

I ALSO agree that when these things are enacted the most amazing lawns are at the people’s (politicians/actors/scientists) houses that push for less lawns, no watering and push mowers. This is yet another way to scapegoat something people love and try to blame it for all our environmental woes.

a reply to: JAGStorm

If they take away my lawn...they will be Un-employing a lot of illegal Mexicans.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I like having a nice lawn, in the south it rains enough where there’s no need to water it. On that note, looking at the water levels out west, I believe a lawn is a complete waste of water/resource. Flying over Phoenix and seeing those houses with huge lawns and golf courses with green grass makes me shudder when seeing the reservoirs extremely low. Makes no sense.

Actually I'd love to not have to worry about my lawn anymore and the HOA that comes with it.

I'd kinda welcome legislation that mandates HOA's back off. I have a huge hill in back that when I bought the property the HOA mowed it, but it was not in the "contract" (my fault for not reading the fine print). Then they decided homeowners had to mow their steep hills, very steep.

I pray each time the hired lawn mowers don't kill themselves mowing that stupid hill. If legislation passed, I'd let that hill go wild as was intended which would also stop the erosion I am constantly fighting.

Lawns are a pain in the ..... when you don't have kids that need a place to play.

I'd just as soon do xeriscaping with dwarf monkey grass, and let it be. HOA be #@$%

a reply to: JAGStorm

Should the desert have grass, that is debatable, but one could argue should the desert have houses!

You suggest correctly that this Is debatable. Yet is this just a case of scapegoating or is it an example that demonstrates that the American Dream is unsustainable?

How do you define a lawn? Is it just something you cut short or does it have to be grass?

I prefer native tall grasses and wildflowers, but I have a lawn to keep the ticks and other pests away. The lawn is primarily sedges and wildflowers with some grass and the typical weeds like plantain.

I cut it and never water or treat it except occasionally near the house. Just ask the grubs and moles, they'll tell you.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

How do you define a lawn? Is it just something you cut short or does it have to be grass?

To me a lawn is defined by grass that is cut on a regular basis.

I guess a yard or property could be something else like what you described.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

You suggest correctly that this Is debatable. Yet is this just a case of scapegoating or is it an example that demonstrates that the American Dream is unsustainable?

We are going to find out aren't we.
I actually do think it is unsustainable on the current trajectory. Things need to change, and not just from one political side but both and that's the problem.

It’s unfortunate hypocrisy and coercion taint what is a good conversation to have, lawns make no sense in certain areas as the norm in suburban neighborhoods. Parks, Schools, Sports fields, Sure, but not every home.

a reply to: JAGStorm

You hit the nail on the head - they're brainstorming various options for how to take away the things that make life worth living, step by step, picking out individual issues which are divisive when raised as 'climate concerns'. The whole thing to do with the climate is a total scam, imho, I've followed the 'science' before, it's a bunch of hocum. Ice cores demonstrate periodic warming & cooling affecting the climate over at least hundreds of thousands of years, there is no such thing as global warming.

If the American dream is based upon having a green maintained lawn, coerced at the hands of extra watering, mowing and trimming etc. then we were already in trouble.

After reading the article, regardless of global warming, with droughts and water shortages etal, it is silly to maintain a façade of comfort and wealth with a patch of green grass. The points in the article are valid.

At least 40 million acres in the United States, an area larger than the state of Georgia, are covered by turf grass, the standard lawn plant.

So all that water, all the herbicides and pesticides poisoning the soil. All the time and effort maintained on the yard.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, gas-powered lawn mowers use 800 million gallons of gasoline — and spill an additional 17 million additional gallons of oil — every year. The two-stroke engines used by lawn mowers and leaf blowers are especially dirty because they do not combust about 30% of the fuel they use, which releases volatile organic compounds.

SNIP

The EPA states that using a typical gas-powered lawn mower produces as much volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide — a powerful greenhouse gas — as driving 11 average new cars over the same timeframe. In total, according to the agency, lawn mowers account for 5% of American (non-climate) air pollution. On top of that, many lawns are cut by a gardener who visits regularly, burning gasoline on the way there and back.

Again, valid points.

I don't believe they should go all North Korea on rules and crap but there could be ways to teach people alternatives so that less water and fuel are wasted. And of course, the wealthy with their pools and golf courses should also be held accountable.

And for the record, I live in an area where farmers fields are watered only by rain, as well as the yards and such and it pretty much stays green until the first freeze every year and then there's lots and lots of snow and/or freezing temps until April or May. I also live in a small town where if your house is inside the town limits, you are fined if your grass is taller than 4-6 inches so, that sucks. Fortunately I live outside of town but I do have two houses inside of town to maintain.

The Biggest Problem that i see around here is way too many New Houses being Built.
When i was a younger man there were Trees every where we went.
Now it's wide open space with Cracker Box Homes Costing in the neighborhood of $300,000.
Trees are gone grass and weed pollen is terrible.
Over Population is getting worse every year.

a reply to: JAGStorm

a reply to: StoutBroux

If the American dream is based upon having a green maintained lawn, coerced at the hands of extra watering, mowing and trimming etc. then we were already in trouble.

After reading the article, regardless of global warming, with droughts and water shortages etal, it is silly to maintain a façade of comfort and wealth with a patch of green grass. The points in the article are valid.

Is it silly though? Next they will say it's silly to own a house, then it's silly that we want to live until our natural death, then it's silly that we want to be able to eat what we want and not what is rationed to us. These things start small.

I like to use the Illinois toll roads for example. It started small and was temporary, now it's a monster. So cliche but give them an inch and they will take a mile, sorry but they aren't taking my facade of comfort and wealth with my patch of green grass!

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: StoutBroux

If the American dream is based upon having a green maintained lawn, coerced at the hands of extra watering, mowing and trimming etc. then we were already in trouble.

After reading the article, regardless of global warming, with droughts and water shortages etal, it is silly to maintain a façade of comfort and wealth with a patch of green grass. The points in the article are valid.

Is it silly though? Next they will say it's silly to own a house, then it's silly that we want to live until our natural death, then it's silly that we want to be able to eat what we want and not what is rationed to us. These things start small.

I like to use the Illinois toll roads for example. It started small and was temporary, now it's a monster. So cliche but give them an inch and they will take a mile, sorry but they aren't taking my facade of comfort and wealth with my patch of green grass!

I live across the Big Muddy from StL. Our threesome just came by Sunday to
mow our 2.7 of green Hell for the 3rd straight holiday. It just worked out that way.
And for the first time in three years, I was compelled to tip these guys because
EVERY TIME they show up they put out like Belgians pulling the BudMonster.

No I haven't got a Garand, but Off My Eastwood anyway the restOya.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I don't water my grass now, if there wasn't a town ordinance against it I'd let it go a little bit wild.

originally posted by: 38181
a reply to: JAGStorm

I like having a nice lawn, in the south it rains enough where there’s no need to water it. On that note, looking at the water levels out west, I believe a lawn is a complete waste of water/resource. Flying over Phoenix and seeing those houses with huge lawns and golf courses with green grass makes me shudder when seeing the reservoirs extremely low. Makes no sense.

Actually Arizona uses less water now than it did in 1955.
It's the only southwestern state that has very good water conservation.
All those houses, pools, and golf courses use considerably less water than agricultural uses.

i really like 'desert' landscaping.... those Golf 'Greens' lawns are tacky to my tastes.. a S. Dali surreal still-life landscape would thrill me to no end.

originally posted by: StoutBroux
If the American dream is based upon having a green maintained lawn, coerced at the hands of extra watering, mowing and trimming etc. then we were already in trouble.

its a question of personal freedom. if I wants a lawn I should be allowed to have one.
and I would hope I'd be responsible enough to realize that I shouldn't waste much water on it.
age old problem of when does responsible government management become government intrusion.



note how dry and barren except for the little patches of green. lawns look pretty unnatural.

Never mind the water, stoutbroux has it right.
Fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides are destroying all the small water systems in the country.
All while people blithely believe their green lawn is "adding' to the overall aesthetic.
Deformed frogs, dead fish and birds might disagree with you.