LAWN TIPS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Creating an eco-friendly lawn is about more than just protecting your family’s health. An eco-friendly lawn is how you can protect the environment. Our world is at even higher risk today than even only 68 years ago, an insignificant amount of time compared to the length of time Homo Sapiens has walked the earth (200,000 years) and the age of the Earth (about 4.5 billion years). We have only existed for 0.00004% of the Earth’s lifespan to date.

In the last 68 years, since 1950, our population has grown seven-fold, energy use has multiplied by a factor of five, and the amount of fertilizer used is eight times higher, meaning the amount of nitrogen entering the oceans has quadrupled.

All of these indicators have increased exponentially in 68 years, and researchers report they show no signs of slowing down despite the fact we are creating an inhospitable planet to human life.

Our four most considerable environmental problems today are human-driven climate change, loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen entering the oceans from fertilizer use. Additionally, carbon dioxide levels (a significant component of greenhouse gases) are at 395.5 parts per million, a historic high, and species are becoming extinct 100 times faster than they used to.

Our planet is quickly becoming inhospitable, and without large-scale change, we’ll soon reach the point of no return. Each individual needs to do their part in protecting the environment, so learning a few lawn tips to protect the environment can go a long way to saving your surrounding area.

Each weekend an average of 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year, 17 million of which are spilled during refueling and find their way into our groundwater, rivers, lakes, and oceans.

An excellent lawn tip to protect the environment from your lawn mower is to switch from gas-powered to battery-powered lawn mowers and yard equipment. A battery-powered mower like Mowbot not only eliminates the need for gasoline and the risk of spills but creates a hardier, more drought-resistant yard that requires less fertilization and irrigation in the long-run.

On average, a U.S. family with 1/3-acre lawn will consume 18 gallons of fuel per year. Careless fuel handling sends a significant portion of the gas they buy into groundwater and storm drains.

We have a finite source of water on the planet, and only 3.5% of it is fresh, the majority of which is groundwater. Any fossil fuel or fertilizer contamination that enters our groundwater reservoirs and waterways leading to the ocean is harmful to the planet. Oceanic pollution is at an all-time high, creating dead zones. Dead zones are found on the coasts of densely populated areas and are zones where depleted oxygen levels cannot support marine life. Dead zones are created by high levels of chemicals in the water.

Currently, there are 146 dead zones in the world’s oceans. North America’s Gulf Coast has a large number of dead zones where fish are unable to reproduce, causing a significant decrease in fish population. Dead zones can be reversed with care and time. In the late 20th century, the Black Sea dead zone disappeared with the discontinued use of fertilizers. Your lawn tip to protect the environment is to protect the water. Don’t waste water, and don’t allow contamination of your groundwater and storm drains.

• Do mow high to create deeper root systems and decrease irrigation needs
• Do water in the morning and not midday to avoid evaporation
• Do rely heavily on rainfall and not sprinklers to water your lawn
• Do switch to battery-powered equipment
• Do only use organic fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides not inorganic or synthetic chemicals
• Do use eco-friendly lawn care companies
• Don’t dump grass clippings or waste into storm drains or waterways
• Don’t allow fossil fuels to contaminate your groundwater or run off into drains
• Don’t water before a forecasted rain

Continue Reading : How Often You Should Water Your Lawn