We Americans love our lawns. In the U.S., lawns take up two percent of the land. To put that into perspective, it’s about the size of the state of Georgia. We have more land devoted to lawns than the entire land mass of Greece or Ireland.
Every year, we tend them, mow them, maintain them and strive to improve their condition, health and aesthetic. A beautifully manicured lawn is a point of pride in the U.S. Our desire for pristine green spaces is so ingrained in our society that we actually have laws, rules and codes enforcing the upkeep of lawns in our neighborhoods.
However, the extensive use of lawns has also raised concerns about their environmental impact. Maintaining lawns often requires substantial amounts of water, fertilizers, pesticides and labor, which can have detrimental effects on water resources and contribute to pollution. Additionally, the presence of vast lawns can disrupt natural habitats and biodiversity, displacing native plants and wildlife. Pollinator populations, including bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, bats, and birds, are declining worldwide. Over 87% of flowering plant species and 87% of leading global food crops rely on pollinators for seed production.
These concerns are beginning to be reflected in the way we think about our outdoor spaces and alternatives – in whole or in part – to conventional turf lawns.
Clover and even moss are sometimes used instead of turf grass.
In addition to planting more native plants and flowers, there is also a concept known as refuge or native lawns.
Refuge lawns are a type of lawn designed to support pollinators and promote biodiversity by using common weeds and non-grass plants pollinators thrive on.
However, one person’s refuge lawn might appear to another person as an overgrown mess, a stark contrast to conventional, manicured green lawns.
The aforementioned codes usually focus on the height of the grasses, which makes refuge gardening difficult. It’s not as though these types of codes no longer serve a good purpose. Overgrown lots don’t just mar the landscape, they can also be a public health issue since untended spaces left to grow wild are perfect environments for mice, mosquitoes and other pests that can carry disease.
There should be something in city codes that recognizes those whose lawns are the result of genuine concern for the environment while still holding property owners accountable for the upkeep of their property.
We believe this new approach to lawns is something to be encouraged. Adjusting the code to allow for refuge lawns is an idea whose time has come. We encourage refuge lawn advocates to share their knowledge with city officials to come up with a plan that works for everyone.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
