A Little Grass - A Big Problem

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - you might not know the name of the author, but likely you've heard this line, "Water, water every where, nor any drop to drink..."

Growing up in West Texas, I appreciated early on the importance of rain.  Now living in Montana, having streams, lakes, rivers and rain in what seems to be abundance, I appreciate more and more the value of water.

This got me to thinking - about a conversation with my friend Rebecca.  Simply - it's a pet-peeve of mine that borders on being judgmental.  I apologize in advance for the tone this writing will take.

Lawns.  Lawns bother me.  A lot.

Let's start with some history from the National Wildlife Federation:

"The history of the lawn in America has its roots, so to speak, in the English country estate, where lawns provided sweeping vistas enjoyed by the aristocracy and were mowed and fertilized by flocks of sheep. Beginning in the 19th century, however, suburban Americans took to lawns like fish to water—and both fish and water have been adversely impacted ever since."

Let me give you some statistics to mull over:

• The average homeowner will spend 50 to 100 hours a year maintaining their lawn (but only 35 hours a year having sex!)
• 10 times more herbicides per acre are dumped on lawns than on fields of agribusiness
• Per acre, it costs more to maintain a lawn than it does to grow corn, rice, or sugarcane. More than 40 billion dollars (!!!) are spent on lawns in North America - more than we spend on text books for school classrooms.
• 7,500 Americans are injured every year using lawn mowers, about the same number as firearms.  Most of those accidents involve children.  More than 30% of these injuries resulted in an amputation of some sort - limbs and digits gone in the pursuit of green!
• 50-70 percent of residential water is used for landscaping - most to water lawns - which total approximately 20-30 million acres in the United States.
• A gas powered lawnmower emits 11 times the air pollution of a new car.

Any minimal amount of research shows how lawns (and our continued pursuit of a perfect lawn) is damaging our rivers, lakes, streams - and equally damaging needed birds, bees, and other local wildlife.

But we continue to do this - we continue to pay and toil away at unnatural grasses in areas that were never meant to support such water consuming ground cover.

Gardens.  What happened to gardens?  Vegetation that proved magical in growth and amazing in their ability to support our physical needs - gardens were instrumental in teaching children and provided families with a most cost effective means of nutrition.  

Maybe one day, we'll stop trying to match the Jones' and get back to the land as it was meant to be - unmanicured in most instances - and real.  Local grasses, wild flowers, a utopia for the local wildlife and insects that carried our lands through hundreds of years.  

Quite possibly, people who are consumed with "healthy living" will realize that it's not just your body or your food that you need to consider while in this pursuit of "health"... it's also the world you're creating.  Consider xeriscaping, maybe box gardens - enjoy the outdoors as it wants (and was meant) to be.

And that - my dear ones - is my rant on lawns.  

Good day and much love.

- Simone

(P.S. - Might I recommend: http://www.sunset.com/garden/earth-friendly/lose-the-lawn-low-water-landscaping ... or... http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/ ...)