In keeping with the Earth Day theme and piggypacking on Mark White's great blog this morning about our Water Karma, it got me thinking as I heard the lawn mowers being fired up outside, just how much impact does our obsession with a green lawn have on our environment, especially here in Denver?
Come to find out, it is rather significant. If we leave outthe wholewater problemthat Mark nailed so perfectly this morning, there is still the issue of noisy, polluting lawn mowers that wepush through our lawnsto keep our grass looking just right. Did you know that more than 50 million Americans mow their lawn each week and this contributes to 5% of the country's air pollution?
So how do we improve on this? The answer is of course xeriscaping, old fashioned push mowers, and the ever improving electric lawnmowers. Or, you could consider hiring a lawn service such as Clean Air LawnCare. According to Kellie Falbo with the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, Clean Air Lawn Care uses quiet, clean electric lawn equipment powered through renewable energy (solar/wind) and offers an organic fertilization program. The trucks are mounted with solar panels used to recharge the mowers in the field. The electric equipment is noticeably quieter, which is great for neighbors and napping children.
And consider this. A full day of mowing with a gas mower would emit the same amount of hydrocarbons as driving a large car or truck from Fort Collins to New York City and back more than 52 times. Last year, Clean Air Lawn Care reduced 19,093 pounds of air pollution along the Front Range, which is the equivalent of reducing 556,879 vehicle miles. To calculate the environmental impact of mowing your lawn, use the Clean Lawn Calculator found at www.cleanairlawncare.com.
Don't forget about all that grass either.A 1,000 square foot lawn generates 300 pounds of clippings annually, rapidly filling up our landfills. Clean Air suggests composting grass clippings better yet leaving them on the lawn as mulch and needed nitrogen for the grass.
So once again, in the spirit of Earth Day, let's take a good long look at not only our water usuage in our yards, but what we are doing to the environment to maintain the look we use this precious water to create.
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