Lawns Stink

Kevin Baldwin makes the case against the American lawn:

I have never understood lawns. What exactly is the point? A uniform swath of green grass seems so contrived and unnatural. [...] This is more than simply an academic exercise. Multiply a quarter-acre lot by tens of millions and you are talking about some serious acreage. Lawns collectively comprise the largest irrigated crop in the U.S., covering ... an area larger than Ohio.

Given this acreage, it is not surprising that about one fourth to one third of all herbicides are used on lawns (the exact percentage depends on the herbicide). Fertilizer application also tends to heavier than needed, creating nitrate runoff that contaminates drinking water aquifers. Compared to agricultural applications, lawns tend to suffer over-application. Lawns represent a huge contribution to non-point source pollution.

Steve Clowney

(HT: The Daily Dish)