Why are alternative lawns beneficial?

Traditional grass lawns may seem harmless, but in fact, they’re one of the worst options for filling a yard in terms of their environmental impact.

 

Traditional grass lawns typically:

 

• Are made of a non-native species of grass

• Are a monoculture (only contain one species)

• Require constant watering to maintain

• Require the use of chemical pesticides to maintain

• Require a gas-powered mower to maintain

 

Why are these aspects of a grass lawn bad? The impacts of these attributes have to be considered. So looking at that list from an environmental perspective:

 

• Non-native grasses push out native grasses, clovers, and flowers, often putting those species at risk of endangerment

• The monoculture of grass provides virtually no habitat for local wildlife, which are often seen as “pests” by homeowners

• Excessive watering uses a valuable resource, fresh water, for a purely cosmetic purpose, which contributes to droughts in some areas

• Chemical pesticides can harm not only “weed” species but local wildlife, pets, and even neighbors who are unaware of the dangers of pesticide

• Gas-powered lawn mowers create a significant amount of pollution, even more than a gas-powered car

 

And furthermore — grass lawns can be expensive to keep and maintain, as most homeowners are well aware of. 

 

So what’s the solution? Alternative lawns.

 

Alternative lawns, which covers a variety of different yard styles, solve most or all of these issues inherent to traditional grass lawns. Most are made up of native species, provide a better habitat for local wildlife, and require much less water use and little to no mowing or pesticide use.

To learn more about the different types of alternative lawns and their individual benefits, check out the Which lawn type is best for me? page.

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