Upvoted even though it's the archetypal "Here's a huge problem and a tiny solution, you guilty shithead!" Why Lawns Are an ‘Ecological Disaster’ Gizmodo recently pinned lawns as an “ecological disaster,” 3 citing native gardening writer Sara Stein, who summed up the problems with lawns rather succinctly: 4 “Continual amputation is a critical part of lawn care. Most obviously, the name was a natural evolution from Food Not Bombs. Lawns are an ecological disaster. Lawns, light pollution and bug-massacring highway traffic are associated where people congregate. He's probably referring to our capacity for war, but lawns may display our talent for fruitless carnage even better. By contrast, Susan's lawn next door looks like a disaster: weeds poke out everywhere, and there are so many different types of grass that you can't even count them. We must pay attention to who we are not supposed to mourn, to what mourning is under-reported or discouraged. In mourning. A recent market report estimated that the global market for artificial grass will grow at 5 percent a year for the next five years. Lawns satisfy deep desires and are a commonplace pleasure, but they are an ecological disaster, and a green lawn in places of drought is a perverse waste of a precious resource, water. Is Marjorie Kline a back-yard environmentalist or a lawn slob? When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away a week ago, commentators were quick to lament the implications of her empty Supreme Court seat for abortion rights and gender equality.But there's another concern: our overheating planet. Groups as diverse as urban garden clubs, environmental groups and wildlife protection groups are spreading the word that a big, lush lawn harms biodiversity and is an eco- disaster. Botti says lawns are part of the “colonizing of America,” which transformed the landscape from “pristine wilderness” to “identical rows of manicured nature.” This video highlights the five cultural practices needed for proper integrated pest management of turfgrass: (1) mowing, (2) fertilization, (3) irrigation, (4) cultivation, and (5) pesticide selection and use. Lawns Are A Historically-Stupid, Ecological Disaster. 'The fossil fuels used in fertiliser and pesticide production add CO2 to the environment.' Someone screwed up badly when artificial grass was included in the $3-a-square-foot water-saving lawn replacement plan. Unfortunately the logging industry almost destroyed the fishing industry by causing an ecological disaster in the Fraser River. Japan's Nagashiki Shipping said on Friday the grounding of one of its large bulk carriers that caused an ecological disaster in Mauritius was due to a lack of safety awareness and a failure to follow rules as it pledged better training and oversight. Historically, clover commonly grew naturally in our lawns. Amy Coney Barrett. Are you watering and fertilizing your lawn? American have been called lawnoholics, but it is moderation, not abstinence, that is called for. We should all know by now that lawns of green grass aren't so "green" for the environment. True nature is generally rougher, less pretty and unpredictable. Why Food Not Lawns? Lawns, light pollution and bug-massacring highway traffic are associated where people congregate. There are alternatives. But Danish scientist Hoye found a noticeable drop in muscid flies in Greenland 300 miles (500 kilometers) from civilization. AP Photo/The Jonesboro Sun, Rob Holt. Every species has a set of environmental conditions under which it will grow and reproduce most optimally. Lawns Are an Ecological Disaster. Lawns Are an Ecological Disaster. It’s getting harder to make the call in an age where the traditional, manicured lawn is under attack as an ecological disaster. Clover used to grow naturally in lawns. There are alternatives. Ecological benefits of lawns are mostly appreciated by both stakeholders and park visitors, while the recreational values of lawns are least appreciated. The WildLawn process starts with a sit-down over coffee to listen and learn about your aspirations and frustrations with your current lawn. 'Lawns contribute to climate change,' Saffier told IPS. It's time we turn our lawns back into productive plant communities. This succession is influenced by environmental factors such as soil type, water regimes, vegetation history, climate, and invasive species. Originally, they were cultivated with more useful (though not necessarily used) plants like chamomile or thyme. But Danish scientist Hoye found a noticeable drop in muscid flies in … Lawns satisfy deep desires and are a commonplace pleasure, but they are an ecological disaster, and a green lawn in places of drought is a perverse waste of a precious resource, water. This is the basis of the fishing industry. Most of British Columbia is virgin forest which is used by the logging industry for wood. In practice, suburban and urban lawns displaced by development are are primarily an aesthetic loss, less land devoted to lawns and gardens which reflect an idealized but artificial landscape, but not much of an ecological loss. Ecological succession is the somewhat predictable change in forest types over a period of time, usually decades. How is it beneficial to the Earth’s ecosystem? Bee Lawns are similar to Freedom lawns, but are planted with low plants with small flowers (such as dandelions, clover) that are great at providing food for native bees especially ().By definition, they don’t have to include native species, but there’s no reason why they can’t. And they should. Q: Why does grass exist? We are heading for an insect apocalypse, which would spell disaster for humankind. Lawns are contributing to pollution and climate change, asserts narrator David Botti, and their origins are far from woke, in a seven-minute video on the history of American lawns. Lawns are an unusual case: Wealthier residents intensively manage their lawns to be very green ... For example, decades of neglected pollution in the Flint River led to an ecological disaster for the stream biota and a massive ongoing humanitarian crisis in the predominantly Black community of Flint, Michigan (47, 48). Amy Coney Barrett University of Notre Dame. Neil Tyson often conjectures that maybe aliens have concluded humans aren’t intelligent enough to contact. Lawns were a European invention, England to be precise, and they were the undertaking of the fabulously wealthy, seeking to bring the glade closer to home. Some see looming ecological collapse as an opportunity to re-order society along their preferred, frankly genocidal, lines. Lawns and gardens do tend to reduce heat island effects. Ian Graber-Stiehl, Earther May 21, 2018. And phony lawns just invite more jokes about fake, plastic L.A. article. According to Dr. Smith, the concept of lawns came to the U.S. at the beginning of the 18 th century “with immigrants from England and France, where lawns were established at country homes of the wealthy. … American have been called lawnoholics, but it is moderation, not abstinence, that is called for. In July, there is a drought and homeowners are ordered to not water their lawns. Without clover helping to absorb water, shallow-rooted lawns require more water to … Here’s why you shouldn’t rake the leaves on your lawn ... Lawns would become democratized as a recognizable institution of American suburban life. Humans affect all of these factors. The case against lawns He’s probably referring to our capacity for war, but lawns may display our talent for fruitless carnage even better. The introduction and use of herbicides eradicated the broadleaf weeds, but removed deep-rooted clover, too. But is a plastic lawn the ultimate convenience, or an ecological disaster? However, the trend moved towards closely cropped grasses, first maintained by grazing sheep … Neil Tyson often conjectures that maybe aliens have concluded humans aren't intelligent enough to contact. Lessons from the history of environmentalism. ... “They’re not realizing that there could be an ecological disaster … Why science needs philosophy. Introduced exotic plant species do not support native ecology. Instead, WildLawn believes in a philosophical and ecological approach that satisfies both the needs of the environment and the people living in it. Why does "ecological succession" occur? Environmental Protection Agency stats suggest that every year, Americans use 800 million gallons of gasoline caring for our lawns, and spill a further 17 million in the process (a spill, in terms of wasted gasoline, within the estimated range of the Exxon Valdez disaster). (10) But more importantly, we called ourselves Food Not Lawns because the more we learned about food, agriculture, and land use, the more the lawns around suburban Eugene began to reek of gross waste and mindless affluence. Nature is generally rougher, less pretty and unpredictable cultivated why lawns are an ecological disaster more useful ( though necessarily... 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