Project Lawn is an un-essay assignment I am completing for my Capstone Seminar in English Studies class at Towson University. With the topic of this course being climate change, I decided to do my final project on the impact lawns have in our world.
So let’s dive right in. Let me start by asking you a question:
Which type of lawn do you prefer?
Some of you may have said the picture on the left, a nice, clean cut lawn that is organized and neat. The rest of you may have chosen the picture on the right, a wild lawn that includes wildlife and plants. Growing up, I thought everyone was supposed to cut their grass and it became the social norm. If someone in the community didn’t have their lawn cut, we looked at them differently because their house either looked abandoned or extremely odd because it didn’t fit in with the rest of the homes. However, maybe the people that lived in that house were already thinking about the future generations coming after them and how what we do now shapes our world for them. We have destroyed it too much already, which is why I need to give this information to you all right now.
The American Obsession
It is fair to say that America has an obsession with mowing lawns. This is why it is so complicated for people to change their ways and have an open mind. In “The American Obsession with Lawns”, Krystal D’Costa talks about how your neighbors will view and judge you based off the way you grow your lawn. It characterizes you and determines what kind of person you are. Because of the strong emphasis our universe has put on cutting grass, it is difficult to not think about it all the time, especially as you pass houses throughout the day. The goal is for more and more people to learn about why this is so important and how they can make a difference for the betterment of our Earth. For me personally, I thought cutting the grass was a good thing until I took this class. There are plenty of people out there that are simply just unaware of the affect it has, so our voices are going to play a huge role in making a difference.
What’s the Big Deal?
The big issue with mowing your lawn is that it is destroying habitats for the insect population. You may be asking yourself, “why should I care about insects?” Well, we need insects whether we like it or not. I know they can be irritating when we are enjoying our time outside on a sunny day, but we need insects such as bees so they can continue to make honey for us. Unfortunately, bees have become endangered and are on their way to becoming extinct. Bees play important roles in our lives and there would be a huge drop off in fruits and vegetables if they were to vanish from our Earth. This decline in pollination will cause farmers to go out of business. Since there will be limited fruits and vegetables, that means the prices will most likely increase, making it even harder than it is now to eat healthy.
Even though some may fear them and others just want to be unbothered, it is important that people remember all the good insects do for us. We can help keep the bee population alive and other wildlife populations as well by allowing our yard to grow tall, or at least taller than we usually would grow it. With all the lawns being trimmed, they have no place to go. When the grass is mowed, it takes away both food sources and a beautiful yard. Everyone loves to see a bright, vibrant yard with lots of flowers and plants.
I never realized it, but lawn mowers have a drastic impact on our environment because they pollute the air. The carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases that the lawn mower creates plays a big part in climate change. The amount of gas the lawn mowers release into the atmosphere is not safe, and imagine how many are being used everyday and the duration of how long they are being used. These lawn mowers can be on for a while, releasing more and more pollution in the air that we do not need. Not only do these machines impact air pollution, but noise pollution as well. An estimated 54 million Americans mow their lawn every weekend. Mowing every weekend has to take up a lot of gas, and refilling gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers can lead to fuel spills. If that fuel gets in your lawn or even nearby bodies of water, it will not be good for the environment.
Some choose to go with the electric lawn mower because it is better than the regular lawn mower and is quieter. However, if your electric lawn mower is being powered by coal plants, then you are still polluting the air. Therefore, a nice alternative would be trying something new and at least attempting to grow out your lawn to see where it takes you.
Differentiate Yourself from the Rest
Neighbors who are competing to see who’s lawn looks the best by constantly cutting it down is costing our world to struggle and suffer because they can not see the bigger picture. They won’t even try to leave it alone for a while to see what might happen differently in their yard.
Some people may know how much damage is being done, but don’t want to branch out and be different than the rest of the homes surrounding them. They don’t want to be the first house to try it out. Who cares what other people think about your lawn, it’s not theirs, it’s yours. This reminds me of Sarah Baker from Ohio who allowed her turf grass yard to grow wild. She did not mind being different for the sake of the environment. Unfortunately, the authorities were not a fan of what she had done and forced her to mow it. Here is a picture of her lawn:
Another example of someone who did not care about what his neighbors had to say was Michael Pollan’s father, Stephen. He just wanted to do what was best for the world, which was grow out his lawn and never mow it again. In Pollan’s “Why Mow? The Case Against Lawns”, Pollan talks about how some parents didn’t allow him to play with their kids because their lawn wasn’t cut. Stephen had lost all his friends in the development. When his neighbor, his last friend in the neighborhood, had told him he had to cut his grass, Stephen got the lawnmower out and mowed the letters “S M P” in the grass, which were his initials. He then placed the lawnmower back in the garage never to take it out again. I love this story so much because Stephen shows that he does not care about anyone else’s opinion but his own. If he likes the way his yard looks, he’s going to keep it that way even if it means losing all of his friends in the neighborhood. He stood his ground and did not conform to what society wanted him to do. In this world, you cannot be afraid to be different. Pollan is trying to help us understand that not everyone is going to agree with you branching out and trying something new, but it’ll be worth it. Take the advice from Pollan and do the opposite of everyone else so you can help save Earth.
When we think about what to do with our lawn, we must think intensively about which one is better for the environment because that is what is going to keep our earth alive. Let’s take a look at all the pros for growing out your lawn.
- There are various alternatives.
- The plants and flowers add a certain look to your front yard. You can style it however you like to make it look beautiful.
- It is helping the environment and wildlife.
- There is less air and noise pollution.
What are the Different Lawn Alternatives you Can Do?
One lawn alternative you can do is what Steve McDonough and Cat Thomson did to their lawn. They turned their lawn into a wildflower meadow. Here are some photos:
Another lawn alternative you can do is the No Mow movement, which has become a very popular trend around the globe. This movement allows you to prolong the time before the first mow, which is very beneficial to animals and insects, especially the bees. The No Mow movement started with No Mow May in England, and has now spread to cities in the Midwest, where May is the month for pollinators to come out. Depending on what city you live in and how the climate is in that particular area, No Mow may be better in a different month such as April or March. For example, No Mow May is perfect for Wisconsin because that is when their flowers and plants can flourish the most so that the bees are able to transfer pollen from one flower to another. As bees come out of hibernation, it is important for them to have plenty of options for nectar and pollen, especially right now as their population is steadily declining. According to Rob Mentzer, “the United Nations characterizes it as a threat to the global food supply”, so this is a very serious situation.
These are some alternatives to think about so you can still be involved in the No Mow movement. We need as many homeowners involved as possible, because step by step we are going to change our Earth and the way we treat it.
What is a Lawn Supposed to Look Like?
Lots of people think this is what lawn care is supposed to look like.
When lawn care also looks like this.
The Popularity
More and more people around the globe are beginning to learn about the dangers of mowing your lawn and how it has been impacting our environment for so long. Different counties and cities are allowing homes to grow out their lawn now, instead of forcing everyone in the neighborhood to look the exact same. For example, in Montgomery County, Maryland, you are now allowed to grow your lawn and garden however you please because it has been proven that it improves air and soil quality. Once more cities and counties see the potential and realize all the benefits that come with these heightened lawns, they will change their minds.
In the article, “Grass Lawns Are an Ecological Catastrophe”, One Team asks the question, “are American lawns beautiful visions of nature?” This question was easy for me; no because I don’t see a clean, cut lawn as the beauty of nature. The typical American lawn includes one that is mowed and cut down short. When I think of a beautiful vision of nature, I picture beautiful flowers, colorful and tall plants, big and small creatures, weeds, and so much more. Tall grass brings so much creativity to a lawn and helps the animals in an assortment of ways. A cut lawn is boring and doesn’t do anything beneficial to the environment. In fact, it is hurting the grass because it is killing the lawn and making it susceptible to disease by cutting it so short. Grass must be able to absorb nutrients and it isn’t able to do that when it is exposed to so much sunlight without the proper protection it needs.
For those of you that have always mowed your grass and never allowed it to grow, I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to take a portion of your lawn and see what happens if you don’t touch it for three weeks. Jenny Krane talks about taking a break from small areas in your landscape for those that are not ready to fully commit to the full lawn. Taking small steps one at a time may be what the people need instead of being forced to rush into the No Mow Movement. See what kind of progress is made on the portion that you decided not to touch, and see how much life you bring to insects and plants. Having beautiful, attractive flowers and plants will invite insects such as ladybugs and lacewings which will help keep pests away. As your plants start to grow and flourish, it will help out the ecosystem. By keeping your lawn mower stored away, gas is not being released into the air or the soil. You may love what happens to this portion of your lawn or you may not, but at least you tried. All I ask is that you give this a shot because you may like it and be able to make a impact on our world along with the rest of us.
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