Death to the Lawn

The Facts, the Hacks, your Neighbors’ Attacks

Admit it: you love the smooth, uninterrupted expanse of green occupying the frontage of suburban homesteads, fifty feet deep.

You are also aware that our climate is changing, and that it will affect the viability of 30–50% of all living species on the planet.

You’ve also seen some cool alternative landscape ideas for areas usually designated for lawns. If only you lived in Portland, OR. But you are afraid of your neighbors. You know, the ones you never talk to beyond the dull party someone holds once a year?

So, let’s start with the facts:

• Lawns are not productive biologically rich green spaces, but rather sterile monocultures. For most creatures, a lawn is like a desert.
• The front lawns of ten suburban properties add up to an acre of land.
• Lawns are designed to pitch away from structures and send rainwater into storm drains rather than into the ground.
• Fertilizers and pesticides and pH correctors necessary for the maintenance of lawns run off during rainstorms, and end up polluting streams.
• Lawn mowers use hydrocarbon fuels.
• Lawns need a lot of water when it is scarce.