According to a recent article published by Science Daily, "Using census data, satellite images, aerial photographs and computer simulations, a NASA scientist on the assumption that the grass is grass, the single largest irrigated crop in the United States," the question asks what is the environmental cost? If you use three times more water to irrigate our lawns, such as water supply for maize, it is obvious that we as a nation, have a serious problem.
We thank Cristina Milesi, aItalian scientist Sensin distance at California State University-Monterey Bay and the NASA / Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., for this startling revelation still scary. Using census data, satellite images and aerial photos Cristina able to appreciate the total amount of turf found in the 48 contiguous states. Computer simulations, where the impact on the environment, to obtain all the estimates used grass.
Just like most of the United States is committedGrass or turf grass?
According to the study Cristina approximately 128,000 square kilometers and almost 32 million acres in the United States are covered with turf. This officially makes turf our nations largest irrigated crop. Together we have enough grass turf in the United States into one large enough to create grass cover the entire state of Kentucky, or 40 411 square miles located.
How much money is spent on maintaining the lawn of the United States?
Lawn care in the United States is largeEconomy - estimates range 2002 Harris poll suggests that spending a year as a country · $ 28900000000 A in a personal perspective, which translates into about $ 1,200 per family.
And 'only our meadows, could see how much water they use?
No matter what you have on your lawn, it is important to understand is that between 50-70% in the United States Environmental Engineering used for landscape design - most only for the water meadows. 50-70% of our urban water managementtranslates into about 10,000 gallons of water for the summer to 1,000 square feet of lawn.
Thurs meadows offer all the benefits for the environment?
At a certain level - Yes really, of course, organic lawn care, as effective carbon sink (more than chemically treated lawns) act. Meadows with trees offer the following advantages:
They help in the fight against the urban "heat island effect" effect They offer a degree of conversion of oxygen They offer someLevel particulate air filtration
While the meadows offer some limited benefits for the environment because of the amount of water and chemicals we use to keep them, we also need to understand the environmental costs.
The ecological cost of the U.S. turf
If you are between 50-70% of our urban water management, water our lawns just is not scary enough, then you should consider the following facts from the Safer Pest Control Project:
78 million homes in the U.S.use of garden pesticides $ 700 million spent annually on pesticides for lawns in the U.S. 67,000,000 pounds of pesticides are synthetic surfaces in the U.S. each year We use three times as much pesticides per hectare on our lawn, as we do in our crops
We are not only wasting water, a good ex-limited and we are literally poisoning our environment. The distribution of toxins in the common garden pesticides that we have foundThat's an incredible amount of ecological damage.
The damage caused by the U.S. turf grass, are not limited to pesticides, as a nation we use 58 million gallons of gasoline when mowing our lawn. At $ 2.75 a gallon, which is not available in my area, thats $ 159,500,000 dollars for gasoline. A single lawnmower is driven to create as much pollution as a car in 1 hour for 20 miles.
Mowers are not the only threat to the environment - the ubiquitous leaf blower distributes more than 26Times and 49 times the carbon monoxide, fine particles of a new light commercial vehicles.
The human element
As we have literally millions of pounds of pesticides and other chemicals sprayed grass around our homes a year, it should be obvious that the toxins find their way into our food chain and work tables or water, then finally to us.
Consider the fact that 100% of fish in urban areas contain at least one pesticide. Moreover, according to Jason PhillipEcoLocalizer of, from "30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 16 are toxic to birds, 24 are toxic to fish and aquatic life, and 11 are lethal to bees." It deals with the fact that "nearly 7 million birds die each year from exposure to pesticides lawn care." If pesticides have migrated to our local fish populations, why should we believe that they are not immigrating to us? If our toxic pesticides for a variety of animals, because they are least toxic to humans at some level should be?According to a report by the National Academy of Sciences, people who 1 / 7 have negatively affected their health in some form by lawn pesticides.
As adults, we may be less sensitive to pesticides lawn, but both of our children and pets are particularly at risk because of their size and distance from the ground. Children are more at risk because their state of physiological development. The dangers of pesticides are the children was also documented by numerous studies byYale University and the mountains. Sinai Medical Center.
How do I create a lawn safe for my family?
If you want a "safer turf", it is a useful non-profit organization with the appropriate title "SafeLawns for a Healthier Planet," which was given the mission to "educate society about the benefits of responsible lawn care Gardening and the environment and cause a jump in consumer behavior and industry. "
You can find many useful information in the form of news, eventsUpdates, and helpful how-to videos:
http://www.safelawns.org/
A major initiative for a healthier planet SafeLawns that will encourage all invited to participate in the "Challenge SafeLawns million acres." The purpose of this initiative is to encourage participants to commit to commit "themselves to the care of your lawn in an environmentally friendly way, through the elimination of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, with push and / or electric mower and irrigation and systemresponsible. "
If you want to participate in the challenge SafeLawns million acres visit:
[Http: / / www.safelawns.org / Challenge.cfm million acres]
While the United States in love with its green lawns, the time for change has come. Even our government is taking steps towards sustainable gardening practices. In the fall of 2007 SafeLawns for a healthier planet along with the National Parks Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency has started nursing4.3-acre central part of the National Mall in Washington, DC in a non-toxic, environmentally friendly. Is not it time we followed them all? Together we can create a safer, less stressed, non-toxic environment.
| Price : $199.99 | Post Date : Dec 25, 2011 19:12:26
