April 28, 2011 (Daytona Beach, FL) -
Maybe we should have renamed this article "Your Lawn - Your Problem" but from a greener standpoint, we know that thinking and acting as a community always gets a better response than the alternative finger pointing method.
Many may be reading this thinking that a "killer lawn" deserves that beautification award just as a "killer pie" would warrant a “regards to the chef,” but the "killer" we are talking about is just the one you probably don't want to hear about. All of us here at the Florida Herb House were so shocked when we read the statistics that we felt obligated to write about it. To be frank, this whole thing is scary when you think about what is really happening to our once green planet. And, if we don't do something to protect it, our children and their children will be the ones who will suffer dearly.
According to a group of the world's top scientists from the United Nations Climate Change Convention, if our planet's current Greenhouse Gas emissions are not reduced by at least 50% within the next 30-40 years, our planet will crash just like a virus infected desktop. Thankfully, many a folk have stepped up to the plate and made some significant steps towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle, such as trading in that gas guzzling SUV for a greener type hybrid or added solar hot water heaters to their house, or even started buying more organic products to reduce the amount of pesticides and fertilizers that are poisoning our oceans, lakes and rivers. But the one topic that dwarfs them all is our lawn. Yes, our lawn. That beautifully manicured, fresh cut, shiny green, insect free, weed free, killer lawn!
The numbers are in and it is simply staggering to hear that an excess of seven billion gallons of water per day is depleted from our water sheds for landscape irrigation purposes. But wait, the purchase of fuel for those delightful green machines that do all the cutting and whacking equates to over eight-hundred million gallons of fuel annually. Now for the shocker. This one will make you go….hmmm. This trumps all the rest. In the United States alone over forty, not ten, twenty, or thirty mind you, but over forty billion dollars are spent every year on pesticides and fertilizers and other deadly lawn chemicals! We are silently killing ourselves, our neighbors, and everyone around us with this type of insanity. It is also a fact here in 2011 that the average American has over three times the build up of pesticide toxins in their body compared to levels from only thirty years ago. Folks, it's time to think and be responsible for the well being of our children, if nothing else.
What can we do? For starters, we have to start saying no to any types of pesticides and fertilizers that are not organic or naturally manufactured. Not only will organic lawn products keep your lawn just as pretty as before, but they will help solve the ever growing problem of chemically polluted water sheds. Additionally, your children will have a safer environment to frolic and play in. While organic lawn products are slightly higher in cost, the risks versus the rewards surely make the decision a no brainer. All of the folks here at Florida Herb House have made the promise to switch to organic lawn products this year and never go back.
Next is the mower and other gas powered equipment. When it is time to upgrade or replace your equipment, opt for a more eco-friendly electric mower, or even a man powered push mower like the one grandma used to use. Electric lawn mowers and weed whackers have come a long way in reliability and have cordless options that can meet the needs of the most demanding lawns. An electric mower costs only $5-$10 per year to operate and will help cut into the millions of gallons of fuel that is exhausted annually from grass cutting. All of us here at Florida Herb House have made the promise and are trading in our gas for electric lawn equipment this year.
For those looking for the most extreme options for their lawns, the kind of choices that make tree huggers around the world smile, and the true symbol of eco-awareness, would be an imitation, or biodegradable painted lawn. Yes they are available and gaining popularity in the United States. Artificial replacement lawns, while somewhat costly at several thousand dollars for an average sized lawn, could save the average household hundreds of dollars per year in water and fuel costs. But the real savings will be in the reduction of greenhouse emissions and other pollutants. Other eco-lawn companies offer a lawn painting service where they come by every so often and spray a natural, biodegradable lawn paint to make each blade of grass look like it just sprouted. The need for mowing is greatly reduced and fertilizers and pesticides become obsolete. Choosing one of these two options will reduce your carbon footprint more than if you traded in your SUV for that hybrid alternative…think about that. For questions about this article, or for more information about eco-lawns, you can contact Steven Sharp at Info@FloridaHerbHouse.com or visit them online at http://www.sharpweblabs.com/.
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Lee Sharp
Florida Herb House
2289 S. Ridgewood Ave.
S. Daytona Beach, FL 32118
