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Mow Green
By Linda Mason Hunter
(First published in FiftySomething, publication of The Des Moines Register;
© 2009, Linda Mason Hunter/The Des Moines Register

Smartly clipped “putting green” lawns, with nary a dandelion nor tendril of Creeping Charlie, belong to another era. If you want an eco-lawn, think habitat, not lush perfection. Work in harmony with nature instead of harming the environment simply to suit your own needs. Here are some lawn tips to try this summer:

Go low-tech with a reel or electric mower. Power mowers pollute the air with noxious odors (obscuring the olfactory delight of fresh mown grass) and account for five percent of air pollution, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By making the green switch, you’ll eliminate gas waste (we spill more fuel while filling lawn equipment each year than the Exxon Valdez spilled in 1989, according to Idealbite.com), save money (you’ll pay about $5 per year to power an electric mower, where it costs that much for just two mows with a gas-powered machine), and you’ll reduce irritating noise pollution (reel mowers are basically silent, while electric ones make a tenth of the noise that gas-powered mowers do).
Tune it up. If you use a power mower, an annual tune up can reduce emissions up to 50 percent. Your local hardware shop can do it for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Keep cutting blades sharp. Sharp blades keep plant tissue from tearing and promote a healthier carpet of grass.
Mow your grass long. Longer blades discourage weeds and pests, retain moisture, and promote healthy roots. As an added bonus, you’ll be less tempted to use poisonous commercial pesticides and herbicides.
Let grass clippings decompose on your lawn. Grass clippings make great natural fertilizer. If you don’t want to leave them on your lawn, layer them in your compost pile to make fertilizer for next year’s garden.
Mow regularly, and remove no more than one-third of the blade length at a time. This minimizes stress on the grass. Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, points out that cutting grass to 3 or 4 inches tall can reduce evaporation by 70 to 80%.

PROJECT:
Calculate Your Ecological Footprint

How much space does your lifestyle require? Find out. Calculate your own ecological footprint by taking the quiz at www.myfootprint.org. Then, you can compare your Ecological Footprint to what the planet can sustain.

Adjusting your entries or playing with the “Reduce Your Footprint” calculator will show how lifestyle changes affect the Footprint size. Enter simple goals for your life on the Action Calculator (such as a pledge to eat less meat) and find out how many acres of land you could save just by implementing that goal. Post your goals in a place where you can see and review them every day.

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