Grass Is Not Worth It

Something I enjoy about researching topics and articles for blog posts is finding things that are more relatable to people--that is, discovering articles that find a way to connect the ordinary in everyday lives to the issue of climate change (such as ocean acidification and badly tasting shrimp). For this post, I'm referencing a VICE News article about how keeping one's lawn manicured and well-groomed can be harmful and on the side of contributing to global warming.

According to writer Matt Smith, who interviewed Appalachian State University geochemist Chuanhui Gu, the irrigation, use of equipment, and fertilization required to keep a lawn in shape is contributing to global warming. In fact, it generates more carbon dioxide than the grass absorbs--about 5 to 6 times more. The biggest issue among these is fertilizer, which breaks down and produces nitrous oxide, a powerful and effective greenhouse gas. Gu says that one patch of grass/lawn could add up to around 25 million tons of carbon dioxide, about the same as on transcontinental flight a year.

While that's only a fraction of the U.S.'s carbon emissions, it's still important to cut back in any small way we can, especially in ordinary life. Changing little habits like mowing one's lawn for such an important cause informs out behavior to act against climate change in other ways--even bigger ways. Gu says the best way to avoid this carbon production is to cut back on fertilizer. Instead, leave grass clippings on the lawn, which both provide nutrients to the grass and avoid releasing more GGs when dumped in a landfill. (Not to mention how WASTEFUL it is to use that much water to grow pointless grass.)

Source: https://news.vice.com/article/your-well-manicured-lawn-is-contributing-to-climate-change