Back to lawns.... Let's talk costs today.
There are over 2 MILLION acres of lawn in just the state of PA. The cost just to MOW all of that turf grass once per week is $154,700,000. Yah, really. That doesn't even include edging, blowing, fertilizing, overseeding, spraying with weed killer.... You get the idea.
You have probably heard about California's new law banning the sale of gas powered mowers, blowers, etc. The engines in this equipment are not regulated in the same way that automobile engines are. Running one gas powered blower for one hour emits the same amount of air pollution as driving your SUV for over 1000 miles. *Cough*
Do we even need to talk about the noise pollution? There's hardly a day that I don't hear a lawn mower or blower running in my neighborhood, if not several at once.
Then there's the fertilizers and herbicides. Most of that stuff is not absorbed by the grass. Most of that stuff runs off into our waterways.
And then there's time. How valuable is your time? I'm guessing most of us mow our own lawns. If not, then you've got an additional dollar cost to think about. I think I have a fairly average sized lawn. It takes me 45 minutes to mow it. An extra 40 if I have to edge, which I do about every third or fourth time I mow. This summer I had to mow EVERY THREE DAYS. Usually it's 5-7 but not with the "normal" rainfall we had this summer. I would really rather have that time back to play in the garden or do something else.
Have you added up the real cost of maintaining your lawn, the area most people consider to be the most "low maintenance" of their landscape? The LEAST ecologically useful part? If the only time you spend in your lawn is when you're mowing it, or NEVER, do you need it?
Source: DCNR