Real lawn grass or synthetic
April 13th, 2009
Real versus synthetic grass
Increasingly, eco-conscious Australians are laying down synthetic turf instead of the real stuff in the hopes of reducing water use and mower impacts, but Helen Tuton of Sustainable Gardening Australia argues that, while fake turf requires little maintenance, water or fertiliser, it can also reduce the duality of underlying soil, is energy and resource intense to produce, and is not yet recyclable.
She also notes that real lawns act as ‘carbon sinks’, absorbing carbon dioxide, as well as producing oxygen and reducing the average temperature A the nearby urban environment. Indeed, a US study once found that while built-up urban areas typically experience higher temperatures due to a high concentration of heat-retaining materials like concrete and brick, a neighbourhood with just eight average-sized lawns experienced a significant cooling effect, with summer temperatures reduced by up to 10 degrees Celsius.)
So what are you to do? Rather than ditching the benefits of a living lawn for a plastic one, you can reduce your yard’s impact by opting for native ground cover instead. Native species typically require less water, fertiliser and other chemicals than other grasses, as they are better suited to local conditions.
