EP 878 Why America’s Love Affair with Lawns Offers Little Value to the Environment

            Americans spend endless hours growing, tending, and cutting their lawns.  In fact, 40 million acres of land in the United States is covered by turf grass, making it the most irrigated crop in the country.  To what end?  It has virtually no value to flora and fauna and there are so many other ways to make your yard an oasis for the birds, bees, wildlife, flowers and trees.  As we all wonder what we can do to help with the threats to biodiversity today and ameliorate the effects of global warming, the best thing to do is start in your own backyard.  In her beautifully designed book “Grass Isn’t Greener: The Everyday Conservationist’s Guide to Bringing Nature to Your Yard,” Danae Wolfe, a conservation educator and skilled photographer, illustrates her cogent points page after page and picture after picture.  We discuss creating spaces to support wildlife and the natural world without leaving home.

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