Sustainable Lawncare - Benefits Related to Temperature Modification
by John Yazo
A sustainable landscape includes all plant life and soil. Gardens, lawns, trees and shrubs can all play an important role in modifying the air temperatures in the hot summer months and especially in an urban environment. Green lawn areas provide for a cooler in the hot summer months than asphalt or concrete surfaces that are common in urban settings.
A healthy lawn, along with landscape plantings, contribute to an improved air quality by trapping particulate matter, like dust. In urban areas dust is highly generated by motorized vehicles, trapped, and then infiltrated into the soil preventing any further movement. Nutrients, along with other contaminates are carried down on dust particles can then be used by plant life, or broken down and used by the microorganisms in the soil. A good healthy turf establishment will completely cover a yards soil surface and prevent soil particles from being carried by air movement into the atmosphere, then transported and re-deposited in another location, even another region.
Green plant life is defined as autotrophs. They are capable of producing their own food source through the process of photosynthesis. Plant life that makes up our landscape, like grass, tress and shrubs take in carbon dioxide and convert it into simple sugars. As a result of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is taken in by the plants and oxygen is given back out into the atmosphere. There are estimates that suggest that a 25 square foot area of lawn can produce enough oxygen for one adult person for one day
Having a good healthy landscape, with a combination of plantings like, grass, trees and shrubs will reduce noise levels by absorption, deflection, reflection and refracting the various sounds. The reduction in discomforting glare and light reflection have also been noted as a positive benefit having a well established landscape of plantings, including grass areas.
Sustainable lawn-care can provide many benefits for both you and the environment, from air quality to water quality. Keeping healthy environmental practices in your yard and gardens will greatly benefit the plant life you are growing and the natural environment they grow in. Nature has it's own unique methods of keeping every thing in balance. Doing our part in not abusing the ecosystem in our yards by using natural methods of gardening and the recycling of organic household and yard waste by composting to be used back in our yards and gardens as natural fertilizers, along with being used as an organic soil amendment.
If you would like to comment on this website or have any suggestions please feel free to contact us
