Is it environmentally friendly to replace the garden grass with fake grass so it needs no watering?

Question

pls. include details

Answer 1

No

If you use grass that need very little or no watering, then this wouldn't be a problem as there should be a little rain. Besides, fake grass is made using plastics and other stuff which also create a great carbon footprint. If real grass is used, they can help reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the air and of course would look more realistic and provide a good living environment for other animals that inhabit the earth with us, such as snails and insects :D

Answer 2

NO! grow something else. The world is covered with tarmak as it is.... Please try something else. How about some herbs or fruit trees. low maintenence and you get fruit. or if water is a problem, a WATER BUTT. or if you look hard enough you could find wild grass or something that does not need so much. we all need to plant more plants to keep this world healthy... good luck!

Answer 3

No, having grass reduces your carbon footprint.

Answer 4

No becuase there are micro-organism that thrive off of grass. Try native drought resistant plants. Also try these types of grasses as well: Turf-type tall fescue, Sheep Fescue or Buffalo grass.

Answer 5

The greenest thing you could do is replace the grass with native xeriscaping - that is native plants (and decorative rocks, etc.) that require no additional watering beyond what your climate naturally provides.  That way you aren't using "any" additional water, you provide "natural" habitat for birds/bugs/animals, you leave the ground permeable to water (that's a good thing), you aren't burning fossil fuels to manufacture/transport a product, and you don't need to fertilize (more bad petroleum-based stuff), and you don't create more toxic landfill when it's time to retire that fake lawn.

BUT, that's not your question.  If you are (unfortunately) committed to having the look of a lawn, that's okay; we all aren't as green as we could be.   Like most green things, there are trade-offs.  If your "green priority" is global warming, then on balance you're probably better off with a non-plastic garden (even if it is real grass), and there are many things you can do to minimize the carbon footprint of a lawn (see slate.com link below).  However, if you live in a desert area (Phoenix, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, etc.) you might consider water conservation far more important than absolute lowest carbon footprint.  As always, green is both global "and local", and there are trade-offs that need to be considered.

Unfortunately, I've never seen fake grass made from recycled plastic, however, there are some that are water permeable and use little recycled rubber bits (former tires) between the blades to form cushioning instead of more plastic.  I'd like to list a number of other issues related to the issue of fake vs. real grass, but it's all spelled out well in this slate.com article called Eco-Turf, so I won't be redundant. I strongly encourage you to check out  http://www.slate.com/id/2191200/ for all the juicy issues.

Answer 6

No.

Answer 7

About as friendly as putting plastic flowers all around the house in the garden

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And having plastic grass would look about as phony

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What good would it have to helping the atmosphere only in not having to mow the grass or till the ground for the flowers

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Answer 8

The other function that grass provides is stormwater runoff. When it rains, grass absorbs a lot of that water. Any water not absorbed by the earth goes into a cities stormwater system and ultimately ends up in a creek. Stormwater picks up dirt and chemicals from our driveways and streets that will pollute our waterways, so it's good to have as little runoff from your property as possible.

Real grass, as others have stated, provides a habitat for animals as well as a source (however small) of oxygen while at the same time being a carbon sink.

Also, the fake grass is made from plastic, which is a petroleum product, so has its own carbon footprint to deal with.

Here are a few environmentally friendly ideas for your lawn:

- Let it go dormant (but not dead) over the summer. Don't expect a golf-course-green lawn.

- Most people overwater. Look online or ask your local conservation service how many inches of water per week your grass actually needs. In addition to saving water, you're not helping the weeds, which your grass will naturally outcompete.

- Plant a native grass seed. I live in the Midwest US, and Buffalo Grass or Zoyzia are examples here.

- Don't fertilize (too much). Again, check online to see exactly what your grass needs. Fertilizing promotes overgrowth, which means it needs MORE water, MORE mowing, and MORE fertilizer.

- Set your mower to its highest setting. Longer grass is healthier and needs less water.

Answer 9

Also it does not recycle CO2...

Answer 10

It would be much better to find out which plants in your area are drought resistant and plants those instead of fake grass. If you find native plants and use mulch around their base then you should not have to water except in extreme conditions. Fake grass does not support wildlife. There are environmental costs in production, marketing, transporting and disposal.

In the UK I understand legislation will direct that a front garden can not be made into a drive/hardstanding without planning permission unless it is of a porous material such as loose gravel. This is because of the recent localized flooding. The rain water needs to soak into the ground not run off. Fake grass would cause this problem too.

I know what I would prefer to look at, but even gravel with pot plants would be preferable for me than fake grass.

Answer 11

well yeah you wouldn't have to water but it would look horrible if you are worried about water usage try installing rain barrels its a great way to recycle rain and depending ont the size of your roof, the amount of rain fall and the size of your barrel you could fill a barrel in one rain. Look it up. they are really easy to put together and install!!!!

Answer 12

Yes, grass is a non eco friendly crop. It takes a lot of water, a lot of chemical fertilizers, usually maintained by gas equipment, with no emissions controls.

In CA and FL many people are replacing conventional lawns with fake lawns to help conserve water and save money. Many of them look very real and a good quality one feels pretty good too.

In my area of CA we are suffering another drought cycle. My city is actually paying people to remove their lawns and plant drought tolerent landscaping. They recognize the lawn for what it is, a water hungry crop that gives nothing valuable in return.