Is your lawn a Significant environmental problem? By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

The history behind grass lawns dates back a few centuries, when noble people displayed cut grass/plants as a sign of wealth. In the mid-1800s, an American landscape architect successfully associated cultivated lawns with civilized communities. Post-World War II developers included lawns in their mass-produced homes and subdivisions. Fast forward to the current time where certain areas – by rules of homeowners’ associations (HOAs) – require pesticide-treated lawns for a highly manicured appearance. However, green carpet-like lawns are harmful to the environment.

Researchers in 2005 used satellite data to estimate the amount of land used as lawns in the United States (Milesi et.al., NASA website). The definition of lawns encompasses residential and commercial lawns, as well as golf courses and other similar areas. Grass lawns “could be considered the single largest irrigated crop in America in terms of surface area.” To maintain grass-only lawns, broad-spectrum pesticides are used in conjunction with a substantial amount of water. One analysis suggested that the amount of water used to keep an average-sized green lawn is equivalent to 800 showers!

Reducing a lawn to only grass plants is an example of man-made monoculture, the growing of a single crop, which eliminates the biodiversity of natural grasslands. Pesticides can harm or kill wildlife and essential soil microbes, and are linked to the decline in nature’s pollinators. Pollination is necessary for the growth of about 85% of flowering plants. According to scientific studies, there has been a reduction of approximately 40% of all pollinator species globally over the past few decades. In a 2024 Nature Sustainability article, the authors state that “the negative effects of pesticides are widespread.”

Recently, I took my granddaughter for a walk in her neighborhood. She made a comment about the beautiful green grass in one of the yards. I explained to her that “perfect” lawns are the ones that rely on the application of chemical poisons. To protect nature and human health, chemical applications must be managed, not used unrestrictedly. David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, explains, “Lawns are a significant environmental problem. We put in these lawns, and we basically turned these important habitats into dead zones.” 

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.