One crop in the United States receives more drinkable water, more pesticides and more of our time than any other plant. It’s not wheat and it’s not corn. In fact, it’s not even edible.
It grew its way into our everyday routine. Most people can’t imagine life without it. It’s green with envy for our water and our money. It’s everywhere – near our homes, on our campus and, somehow, almost invisible.
The culprit? Your front yard. That’s right. Those green blades are a billion dollar industry, not including lawn care services or its unyielding need for pesticides.
The loud roar of the lawn mower in the early morning at Baker University is expensive. The intent is to beautify the campus by getting fuller, greener sod grass.
A prettier campus might be better for a student’s psyche and draw in potential students, but I can think of many less expensive means to the same end. For starters, maybe upgraded residence halls, with working plumbing and warm water?
We live in a world where some people have to live off of less than a gallon of water a day, but suburban Americans are able to use 200 gallons of drinking-quality water per person per day for their evergreen lawns. To me, that just seems wasteful and unethical.
So, if the average lawn is so awful, why is it so prevalent? Why are there 30 million acres of grass?
The obvious answer is it’s been part of our culture since the sixteenth century. People are used to it. So why stop now?
The “lawn” is a European invention, created by a wealthy class who could afford the upkeep. Europeans brought over their grass, killing off many of the native grass species in North America because they thought their sod grass was superior. But North America doesn’t get as much rain as European countries and has different insects that hurt grass, which requires more irrigation and more pesticides. Grass is a status symbol, like fashion and luxury vehicles. The neighbor who doesn’t mow his or her lawn is lazy or messy or not worthy to be a member of the esteemed neighborhood. <br/>
Grass serves no real function except to separate the haves and the have nots or the rich from the poor. If you can afford the latest Buckle jeans, or the newest Mercedes-Benz or the best-looking lawn in the neighborhood, hats off to you. You’re functioning well in society. But what makes you so much better than the person with Target jeans driving their dad’s old pick-up truck who doesn’t have enough time in the day to go pluck the dandelions out of the front yard?
Baker University drops a large amount of money on grass. It’s an excusable expense. But who is really benefiting?