Cruise through many neighborhoods or parks around the world, and you will find no shortage of well-mowed expanses of grass. Lawns(草坪) do look attractive. Additionally, they can require environmentally questionable practices to maintain. Researchers and landscape architects are increasingly considering alternatives that are more sustainable, demand fewer resources and help people connect more intimately with nature. Here follows an edited excerpt of the conversation between researchers MariaIgnatieva and Marcus Hedblom.
Why did lawns become so popular?
They were like a special frontier that separated cities and towns from the wilderness. A lawn was always a symbol of how a civilized society should be. That's why it was so powerful. And of course, they are also important for recreation.
What environmental problems are lawns causing?
Lawns are homogenizing the environment, not only in terms of biodiversity but also visually. You compare countries' and cities' urban landscapes around the world, and they look exactly the same. Mowers burn fossil fuels and emit gases that heat up the atmosphere.
You have to find your own local solution. We can take inspiration from the natural plant communities around us. In suburban and rural areas, that might mean having a meadow or prairie. In other places, it might be a savanna like environment or mountain plants. You can have a "grass-free" lawn; with only low-growing plants that create the same effect as a lawn, and you can walk on it.
How can we persuade people to ad opt these alternatives?
When people see them, they appreciate them and like them. We also have to try to change the minds of decision makers, including politicians. We need to show the public there are different ways of handling our urban environment and making it better.
A. So it is all about education.
B. What are these alternatives?
C. And it is understandable fondness.
D. What are the inspirations of lawns?
E. However, they choke out biodiversity.
F. Lawns came to be seen as a symbol of civilization and a way of life.
G. Lawn upkeep takes resources, fertilizer and pesticide that enter groundwater and runoff water.
