Environmental Protection

[GoldenBrain]

There's a lot of discussion on this topic lately. You make some good points SoCo, and I think the discussion is relevant as the country moves forward to end cannabis prohibition. However, I also think many of these issues stemming from large scale outdoor gorilla grows and indoor grows will disappear once it's regulated and available for the average person to cultivate out in the garden. When the criminals are pushed out of this industry we might even be able to hike in our national forests again without running into shady cartel growers.

Here's what bothers me. Nobody ever talks about how much of a resource hog our lawns are.

Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the U.S., using approx. 50% of our residential fresh water resources. Lawn care uses over 3 million tons of fertilizer annually. Something like 3 million dollars is spent annually on lawn care pesticides. I'm betting our honey bees would like the pesticide use to be reduced, I know I would. About a billion gallons of gas are burned annually to mow these lawns with approx. 20 million gallons spilled in the process of refilling mowers.

If people were really concerned about the environment then I would think there would be a push to replace lawns with sustainable gardens. The same people who are pissing and moaning about the affects of the cannabis industry will go out and mow their lawns this week and next week...etc. without once thinking of how it affects the environment. I'm trying to do my part in this area by setting up our property to run goats and in our immediate yard area I will move from a lawn tractor to a reel mower. I admit that I'm guilty of using a lot of fuel for mowing right now, but that will change as I get things under control. I don't water the lawn except when I put out seed, and I never use pesticides or herbicides that could damage the environment.

[Syn7]

Dude. I can't stand maintaining a lawn. I have no desire to go roll around in it, play in it. It just sits there and does sweet **** all but suck water and take up my time, lol. If I want to go play, there are plenty of good park spaces where I live. But unless you have kids or are playing some sport, why would I go to the park when I live around mountains!

If it was my call, my lawn would not exist. And the worst part is that out of four homes that share it, only two of us seem to be keeping it up. It's **** grass too. It's weedy and has at least 3 different kinds of grass and this time of year it grows like 6 inches in 4 days. Not evenly either, cause as I said, it's all mixed up. Annoying. I like uniformity, so that drives me nuts. I would love to pull it out. Or let it go native. But no, that wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing.

Ok... rant over.

[Syn7]

I think a lot of people aren't thinking it through when they say they want to end prohibition as if that will make everything shiny and happy. While I am for legalization, I don't kid myself about some of the challenges we'll all have to face because of it. I see it as a civil rights issue. It's that libertarian streak in my. The one that is quite often at odds with the progressive in me. I went through some of these issues in the garden thread.

I'm also under no illusions as to the damage I cause to myself when I consume. I know a lot of people who lie to themselves.

[GoldenBrain]

Hahaha! I hear you Syn. My wife wants barefoot grass so I oblige. Otherwise I'm like you and would let it go native. The only problem with park grass is all the pesticides and herbicides they use to keep it up. I have never heard of a city adopting an all organic policy towards their park lawn maintenance. That's something most people don't think about when they let their little ones roll around on that grass. Bermuda is pretty cool though. It doesn't need much water so for Texas it's a good choice, and if it's kept up with it pushes out most of the weeds. Still, lawns in general are a pain in the ass.

[Kellen Bassette]

Here's what bothers me. Nobody ever talks about how much of a resource hog our lawns are.

Lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the U.S., using approx. 50% of our residential fresh water resources. Lawn care uses over 3 million tons of fertilizer annually. Something like 3 million dollars is spent annually on lawn care pesticides. I'm betting our honey bees would like the pesticide use to be reduced, I know I would. About a billion gallons of gas are burned annually to mow these lawns with approx. 20 million gallons spilled in the process of refilling mowers.

If people were really concerned about the environment then I would think there would be a push to replace lawns with sustainable gardens. The same people who are pissing and moaning about the affects of the cannabis industry will go out and mow their lawns this week and next week...etc. without once thinking of how it affects the environment. I'm trying to do my part in this area by setting up our property to run goats and in our immediate yard area I will move from a lawn tractor to a reel mower. I admit that I'm guilty of using a lot of fuel for mowing right now, but that will change as I get things under control. I don't water the lawn except when I put out seed, and I never use pesticides or herbicides that could damage the environment.

The irony is, while we know mono cultures are not healthy eco systems, they are effectively enforced in most residential areas.

[GoldenBrain]

The irony is, while we know mono cultures are not healthy eco systems, they are effectively enforced in most residential areas.

That's something that really kills me. I read about people trying to grow a garden in their front yard and then code enforcement drops by to shut it down. I can't even imagine having a law on the books that would prohibit growing our own food rather than a lawn. With grocery prices skyrocketing it only makes sense to grow a garden on any patch of land you can find.

[Kellen Bassette]

That's something that really kills me. I read about people trying to grow a garden in their front yard and then code enforcement drops by to shut it down. I can't even imagine having a law on the books that would prohibit growing our own food rather than a lawn. With grocery prices skyrocketing it only makes sense to grow a garden on any patch of land you can find.

It should certainly be encouraged over ****genizing the landscape.

[Syn7]

People have gone to prison for not maintaining their lawns. I guess if you sign an agreement you should see it through, but prison? Crazy. There are tons of these stories. Here's one:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...il-time/847365

We all sacrifice to keep the women happy, it's just how we get by, lol. I hear you on that one GB. You can slowly work on her while maintaining a healthy domestic atmosphere.

[SoCo KungFu]

I have no lawn, or yard for that matter. One dream is to get a nice chunk of land in a neighborhood along a river. Throw up a tiny house. And convert the lawn into a functional wetland. Maybe even breed and reintroduce a couple threatened species just to add a little more p iss in the cereal.

[SoCo KungFu]

People have gone to prison for not maintaining their lawns. I guess if you sign an agreement you should see it through, but prison? Crazy. There are tons of these stories. Here's one:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...il-time/847365

Florida, nuff said...

[GoldenBrain]

We all sacrifice to keep the women happy, it's just how we get by, lol. I hear you on that one GB. You can slowly work on her while maintaining a healthy domestic atmosphere.

She's a smart one so I have my work cut out for me. I think the only way around this no lawn thing is to fork out some cheddar for some artificial lawn made from recycled materials. We have looked at that option, but it's seriously expensive so it's hard to justify the cost.

I have no lawn, or yard for that matter. One dream is to get a nice chunk of land in a neighborhood along a river. Throw up a tiny house. And convert the lawn into a functional wetland. Maybe even breed and reintroduce a couple threatened species just to add a little more p iss in the cereal.

Rock on SoCo! That sounds like a great plan. I seriously hope you realize that dream one day. Here's to piss in the cereal...cheers!

[Jimbo]

Dude. I can't stand maintaining a lawn. I have no desire to go roll around in it, play in it. It just sits there and does sweet **** all but suck water and take up my time, lol. If I want to go play, there are plenty of good park spaces where I live. But unless you have kids or are playing some sport, why would I go to the park when I live around mountains!

If it was my call, my lawn would not exist. And the worst part is that out of four homes that share it, only two of us seem to be keeping it up. It's **** grass too. It's weedy and has at least 3 different kinds of grass and this time of year it grows like 6 inches in 4 days. Not evenly either, cause as I said, it's all mixed up. Annoying. I like uniformity, so that drives me nuts. I would love to pull it out. Or let it go native. But no, that wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing.

Ok... rant over.

My own lawn is almost nonexistent. The only part that is, abuts one of my neighbors, and it's the only part I maintain to look neat. That part looks fine when mowed, but in reality, it's weedy like yours...crabgrass, lots of other stuff as well. I could spend hours pulling it out, but it comes back. The rest of my 'lawn' is mostly dead with patches of dirt showing through. The extreme drought conditions have seen to that, and I haven't been watering the lawn, just some of the other plants/trees that need it. Otherwise, the yard is neatly kept. I'm thinking of reseeding part of the front lawn, though, mostly to better hold the soil in place. Looking around the neighborhood, I can see I'm not the only one like this...we aren't the majority, but far from rare. I'm thankful my neighborhood isn't one of those homeowners associations.

[Syn7]

Yeah, where I live you don't have to water the lawn unless you have one of those douchebag lawns. Drought isn't an issue here.

I've met a lot of folks who feel the same too. My dad is one of them. He has a patch in the back lot, but it's wild grass that we cut down so we can get to the berry patches. In fact, most of it isn't even grass, just looks like a lawn from a distance when kept up. It's pretty much where the dog goes to do his thing.

[GoldenBrain]

Xeriscape is always a good option for those with sparse lawns. It's a little more accepted in communities with statutes against vegetable gardens. I like the idea of using local flora, and for drought areas this makes even more sense.

Home gardens are an area where our European friends like Sweden or Switzerland for instance are embarrassing us here in the U.S.. They actually come together as a community and discuss who is growing what, so they can be more efficient in what they grow and waste less produce. The even share...

[David Jamieson]

We are seeing the rise of syndicalism to replace capitalism right now.
I give it about 25 years before the transition is complete.
Maybe sooner depending on what the big players do.