Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, the curb value of a lush, neat lawn in front of your home or business can make or break the look of your property. Synthetic grass would ensure this is the case all the time, but one concern people sometimes have about synthetic lawns is whether they’re good for the environment. The good news is that a synthetic lawn is eco-friendly, something that Sportech knows the people of Portland, Oregon, find to be very important in their everyday lives.
Every little change each of us can make will make a difference, and a synthetic lawn is especially helpful in this area. Here are five ways a synthetic lawn is an environmentally friendly option and an excellent choice you can make for your property.
1. Reduces Pollution
If your grass doesn’t grow, you won’t need to cut it. This means you won’t need to use your gas-powered mower or other power tools to maintain your lawn, which cuts down on carbon emissions. Once you stop using your power tools, you’ll find that you’re spending less money on fuel for your mower and for maintenance of your mower on top of that. This is especially important for businesses with large swathes of grass that require lots of care, including sports fields, playgrounds, and golf greens. Even homeowners with a traditional-sized backyard will agree that without your natural lawn, your carbon footprint is suddenly much smaller.
Homeowners will also notice that their neighborhood may be a little quieter if you don’t use these power tools, so there will be less noise pollution while you’re performing this maintenance.
2. Uses Less Water
Real grass needs water to grow; artificial turf doesn’t. It’s as simple as that. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we know that Portlanders don’t usually have to water their lawns in the spring and the fall. However, with the summers getting hotter and lasting longer, that water bill can add up over time. People also tend to overwater their yards as well. You might figure that if a little water is good, then a lot of water is great. But this is as bad for your grass and plants as underwatering is. Overwatering can saturate your lawn and promote mold and mildews and (if you have standing water) provide a foothold for insects such as mosquitoes.
One way you can tell you’ve overwatered is if the ground feels “squishy” a couple of hours after you water. Overwatering can also drown patches of grass and create yellow or brown spots—which is exactly the thing you were trying to avoid in the first place! While an artificial lawn could benefit from a hosing down every so often, it doesn’t require nearly as much water as a real lawn.
3. Reduces Water Contaminants
Considering how many products you might use on your lawn, a synthetic one will help your local watershed. Do you use weed killers on your natural lawn now? How about pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides? Real grass sometimes needs these substances to protect it from pests and diseases and to green it up in those long, dry summer months. Maybe you have a pet that wears paths in your current lawn or that enjoys digging holes so there are spots that require extra fertilizing or reseeding all year long. A little fertilizer may go a long way, sure, but people often use too much so that the remainder soaks into the ground or joins surface water runoff.
These contaminants might be good for your yard, briefly, but then they’ll join other runoff and eventually reach the water table through a local pond or stream. If the instructions on the labels of these contaminants say, “Don’t let your pet or children run around in this stuff,” then it won’t be good for the local wildlife either. With a synthetic lawn, you won’t have to worry about any of this!
When you do need to clean your synthetic lawn—maybe because your pet needs a place to go, or if you’ve spilled your drink during your barbeque—there are plenty of cleansers that are natural and not harmful to the environment, including distilled white vinegar, for instance.
4. No Pests Here!
Living grass is a whole ecosystem within itself for insects, mold, mildew, and other pests to thrive. A synthetic lawn, though, is not living grass, and these creatures can’t survive under these conditions. If you have a particular problem with ants, grubs, or crane flies, for instance, with your regular living lawn, you will have a significantly reduced presence with them on the synthetic lawn, as the grass will be made of plastic. You’ll have a head start on them as well because, in order to install the synthetic lawn, the existing lawn is first removed. Goodbye, pests.
Artificial turf doesn’t provide anything for these creatures, especially with regular maintenance, such as sweeping away leaves and debris in the fall or after weather events.
5. Made With Recyclable Materials
You may think that a synthetic lawn is made up of plastics that may simply end up in a landfill when it wears out. But that isn’t actually the case. First, it will take longer to wear out than you think. If you maintain your synthetic lawn, you may expect it to look beautiful and lush for 10 to 15 years. When it’s time to upgrade or redo your lawn, many of the components of the lawn can be recycled. Even the durable backing side of the turf can be reused or reformed for other purposes.
While there are companies that specifically cater to synthetic turf recycling, you can also find some practical and whimsical applications of leftover turf. If you have a playhouse or play structure with a roof in your backyard, adding the artificial turf can give it a more finished look and also protect your child from splinters and slipping. Same if you have an outdoor house for your pet. These leftover pieces can also be excellent potty mats for your indoor or outdoor pets and provide a textured floor for even your pet lizard or gecko. Since artificial turf is easy to clean, it makes cleanup for any of your pets a breeze.
Interested in learning more about the eco-friendly benefits of a synthetic lawn? Contact the experts at Sportech, and we’ll answer all your questions.