Tough Turf Delivers Knockout in Global Warming Battle
Turfgrass may be better choice than xeriscapes in fight against greenhouse gases
© 2006 Wendy Dager
W
hat kind of car do you drive? A Hummer? A PT Cruiser? A Mini Cooper? How many miles do you drive per week? Do you fight freeway traffic during those 30 miles to work or do you just take the kiddies to school then come home to telecommute from your computer?How do these scenarios relate to "global warming," the phrase used to describe the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans?
The Heat is On
"Global warming" is also known as "climate change," a more benign term that indicates both warming and cooling, such as during an Ice Age. While there doesn’t seem to be an Ice Age in our immediate future, there is a specific amount of global warming due to natural occurrences, which create what is known as the "greenhouse effect." These natural "greenhouse gases" trap the sun’s warmth in the Earth’s atmosphere. Without them, the Earth would be uninhabitable.
Scientific evidence, however, shows that the Earth is warming at an increased rate due to human influence.
The causes of these manmade greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide emissions from sources such as motor vehicles.
Carbon dioxide emission rates can vary by 50 percent across automobile manufacturers and by 40 percent for SUVs alone. Another variable is the number of miles driven per vehicle. Still, the average CO2 rates have been documented as more than double for those who drive a pickup as opposed to a subcompact. (See EarthTrends 2003 study, http://earthtrends.wri.org.)
But it’s not just those of us who own and operate an automobile that are contributing to global warming.
According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org), other sources of greenhouse gas emissions include "coal-burning power plants... factory smokestacks... other waste vents of the human environment... animal agriculture (and) landfills."
What, Me Worry?
But why should we care about a little change in the Earth’s temperature?
The primary effect of global warming is increasing global average temperature, which creates a variety of secondary effects, including sea level rise, impacts on agriculture, ozone depletion, the spread of disease and increased extreme weather.
Some scientists theorize that the recent spate of devastating hurricanes and other natural disasters are due to the effects of seawater warming. Indeed, the environment is changing and we must find a way to combat the unnatural rise in temperature, which is unhealthy for the Earth and its inhabitants.
While automakers work on creating cleaner vehicles and local governments take on the hefty job of regulating industry, what part can landscape professionals play in protecting our world from the effects of greenhouse gases?
Turfgrass vs. Xeriscapes
In order to mitigate global warming, the landscape industry can employ the processes that work to keep CO2 out of the atmosphere, thus reducing the greenhouse effect.
The solution may be found in the use of turfgrass.
Representatives from the Agricultural Research Service and Colorado State University report that turfgrasses from areas such as golf courses, suburban lawns and public parks help mitigate emissions by trapping them in the soil, serving as effective "sinks" for the CO2.
Previous emphasis had been on low water usage, bringing attention to "xeriscapes," a word trademarked by the Denver Water Department to designate water-conserving landscapes. Now that global warming is a hot topic, it seems turfgrass is a better choice when it comes to urban and suburban landscapes.
But CO2 mitigation isn’t the only reason. As reported by The Turf Resource Center and Lawn Institute, another study, conducted by Arizona State University, found that xeriscapes in Phoenix and Tempe, on average, received at least 10 percent more water than turf landscapes. It was discovered that homeowners are overwatering their lawns due to the fact that they want more of an "oasis" setting rather than a desert one.
The Leaf-let doesn’t like to say "we told you so," but, well, we told you so.
Low Water, Low Emissions
In our 2003 article, "S&S Provides Low Water Use Plant Solutions (http://www.albrightseed.com/coloradoriverwater.htm)," we said that the natural solution to California’s growing population and urban development is to create landscapes that use less water.
We not only recommend turfgrass, but summer dormant grasses such as San Diego Bent grass, Idaho fescue and Molate Red fescue.
"These are grasses that have evolved in California’s Mediterranean climate, and got along just fine before man even got here," said S&S Seeds’ Paul Albright. "Plus, their deeper rooting means less water usage and less carbon in the atmosphere, which fights the growing problem of the greenhouse effect."
It’s up to us, as keepers of the environment, to make sure our Earth continues to be able to support its inhabitants. For more information about turfgrass and other eco-friendly plants, call S&S Seeds at 805-684-0436 or visit http://www.ssseeds.com. We’ll help you help our planet thrive.
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