Americans Ideas About Their Lawns Are Changing
2022-05-10
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1A green area of grass called a lawn has been popular in American yards for a long time.
2But a growing number of gardeners and homeowners now consider the lawn as something that belongs in the past.
3Dennis Liu of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation in Durham, North Carolina, said "America is unique in its fixation on the monoculture lawn."
4Monoculture is a term that means growing only one species.
5Now, drought, falling insect populations and other environmental issues could show the need for more kinds of plants in spaces large and small.
6Some cities are taking steps against lawns.
7Las Vegas, for example, is banning all grass lawns and requiring their removal.
8The city has struggled with water scarcity, an issue that is likely to become worse in the coming years.
9Other cities are handing out lawn signs with "healthy yard" written on them.
10The idea is to encourage homeowners who do not use lawn chemicals or cut their grass less often.
11Many towns are making rules about common tools like gas-powered leaf blowers and mowers, mostly because of noise.
12In parts of the U.S., people are experimenting with more "eco-friendly" lawns.
13They are planting seed mixes with native grasses that do not need as much water.
14Others are cutting the grass in their lawns less and letting old plant enemies such as dandelions and clover grow.
15Still others are trying to replace lawns, completely or bit by bit, with garden beds that are friendly for important insects such as bees.
16These measures can lead to a more natural-looking yard.
17The pandemic has sped up the move away from lawns.
18Gardening has grown as a hobby, and many non-gardeners spent more time at home.
19They are paying more attention to the natural world around them.
20Alicia Holloway is a University of Georgia Extension agent in Barrow County.
21She believes that many people realized that their yards cannot just be decorative - something that looks nice but has no use.
22Holloway said "It has to serve some other purpose, whether food, habitat ... pack in as many uses as you can."
23She described the change as "a shift in thought."
24The American lawn is not disappearing anytime soon.
25Many homeowner groups still have rules about keeping yards cleanly cut.
26And lawn service companies offer work aimed at keeping up large grassy areas.
27Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a trade group, says lawns are still the most popular choice in the United States.
28People want neat outdoor spaces for relaxing, playing and entertaining.
29He says his group supports the goal of making lawn care more environmentally friendly.
30But, he added, he believes some recent laws, like those against gas-powered blowers and mowers, have created a "fraught political environment."
31Fraught is a term that means having a lot of stress or worry.
32Liu said it is hard to overcome tradition and expectations of neighbors.
33He added that a lawn looks clean, "and it's easy to keep doing what you're doing."
34But Liu added: "Once you've established a new equilibrium, it's easier," and there are good results.
35I'm John Russell.
1A green area of grass called a lawn has been popular in American yards for a long time. But a growing number of gardeners and homeowners now consider the lawn as something that belongs in the past. 2More Americans getting rid of lawns 3Dennis Liu of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation in Durham, North Carolina, said "America is unique in its fixation on the monoculture lawn." Monoculture is a term that means growing only one species. 4Now, drought, falling insect populations and other environmental issues could show the need for more kinds of plants in spaces large and small. 5Some cities are taking steps against lawns. Las Vegas, for example, is banning all grass lawns and requiring their removal. 6The city has struggled with water scarcity, an issue that is likely to become worse in the coming years. 7Other cities are handing out lawn signs with "healthy yard" written on them. The idea is to encourage homeowners who do not use lawn chemicals or cut their grass less often. Many towns are making rules about common tools like gas-powered leaf blowers and mowers, mostly because of noise. 8In parts of the U.S., people are experimenting with more "eco-friendly" lawns. They are planting seed mixes with native grasses that do not need as much water. 9Others are cutting the grass in their lawns less and letting old plant enemies such as dandelions and clover grow. Still others are trying to replace lawns, completely or bit by bit, with garden beds that are friendly for important insects such as bees. 10These measures can lead to a more natural-looking yard. 11The pandemic has sped up the move away from lawns. Gardening has grown as a hobby, and many non-gardeners spent more time at home. They are paying more attention to the natural world around them. 12Alicia Holloway is a University of Georgia Extension agent in Barrow County. She believes that many people realized that their yards cannot just be decorative - something that looks nice but has no use. 13Holloway said "It has to serve some other purpose, whether food, habitat ... pack in as many uses as you can." She described the change as "a shift in thought." 14Lawns still popular 15The American lawn is not disappearing anytime soon. 16Many homeowner groups still have rules about keeping yards cleanly cut. And lawn service companies offer work aimed at keeping up large grassy areas. 17Andrew Bray, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, a trade group, says lawns are still the most popular choice in the United States. People want neat outdoor spaces for relaxing, playing and entertaining. 18He says his group supports the goal of making lawn care more environmentally friendly. But, he added, he believes some recent laws, like those against gas-powered blowers and mowers, have created a "fraught political environment." Fraught is a term that means having a lot of stress or worry. 19Liu said it is hard to overcome tradition and expectations of neighbors. He added that a lawn looks clean, "and it's easy to keep doing what you're doing." 20But Liu added: "Once you've established a new equilibrium, it's easier," and there are good results. 21I'm John Russell. 22Julia Rubin reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. 23____________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25unique - adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else 26fixate - v. to look at or think about something constantly : to give all of your attention to something 27scarcity - n. : a very small supply : the state of being scarce 28encourage - v. to make (someone) more likely to do something 29habitat - n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows 30shift -n. a change in a behavior, opinion or belief 31equilibrium -n. a state of balance between two forces