Rethink that Water-Guzzling Grass Lawn

A Green Yard Isn’t Necessarily Green.

It’s standard: Your house must have a lush plain of green grass, with vibrant colors and soft textures.

Well, no.

Yes, your lawn has a long history.

Lawns trace from European castle culture where surrounding woods were cut down to make it easier to watch for invaders, to the birth of the lawnmower in the 19th century, to the selling of the Levittown suburbs in the late 1940s.

Today, between 33 and 70 percent of all public water in the United States is used to grow grass—more than is needed to grow all U.S. corn and wheat combined.

Half of our watering water is wasted.

To make things worse, the EPA estimates that roughly 50 percent of all water used for irrigation is wasted due to inefficient and poorly designed systems. Compounding the problem, plants not native your area contribute even 20 to 50 percent higher usage.

So why do we still grow so much grass? Well, it’s culturally acceptable, fairly easy to maintain, and while you may have to mow every weekend, it provides outdoor activity and time to get away. As for weeds and bugs, you can poison them with a simple spray bottle—what could be easier than that?

Relax, there is good news.

If the lawn is a cultural invention, then it can be reinvented—and cutting your use can pay big dividends. With a little planning and foresight, your water costs could drop overnight.

Luckily, there are people who have done the hard work of rethinking what a lawn might be, and who are willing to step you through the process of changing over to something that’s more in keeping with the low-water, low-maintenance plants native to—and required by—your area.

There are even financing and rebates available.

Ready to begin?

To learn more about California-friendly plants and landscaping, you can read more here.

Learn more on ways to save water and money with LADWP.

HELPFUL RESOURCES
Outdoor Water Use in the United States PDF