Ayres Knowledge Center Learning From Nature | Page 7

By contrast we humans often over invest in the least
valuable parts and under invest in the most valuable parts
of the objects or systems we design. For example, in many
developed parts of the world, we invest a lot of fuel and
human energy mowing lawns 13 . Over the long‐term, lawn
becomes one of if not the most expensive components
of the built landscape. We over invest in lawn, assigning
a larger portion of the built outdoor environment to it,
because it’s simple and low cost to install and really simple
to maintain. But what do we gain from it? Aside from
some neat aesthetic outcomes (and there are some really
beautiful uses of lawn) or utilitarian needs, (You need
lawn for some types of uses, like soccer for example; no
way around it, soccer in a forest, while interesting, is a
completely different game) we don’t gain much from it.
Unless you are raising a grazing animal on it 14 , lawn has
zero nutritional value, it does little to absorb stormwater,
and any carbon it absorbs is wasted on the inefficient
engines used to power the mowers used to mow it. And
then there is manufacturing and wasted labor applying
chemicals to ensure a completely homogenous stand of
vegetation (i.e. weed-free lawn).
Simply put, we are investing way too much energy and
money on something that provides very little ROI in almost
all instances (unless you want to raise sheep, goats, beef,
horses, etc). However, we’ll under invest in the siding on
our home because, hey, vinyl is cheaper. Never mind it
lacks the insulative value or durability of other materials.
(Maybe that’s not a realistic example for most readers. It
was a pretty big jump in potential cost differences). Let’s
use a different example, what is the nutritional value
of the food you are eating? Of all the things to spend
a little more of one’s income on I’ve personally always
felt a little more for better food stuff (the materials for
making your own food, not eating out more) is worth the
investment 15 . Buying better food might mean you have to
save another year or two for that new mobile tablet but
the benefits outweigh the wait. In the United States, our
cost of food as a portion of our household expenses has
been steadily decreasing (Barclay, 2015). To be sure this is
in part because we have other household expenses that
someone, say Charles and Caroline Ingalls (Laura Ingalls
Wilder’s Pa and Ma), just didn’t have, circa 1881. (High-
speed Internet? Not something that kept Chuck or Carol
Those familiar with my work will know I don’t care for the overuse and application of lawn. If I were to be honest this largely stems
from the fact that I had to mow lawns to pay for college. Imagine how delighted I was to find out that lawns really are pretty bad for
the planet. Stupid lawn mowing job!
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14
Grazing animals are incredibly efficient lawn maintenance investments. Take it from someone with personal experience.
This assumes one can meet the most basic needs of life for themselves and their families: safety and shelter. I know that for many,
there is barely enough money for living. For many they buy the best food their budget can allow. That is an extremely sad condition
and a topic that has been and should continue to be discussed.
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