can significantly help alleviate the current ecological pressures on our biome by cutting back on the amount of turf in their yards and replacing it with native, low-maintenance plants.
If somehow all the homeowners and municipalities in American could replace even just a third of their grass with native plant landscapes, it alone would add 10 million acres of greenspace across the country for birds, pollinators and other wildlife. That's not even taking into consideration how much water, materials, and money it would save.
Mind you, I'm not suggesting everyone take all of their turf out. I consider myself an extreme example. About a decade ago, I bought a house built in the early 90s with a typical display of grass in the front, side and back yard. After getting to know Patrick Dickinson, his co-worker Daniel Cunningham, and Steve Huddleston of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, I started to turn against the idea of grass.
In the first five years of living in my house, I took out the lawn, replacing it with hardscape and raised garden beds. There is no grass in my backyard, side yards, and about a third of my front lawn. I've reduced my lawn footprint about 80% using what's called the"law of thirds."The law of the thirds means portioning your yard so that one-third of it is turf, one-third is hardscape, and one-third contains plants and trees.