The Problem with the Lawn Care Industry
When I first started Carroll Property Services, it was going to be mainly a lawn care business. At the time, I didn’t realize how the lawn care industry completely opposed many of my core values.
A lawn requires lots of water and all kinds of nasty chemicals found in synthetic fertilizers and pesticides which can run off into nearby bodies of water and ruin ecosystems. The production of fertilizers and pesticides also have a huge impact on carbon emissions. Maintenance generally involves carbon-heavy fossil fuel powered equipment such as lawn mowers, trimmers, and blowers. Not to mention all the time, money, and hard work you put into your lawn just to have it infested with dandelions week after week. The water, fertilizer, and fossil fuels all contribute to the massive carbon footprint associated with maintaining a lawn. Then on top of everything else, grasses used for lawns generally have shallow roots which leave layers of soil under the lawn degraded, desertified, and void of biological diversity.
All for what? An expensive crop that serves no purpose but to contribute to climate change? I’ll pass
Habitat Restoration Using Native Plants
So having a lawn doesn’t sound so great anymore, but what will you do with the piece of land where your grass grows?
If you’re like me, you’ll want to use this land to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible.
The solution is to use native plants to restore the land and most importantly – the soil. When you use native plants, you won’t have to water your garden, you won’t need to use loud, expensive, carbon-emitting maintenance equipment, and you will have the time and energy to actually enjoy your natural landscape. Native wildflowers and other plants can be beautiful and give pollinators like bees and butterflies new habitats so that they can continue playing their vital role in our ecosystems.
Native plants have the added benefit of storing carbon in the soil thanks to a process called carbon sequestration (also called carbon farming) because of their long, intricate root systems and their symbiotic relationships with fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi are an integral part of a healthy soil biome because they store carbon from plants in the soil while giving the plants nitrogen and other essential nutrients. It is important to have a mixture of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, long grasses, and cover crops, to keep these root systems biologically diverse and healthy.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation has a great tool for finding plants native to your province or territory:
https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/native-plant-encyclopedia/
Food Gardens to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Another great option to reduce your carbon footprint is to plant a food garden in your yard. While food plants are not always the best at carbon sequestration (though still better than grass), they provide you with the amazing benefit of home grown food! For every bit of food you grow yourself, you eliminate the carbon emissions associated with the farming, delivering, storing, and shopping for food.
Our Duty to Our Planet
We all have a responsibility to keep our planet healthy and carbon sequestration is just one of the many ways we can help the fight against climate change. It is my vision to create a world in which carbon-negative landscapes are the norm, not the exception.
For that reason, I am discontinuing all services that involve heavy carbon emissions and replacing them with one service:
Home Carbon Sequestration
Our carbon sequestration services include selecting, arranging, and planting Ontario native plants to create a beautiful, carbon-negative, wildlife-friendly landscape for your home.
But Scott, I Like my Lawn!
Now, I’m not saying you have to get rid of your lawn completely. Even a small native plant garden in the corner of your yard is a step towards a cleaner world. But just remember that the more of your lawn you keep, the less efficient your land will be at putting atmospheric carbon back into the ground.
Ok, I’m in! Where do I start?
Well if you want a hassle free solution, you can contact us below to schedule a meeting and we will design a native plant garden with you then take care of the rest!
But if you like to do things yourself I have an awesome video for you about “sheet mulching”. This is the same process we use to convert lawns into carbon sequestration gardens.
Convert Your Lawn by Sheet Mulching:
Remember to do your research to find out which plants are native to your region. Happy planting!
