Lawns- An Unhealthy Obsession?

We love our green lawns, don’t we? In the US, we have over 63,000 square miles of lawn. That’s about the size of Texas! We spend more than $40 billion each year on lawncare in North America. We take pride in a green, manicured lawn. It’s sometimes a requirement to keep your grass green depending on Homeowners Association rules. But what if this obsession was doing harm to our families and pets? What if it’s causing some severe environmental problems in our lakes and rivers? Should we continue to fertilize our lawns with synthetic nitrogen? Are there any alternatives if I want to keep up a healthy green yard? Keep reading to learn more.

Are We Bringing Toxins into the Home?

Probably the biggest reason you should ditch your chemical lawn is the unhealthy toxins. To delay the release of fertilizer, manufacturers add things like formaldehyde and synthetic polymers. These polymers are suspected endocrine disruptors. So, they might cause hormonal problems in humans. We don’t really know. And sure, the chemicals are all going outside the home. I get that. But how many times do your kids play barefoot outside? What about the dog and the cat? On top of that, you’re probably tracking that stuff into the house on your shoes. Makes you think twice about that green lawn, huh?

What’s Happening to our Lakes and Rivers?

In addition to the possible health risks, our addiction to lawns has harmed our waterways. All the nitrates from chemical lawns runs downhill. It eventually finds its way into lakes, rivers, and streams. This causes algae blooms and reproductive health problems for fish and other aquatic species. In fact, there’s an area in the Gulf of Mexico referred to as the “dead zone”. It’s an area where chemical fertilizer pollution has caused a massive die-off of fish and other species. At one point this area was larger than the state of Connecticut!  

How Can I Keep My Lawn and Avoid Toxins?

Remember how I mentioned that there are alternatives? You can keep your healthy green turf while avoiding toxic byproducts. Just switch to organic lawncare products. You’ll avoid the chemicals and you might actually have a healthier lawn. There are even some possible cost savings from switching to organic lawncare. Yes, I said cost savings! Sometimes we hear organic and immediately think “expensive”. But that’s not always the case. If you build up healthy soil, your grass has access to more of the minerals that are already present. This can save you money on both fertilizer and water in the long-run. So, consider making this small change for both your health and for the environment. You’ll be glad you did!

Landscape designs in Sydney keep changing with landscape designers becoming more creative with each new home. New trendy designs with every new home developed has seen the growth of Sydney landscapers in the last year.

A landscape designer in Sydney can set a house on site, connect it with the environment and create a welcoming exterior to the home.

They make the most of your outdoor space bringing your ideas to life. Landscape designers can design and plan gardens, swimming pools, paving and decking and many more. In Sydney more homes are becoming a creative haven, going with the trends in landscape designs.

Here are five landscape design trends that can easily be incorporated into your home, giving it ambience.

Backyards designs 

It’s no longer old fashioned to have your own organic kitchen garden, it’s become one of the trend setting landscape designs. To achieve this you need a landscape designer to design easy garden features easy to maintain and sustainable. For easy maintenance, Sydney landscapers are using removable features for easy repair and replacement.

Indoor adventures 

It is rare to find vines creep the wall of a well structured lounge but it’s a growing landscape trend in Sydney. With more new homes in Sydney turning their courtyards and backyards into outdoor lounges and dining areas. With less foliage the outdoor space is easy to maintain, Sydney landscapers spruce it up with outdoor fireplaces and lighting fixtures. Trendy furniture set outside with proper fabrics that are waterproof fade resistant creates a delightful living space.

Water features 

A trend that is water features taking over landscape designer’s creativity to the next level. With more people appreciating how the sound of water helps create a relaxing ambience in the garden. Easily customized to fit your budget water features such as fish ponds and water plants give your garden that earthy look. As a new home owner you can decide on a portable fountain or a high end water wall to give it that exciting effect.

Sustainable designs 

Setting the trend in the Hills district new sustainable landscape designs have become a norm. Low maintenance designed gardens, drought-tolerant plants, less turf grass and evergreen foliage. New homes in Sydney are considering popular economic and environmental reasons with less maintenance in time and effort. Landscape designers use paving of lawns which are easily replaced are of low cost and easily maintained.

Vertical gardens 

Smaller spaces can be lit with vertical gardens, to either cover unsightly brickwork or concrete walls. It can conveniently be set up and easy to maintain, you can look for something simple such as out creepers and hanging baskets. Alternatively landscape designers can use modular systems typically boast of complex hydroponics which takes the fuss out of maintenance.

Landscape designs in Sydney continue to change with landscapers going the extra mile to make spaces attractive. If you are still looking for amazing landscape designs for your home these new trends will pique your idea and perfect it in your garden.

Water, a vital resource for survival of all living organisms, is also one of the most misused and abused of our natural resources. So much so that several parts of the world are facing acute water shortage and an uncertain future. In fact, water is famously quoted to be the ‘new oil.’

Water Supply and Demand Threats

Threats have increased at both supply and demand fronts. One of the major supply side threats is that we are withdrawing freshwater from surface water sources faster than they can be replenished. Another issue is the degradation of water, making it unsuitable to fulfil human needs. The increasing global population is a major demand side issue, the other being a substantial part of the population concentrated in regions that fail to keep up with demand levels. Lack of laws and proper regulation to monitor usage and consumption by individuals and industries are also creating an unhealthy balance in water distribution.

It is widely known yet often ignored, that if we continue to abuse water resources, our survival on the planet is at risk. Lakes are disappearing, the number of drought-prone regions around the world is increasing, and more and more countries are becoming water insecure. It is time that we become more conscious about these valuable resources to avert an irreversible water crisis for our future. Some individuals and companies have taken up the challenge and devised innovative solutions to beat the water crisis.

Solar Powered Water Purification System

Hot and dry climate are most prone to water shortages and whatever little water they do receive is deemed unfit for drinking. This drove a 16 year old American schoolgirl to use solar energy for  purifying water. She exposed titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to the sun’s UV radiation which produced a photo catalytic composite that purifies the water. This technology is safe, clean, green and cost effective. It is adopted widely by regions in USA experiencing hot and arid climates.

Lifesaver Bottle

The lifesaver bottle used widely by welfare aid companies, hikers and army contingents was invented to solve the problem of dirty drinking water.  The lifesaver bottle uses a narrow pump which forces water through a filter of about 15-nanometres, killing all bacteria and viruses in the process. It has been a successful, cost-effective way of making available water suitable for daily consumption saving the financial and environmental struggle of delivering water to the remotest of places. Following the success of the lifesaver bottle, water treatment companies are also coming up with similar inventions on a grander scale to improve the quality of drinking water.

Leak Monitoring System

Utility companies are now using leak monitoring software to identify leaks and repair them. These software packages send data to a central hub about pipeline conditions, existing and potential leaks and areas that need urgent attention. Leak monitoring systems have saved millions of gallons of water from being wasted even before they reach homes or industries.

Water Efficient Showers

Most of us turn on the shower and let the temperature equalize before stepping in. In these few seconds or minutes, we waste good quality fresh water which could be used efficiently for some other purpose. There have been several inventions to minimize this wasteful practice. An eco-friendly shower system called Ogishower warms the water to the desired temperature in less than 30 seconds reducing shower time and water wastage significantly. Another device, the Cullector Ultra Efficient Shower, collects the running water and feeds it back into the system and re-filters it at the right temperature.

Waterless Baths

Dry bathing is relatively new yet fast emerging as an alternative to showers. It saves several litres of water and is one of the most efficient ways to conserve water. It mainly involves applying a lotion rich in essential oils, odour eliminating agents and bioflavonoids. It is estimated that dry bathing can save four litres of water per person per day, totalling to many millions of litres per year.

CO2 Cleaning

Water is used extensively for industrial applications as a cleaning agent which results in wastage of millions of litres of fresh water. A cheaper, greener solution involves using solid carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice particles to clean different types of surfaces. CO2 can be obtained from other industrial uses, therefore, it is inexpensive and can help to save significant amounts of water.

All nations, developed and developing, are facing the pangs of scarce water. It is as much a global issue as it is a domestic one. Creating more alternatives, using water intelligently and recycling are some of the ways to address the situation. Conserving our planet and environment is an individual responsibility. Stricter laws and regulation can play a supervisory role but ultimately it waters down to individual sensitivity and sensibility.