New Book: The Green Amendment

Credit: Disruption Books

Hi Gratitude Gourmet Fans! Check out this new Book:T​he Green Amendment by Maya Van Rossum (featuring a foreword by Mark Ruffalo). With record droughts affecting the American West, many cities have resorted to paying residents to replace their lawns with drought-resistant plants. But are we ready to cut the grass out of our lives entirely? Veteran environmentalist, author of The Green Amendment, and leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network Maya van Rossum explains:
“Manicured lawnscapes are a serious source of environmental harm. They are a major contributor to water pollution, drought conditions, flooding conditions and flood damages for downstream neighbors. Maintaining lawns is also a source of air pollution, noise pollution and a loss of critical habitat for species of all kinds. People need to reconsider their definition of what is ‘yard beautiful’ – changing it from mowed lawns to native landscapes."
Maya has outlined key points on the evils of lawns:

• When it comes to stormwater runoff which causes and contributes to downstream flooding and flood damages, lawns are almost as bad as pavement – they have a similar hardness that forces rainfall to runoff rather than soak in.
• In many regions, lawn care can be responsible for up to 75% of water consumption for residential and commercial land uses – depriving aquifers of critical water particularly important in times of drought.
• Rainfall that runs off lawnscapes often carries herbicide, pesticide and excess nutrients used by the property owner, as well as animal feces and other pollution that is carried to streams via storm drains and systems.
• The volume of water that rushes off of lawnscapes—whether directly via storm drains or passing intermittently through detention basins—causes unnatural volumes of water to enter streams causing significant flooding, flood damages, erosion of public and private lands (including undermining bridges, roadways and other infrastructure) while also harming stream water quality and ecosystems.
• According to NASA, it has been estimated that over 40 million acres of turf grass exists in the U.S., that is 2% of our nation.
• Replacing lawns with trees and shrubs can increase the market value and marketability of your home, as well as reducing cooling costs during those hot summer days.
• Replacing lawns with native trees, shrubs and flowering plants provides critical food and habitat for bees, birds, butterflies and wildlife that have been seriously impacted by dwindling habitat due to development and industrial land uses.

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