Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Lately, while spending so much time at home, I’ve been thinking about the impact of our lawn and garden activities on our ecosystems. As I work in my dining room and go for walks around my neighborhood, I’ve become more aware of how many of my neighbors regularly have their lawns sprayed with synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. The homogeneously green, weed-free grass might fit a contemporary perfectionist aesthetic, but I cringe each time I see a TruGreen or LawnDoctor truck roll down the street or notice the little flags in the yards designed to alert people that it was just sprayed.

I’m not a scientist or medical expert, and I don’t have a thorough understanding of how these chemicals affect the environment or the health of our humans and pets. While I haven’t had a chance to research this in depth, I’ve poked around the internet enough to find troubling articles suggesting links between the application of lawn chemicals and cancers, in people (especially children) and dogs. You don’t necessarily have to roll around in the grass to be exposed, either — products used outdoors end up in our homes, too, where we inhale them. (Further reading: What to know before you spray your lawn with pesticides; The Dark Side of the Perfectly Manicured American Lawn: Is It Giving You Cancer?.)

I live on a lake, created by two dams on the Holston River, a tributary of the Tennessee River. Most of the homes in my neighborhood are built on hills that slope down into the lake. I imagine that every time it rains, the runoff carries lawn chemicals into this beautiful body of water. Surely these fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides affect the ecosystem of the lake and the river into which it flows.

People routinely use this water for recreation. Children swim in it. We eat fish from it. Animals drink it. To what are we exposing ourselves and our fellow earthly inhabitants in the name of perfectly green, uniform lawns?

Maintaining a lawn to current societal standards is hard work. When I bought my home, it came with a lot of landscaping, which takes great time and effort to maintain. In the past, I have resorted to spraying weeds with Roundup rather than pulling them, simply because it was so much easier and quicker. But I won’t do that anymore. It’s not worth the accompanying risks.

We humans are part of the ecosystems in which we reside, and our interests are inextricably intertwined with those of the plants, insects, and animals with whom we share this space. What is harmful or fatal to the creatures around us is likely bad for us too.

My lawn will never look as perfect as many of my neighbors’ lawns, but I’m okay with that. My son and I enjoy looking at the yellow daffodils that pop up in our yard and not in the adjacent yards. I’ll keep pulling the various weeds that spring up in my flower beds and using a homemade vinegar-based solution to combat the ones that grow on our gravel garden path. In the end, I’d much rather have my health, the health of my family, and an abundant environment brimming with diverse life than a lawn that meets the ideals of neighbors and passers-by. They may not know it, but these choices influence their health, too.

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