Is Natural Grass Actually Eco Friendly?
One of the most common reasons people give for staying away from synthetic turf is that it isn’t eco friendly. It’s a fair question to ask. But it raises another one that gets asked a lot less often: is natural grass actually eco friendly? Most people assume a green lawn is the environmentally friendly choice by default. Here in BC, though, keeping that lawn green usually takes a lot more water and gas than most homeowners realize.
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Water: The Cost BC Feels Every Summer
Metro Vancouver has rolled out watering restrictions almost every summer in recent years. The region’s water demand jumps by as much as 50% in the summer months (Metro Vancouver), largely because of lawn watering. With BC’s snowpack coming in lower than normal several years running, the region has had to move to stricter watering bans earlier each year, sometimes cutting lawn watering out completely for months at a time. A lawn that depends on regular watering to survive is a hard fit for a coastal climate that can’t always guarantee the water to support it.
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Gas Powered Equipment Adds Up Fast
Roughly seven out of ten Canadian households with a lawn use a gas powered mower (Statistics Canada), and together they burn through more than 150 million liters of gas a year, releasing tens of thousands of tons of emissions (Statistics Canada). Running an older gas mower for an hour can produce as much smog forming pollution as driving a car several hundred kilometers (Environment Canada). That adds up fast across weekly mowing all spring and summer.
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Grass Has Real Upsides Too
Natural grass isn’t without benefits. It absorbs some carbon, helps cool the ground on hot days, and supports pollinators and soil life in a way a synthetic surface can’t. What tends to get overlooked is the water and gas cost of keeping a large lawn green all season, especially in a region where water is already stretched thin most summers.
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Where Synthetic Turf Fits In
Synthetic turf removes most of that cost. There’s no mowing, so no gas powered equipment running every week. There’s no watering schedule, so no dependence on a water supply that’s under pressure every BC summer. For homeowners who want a green, usable yard without those ongoing costs, it’s one of the more direct ways to bring that footprint down.
Wondering if synthetic turf itself is safe? We covered that here.
Thinking about making the switch? We can walk you through what a turf conversion would look like for your yard, and how much water and maintenance it could save you. Reach out for a free quote.