Summarize the positive and negative attributes of millions of acres of American

Positive:
By some estimates, there are over 40 million acres of lawn in America alone. Why do we have them? They’re nice to lay in and it’s good for kids to have a soft place to run around but daydreamers and kids survive in all parts of the world with our without a sea of green in the backyard.
Provides abundant atmospheric oxygen.
Prevents soil erosion (is this really good or just good for us)
•   Capture of Water Runoff and Dust in the Air
•    Lessening of the Heat Island Effect
•   Capturing and Storing of Carbon in Roots
•   Boosting of One’s Oxygen Footprint



Negative:
Americans spend billions to fertilize and herbicide their lawns. They use 10x more fertilizer per acre than farmers.
Lawns take a lot of water to stay green. According to U.S. Lawncare Facts between 30 and 60 percent of urban freshwater (depending on city) is used just to water lawns!

Energy resource use
Use of mowers, blowers, and other lawn maintenance equipment
Energy resource use to manufacture and transport chemicals and equipment

 Pollution and contamination
Lawn equipment  emissions
Run-off of lawn treatments into streams
Contamination of ground water from lawn treatments
Soil contamination from lawn treatments
Effects of fertilizer run off
Impacts and persistence of herbicides, and other toxins, including poisoning risk for humans and other non-target species

Resource depletion
Native species reduction from lawn treatments
Depletion of fresh water reserves due to watering
Native habitat destruction
Introduction of invasive species


members.opei.org/library-documents/advocacy/Lawn_benefits.doc  (great paper)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++==rep it up my friend==+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lawns are pleasing to the eye, and do help cool surroundings. They provide children places to play, and people with ample leisure time ways to fill in their time with an activity. They impose a significant impact on the environment, however, and represent an artificial monoculture that is not a good habitat for most creatures except arachnids and some birds. Many other responses are likely.