My neighborhood is on a hill and whenever it rains the yards with bare dirt end up losing tons of it to the gutter and clogging up the drains and making a mess of the sidewalks

Grass is better than concrete because rainfall can infiltrate, but that only works to some extent. Heavy rains saturate the ground quickly.

That too.

Replace grass with really big sponges?

I personally know an environmentalist who has some hot takes like that. I usually don’t challenge them because it’s not worth it. Lol

To absorb water

@tomhastherage lol. That’s pretty funny

I can understand being anti grass lawn in desert climates, but not where I live.

^this

Yep.

its almost like things should be decided locally

🤔

If you're in the desert just use desert plants. Or something

we should have a system that lets local communities decide things instead of a centralized power

Arizonians have some interesting lawns.

I'm sure Nevada is similar

@grant patchwork 😎

@tomhastherage in deserts, they can do rock gardens and such. The same thing where I live would just cause problems

yeah, people here in nevada are discourage from having lawns. It's better having a landscape that fits the climate anyways, less maintenance.

I spent the last month in vegas. I think the whole city could use a massive shade net over it

Exactly. I bet desert yards are super easy to take care of. Lol

well we live in these things that have permanent shade and AC they're called houses

@uncephalized what does your lawn look like?

@grant sadly I had to go outside sometimes lol

When a 114 degree wind blows in my face I get sad

well I have a portable shade with AC called a car

they recommend the yards go to natural grasses, which in theory don't require care.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/another-downside-to-your-classic-green-lawn-22716743/

The ac in my rental could barely keep up with the blazing sun and heat

well that's unfortunate

my lawn is all natural... i live in phx so that means dirt and rock, but its xeriscape so i guess that's good

@Putz that’s a fantastic lie. Lol

A native, natural lawn in Alabama would require the same maintenance

Possibly even more depending on what general ecosystem you emulate

try clover instead, per that article

Hire robots to maintain your yard...or goats?

That Smithsonian article is dumb, it doesn't provide a solution for those who use lawns for a purpose. It mentions sport's fields, but offer nothing they could use as an alternative

it only offers a solution for people who use laws as decoration

just let nature have your lawn, then your providing habitat for local species

@Putz it wouldn’t look good. Plus my yard is mostly native grasses anyways. I never water my lawn

Replace your lawn with a defensive moat

maybe a 20 year old car on cement blocks for decoration?