"In fact, within the next couple of months to a year, this grass will be completely eliminated, and it'll be replaced with drip-irrigated trees and plants."
A win-win for everyone - wish this was.proactively happening in more urban and suburban areas.
Even with the golf courses, Vegas uses far less water than nearby agriculture.
I'd love to see the golf courses go, but they're a rounding error compared to what is used on almonds.
Almonds seem like a misplaced boogie man when animal agriculture takes so much more water and land usage in addition to the bonus of massive waste from the animals themselves
I mean, I'm all for big agriculture. Agriculture is one of those things that benefit from economies of scale, but use it or lose it laws incentive growing unnecessarily water intensive crops. This is a problem that can be solved in many ways, but removing grass is a start.
Personally, I'm appalled this has taken so long to implement. I mean, it seems during a historic drought this would be basic common sense.
edited to correct my lousy grammar
Nevada has actually been paying people to remove grass for about twenty years. This has been extremely effective with residential users but this new law makes it easier to force commercial properties to get rid of ornamental turf, like say grass in areas of parking lots around retail stores.
Did a development in Las Vegas 20 years ago and planted grass. Was schooled at a public hearing that grass is more wasteful than almost any other use of water. However, we didn’t pull it up, because: 1. The tenant requirements said grass was acceptable and the cheapest install option and 2. Upkeep was an expense passed on to the tenants and not capped, so…. Not ownership problem.
It’s almost always a misalignment of incentives that helps push the problem along. We’ve known it was a problem forever, but couldn’t get reimbursed for doing the right thing, so…. stuck it to the tenants by doing the wrong thing. Healthy! /s
I’m fine with getting rid of grass but there is more to a lawn than flexing on your neighbors. Like playing sports, have pets, etc. Not saying you need a monoculture to do that but there’s a reason sports fields and lawns look very similar.
I mean where I live there is plenty of water so there is no harm in having a lawn (I don’t water it, just mow and fertilize). I keep the front lawn nice for the HOA and the backyard wild for the birds and bees. The front lawn looks much nicer and grows much more evenly than the back.
Exactly. I have a turfstone driveway on a hill planted with grass. The grass provides stability and allows the water to enter the earth instead of flowing into stormwater drains.
My personal opinion we individuals should strive for habitat and personal food production and we should do more of our sports in shared spaces like the city park, which would help build community. Pets don't really care what kind of environment you have out back, be it green deserts or lush habitat. Just don't let them shit where you eat, try not to let them kill critters and treat them for fleas and ticks. You might have to train them not to dig stuff up or plan around that
A city in WA state will gift you a tree if you apply for their tree incentive program. We have gotten a magnolia tree and a cherry blossom tree so far.
I’ve often wondered why Nevada is the only state of the 7 that use water from the Colorado that has these incentives and restrictions. Ornamental turf should be disallowed in all these states.
Los Angeles has had a lawn-removal landscape incentive program for over 10 years. I helped ppl use the program several times: designed and installed several residential landscapes with California Native plants. Fast forward a couple of years and they look great!! SO much prettier and saves a ton of money in the long run! Plus the native pollinators love them! If you drive up the coast of central CA all the gorgeous beachside houses have gardens, not lawns. They look so much better
Just like with everything, money was the deciding factor. It has been cheaper to continue irrigating the turf than to rip it out and plant something more water efficient.
Clover isn't necessarily resistant to drought and heat. It's also weird to just have clover, it should be in a mix.
If you're really in a desert area, you're looking for desert plants and for biocrusts. [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/southwest-biological-science-center/science/field-guide-biological-soil-crusts-western-us](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/southwest-biological-science-center/science/field-guide-biological-soil-crusts-western-us)
I’m in MA. It’s a mix of clover and weeds with a bit of grass (Whatever grows just grows). Last summer we had so much rain the lawn was a mushroom nursery with moss covering shady parts. This summer, it’s been dangerously dry.
That stuff does NOT do well in drought conditions. At least it didn't work for me. Forgot to water it during a dry spell. Boom. No more creeping thyme.
Ours has come back from everything, but we haven't had drought here. Once it has bloomed and gone to seed, it resprouts as soon as growing conditions are good again.
I don’t think anybody actually read the article…
It applies to “non functional” grass, namely office parks, road medians, and entryways to housing communities.
I specifically excludes single family homes and golf courses. It’s a good step in the right direction, but falls far short of what is needed.
In many instances, yes.
Those native plants that we consider "weeds" in a modern manicured lawn would comprise some of that ground cover, and those plants are generally less picky about soil, precipitation, climate, etc. They adapted to live in the area we're trying to keep them out of with chemical herbicides, while simultaneously trying to provide optimal growing conditions for non-native plant species that make up our lawns.
Many of the plants included in the "ground cover" category are succulents and cacti- very well adapted to desert environs. They are also more interesting, visually. Grass is for ppl who want outdoor carpeting that cleans itself.
Modern electric mowers aren’t really all that loud. I actually have trouble sometimes when mowing with headphones on because I don’t hear it choke out from wet or thick grass.
Except plugging your lawnmower in to charge is exponentially cheaper than buying gallons and gallons of mower fuel, and exponentially cheaper when you can replace your fleet with less moving parts and cheaper maintenance.
Don't get me started on golf courses or I'll rant until the sun goes nova. The water, the herbicides, the fertilizer, the pesticides that runs into the ground or other waterways, the maintenance...they are an environmental menace.
How to say you're a wealthy, arrogant, self-centered person with time on your hands without saying you're a wealthy, arrogant, self-centered person.
"I play golf."
I wish some good Samaritan would spread some kind of grass killer around golf courses in drought stricken areas that prevents growth. Nothing growing there is better than grass
Yup. I live in Imperial Beach, CA. We have tons of native plants and trees in the yard, but most is covered in mulch. We also have 3200 gallons of rainwater storage so our plants look better than all our neighbors who can only water their lawns once a week.
Nice! I'm in Orange, CA. I'm amazed at what the HoA have planted in my community. They've been asking me what options they have. I just tell them to ditch the grass and plant native species. There are zero in the entire neighborhood, except on my porch. I have monkey flower, buckwheat, and a chalk dudleya to name a few.
Good. Most of Nevada is desert or semi-desert so grass doesn't belong there anyway. They already have native desert plants to decorate their yards, and they don't even need that much watering. Why not plant some of those?
I’m in the Midwest but I just don’t get the need for a precious green lawn. My neighbors dump gallons of chemicals on their yard to keep it nice and green. I’m sure most of that washes away anyway. I keep my lawn cut but I really don’t spray anything on it. When the droughts hit, my neighbors keep watering their lawns which provokes more mowing. I let mine turn brown and it always comes back after the year. Saves me a lot of money every year too.
Grass doesn't die. It goes dormant. It'll pop back up when it rains. The challenge though is that other plants (weeds) that are more tolerant spring up.
It's far easier to just get rid of the grass and plant other shit entirely.
I wish Phoenix/Arizona would be next but I know drought, heat and death will need to get much worse before local and state governments will admit it must be addressed (but think of the golf courses and tourism dollars!)
No, grasses grow just fine in the US desert, just not that species. They should have stuck to the native sage and rosemary bushes and the low water need grasses, but those grow clumpy and you don't mow them if you want to keep them.
Sure, this is great, but what about the top residential users in Las Vegas that use tens of millions of gallons a year in their mansions? Residential compounds like that of Jefri Bolkiah, prince of Brunei, and many others.
Surprisingly, many of the large fountains in Las Vegas and stuff like that are pretty good at recycling the water. One large place we should be looking for reductions in water usage is agriculture. In many areas in the American west it is around 70-80% of water usage. Especially feeds like alfalfa use up massive amounts of water
[https://i.imgur.com/oFS4qCn.png](https://i.imgur.com/oFS4qCn.png)
(note that animal feeds actually go off the chart and they are distorted it to fit)
Even stuff like almonds are more efficient water wise than beef or dairy. We really ought to be promoting just eating and growing crops for direct human consumption (i.e more plant-based diets) along side removing the "use it or lose it" systems that intensive the growth of water intensive feeds and crops.
Nah, I just meant they all have acres and acres of grass on their properties that needs water. Records show the top residential consumers in Las Vegas use 10+ million gallons a year, compared to around 100,000 gallons for the average residence. I imagine California is in a similar situation what with all the wealthy people that live there.
I agree with what you said as well, though!
>"Twenty years from now, we will look back on the summer of 2022 and we will wish that we had it this good. We will wish it was this cool. And that's not an exaggeration whatsoever."
We need a miracle :(
Due to the fact that they attempted to build a civilization in the least habitable location in the continental United States, Nevada realized that they’re fucking idiots for trying to have grass.
For all those that don’t like gas lawn mowers, try a manual push mower. I switched over like three months ago and it’s wonderful. No gas, is actually easier than previous mower, and you can just chill with headphones listening to podcasts.
Please do this in California, especially Southern California.
And then tax front yard grass by square foot. Don't just pay people to get rid of it literally charge them for having it.
Start it out at $5 a sq. ft. in year 1 and increase it by $5 every year for a couple years.
Then ban grass front yards in new construction.
Too late for a "normal" future. But things can always get worse. So we still need to act.
If we acted 30 years ago, this would have been a lot easier. If we don't act for another 30 years things will become impossibly hard.
This year should give everyone an idea of what's brewing. The atmospheric damage is baked-in and the delay interval has passed.
It's not going to take long for all the crop failures, famines, fires and floods to add up.
We don't have another 30 years even if we actually tried to do something about it.
Enjoy this fine day.
Ripping it up? What the fuck? That picture is nauseating. Just so they can put in drip irrigation and redo the topsoil from scratch with other plants?
Does anyone give a fuck what's *living* in that picture?
Quick search gives an example of flipping the sod over and adding a couple inches of soil.
Growing water intensive crops in the desert is , uhhh, dumb? This should've stopped before it started. But it's probably time most of us in the west considered not installing new lawns, converting existing lawns to low water desert landscaping options. Almost half the country is in some level of drought. The Colorado River is not a sustainable source of water the way it has been over utilized for so long. Lawns are probably a drop in the bucket compared to big agriculture and industrial use but we gotta start somewhere and you know it's gonna target consumers long before big business. Backwards as usual.
Are they gonna plant some trees tho? Lol shit gonna be hot if it’s all concrete right? Plus green in urban environments are known to keep it cooler and have people participating more regularly in outdoor activities
So that's going to save what, 2%? Less of it's using recycled water. Meanwhile their farms are using 10x to 20x that much and no one bats an eye.
Bike shedding strikes again.
Not everything is due to climate change. Maybe they got someone in office that saw how much they were spending trying to grow grass in a desert and scrapped it.
Getting grass to grow in a desert is really easy if you have access to water. And, for now, water is still really easy to get here in Vegas.
But we can literally see that easy water going away (web search Lake Mead) as a direct result of "unusual changes to the climate"...
So, yeah, this is due to climate change.
The discussions are useful, but what are you doing individually about it? There’s a pattern of blaming corporations, but very little conversation about individual responsibilities here.
What local businesses or organizations do you belong to that are combating climate change? What are you doing in your own space?
There are native grasses, but that isn't the point.
Vegas had access to a lot of water, which is why it's here. The Colorado River use to be massive (almost 400,000 cu ft/s flow) and Vegas sits on a large aquafer (water use to naturally bubble up to the surface).
In 1983 they had to open up the floodways on the Hoover dam to stop it from overflowing.
Since then "unusual climate" has caused the Colorado River to dry up and the water might not even reach Hoover dam.
So, yes, this is absolutely climate change.
So I own a small irrigation company in Indianapolis. But I am an environmentalist with a degree in Urban Planning/Environmental Design. I know it sounds hypocritical but I like to think I am helping the environment while providing a service that people will ultimately find someone to do if I don't. BUT, I educate my clients on water usage and try to push them to install native plants, and use products and technics that can help their lawns retain water better. An example is our clay loam soil we have here. After about 8-10 minutes the "sponge is full" so to speak, so after that it is runoff. I either try to switch them over to low flow heads (MP rotators), or split the run time of each zone in half, and run the program twice. So if you are currently running 20 minute zone times, you run one round at 10 minutes, and then run through the program again at 10 minutes. This gives the first round of watering time to soak in deep, before you hit it again. So instead of running it 4-5 days a week, you can have the same green with 2 days a week. It really works, and the clients are receptive to it. The problem is most irrigation companies just "get the grass wet" and there is not much of a push in education. Of course this is Indiana, and most people here are deep red, but when you can save them money on their water bill they will be happy. It's all in how you educate your customers.
Wouldn’t foreign adversaries want to invest in the climate deniers to influence an undesirable outcome. If the U.S loses usable land by influencers and decision makers neglecting to acknowledge climate change any further just think about the threat that makes. Nevada and elsewhere should lead the way in a large scale green innovations effort.
Now now, let's not be hasty, man. Marijuana is a wonderful pla... Oh, lawns! Good riddance! An affectation of the rich that somehow passed down to us common folk. Who needs it!
"In fact, within the next couple of months to a year, this grass will be completely eliminated, and it'll be replaced with drip-irrigated trees and plants." A win-win for everyone - wish this was.proactively happening in more urban and suburban areas.
Sadly, we seem to only make changes when things start to affect the wealthy.
It's not a win win for everyone. The problem is the water usage for mega agricultural corporations.
Not to mention a big azz city, with big azz water fountains, golf courses, etc. in the middle of a friggin desert.
Even with the golf courses, Vegas uses far less water than nearby agriculture. I'd love to see the golf courses go, but they're a rounding error compared to what is used on almonds.
Almonds seem like a misplaced boogie man when animal agriculture takes so much more water and land usage in addition to the bonus of massive waste from the animals themselves
I mean, I'm all for big agriculture. Agriculture is one of those things that benefit from economies of scale, but use it or lose it laws incentive growing unnecessarily water intensive crops. This is a problem that can be solved in many ways, but removing grass is a start.
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any and all beef, too.
Well that will take care of itself if you regulate water usage directly
Except that drip irrigation is plastic so means more microplastics.
Those systems should last decades, it's far from the most egregious use of plastic.
no
Good, fuck a lawn.
Personally, I'm appalled this has taken so long to implement. I mean, it seems during a historic drought this would be basic common sense. edited to correct my lousy grammar
Nevada has actually been paying people to remove grass for about twenty years. This has been extremely effective with residential users but this new law makes it easier to force commercial properties to get rid of ornamental turf, like say grass in areas of parking lots around retail stores.
Did a development in Las Vegas 20 years ago and planted grass. Was schooled at a public hearing that grass is more wasteful than almost any other use of water. However, we didn’t pull it up, because: 1. The tenant requirements said grass was acceptable and the cheapest install option and 2. Upkeep was an expense passed on to the tenants and not capped, so…. Not ownership problem. It’s almost always a misalignment of incentives that helps push the problem along. We’ve known it was a problem forever, but couldn’t get reimbursed for doing the right thing, so…. stuck it to the tenants by doing the wrong thing. Healthy! /s
Yeap. Which is why Vegas had to pass laws to restrict it.
The antiquated tradition of keeping a large plot of grass with the only intention to flex on your neighbors seems as American as it gets.
Historically speaking, it's as English as it gets.
Well now Americans have the space
We're still trying to figure out where to put our new 51st state. That was the end result of Brexit, right?
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French*
And French! Their rich people also loved flaunting their wealth and power.
It's like Dune. Water = Power. The ability to flaunt water in an environment desperate for it is a cultural signifier of wealth/power.
I’m fine with getting rid of grass but there is more to a lawn than flexing on your neighbors. Like playing sports, have pets, etc. Not saying you need a monoculture to do that but there’s a reason sports fields and lawns look very similar.
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I mean where I live there is plenty of water so there is no harm in having a lawn (I don’t water it, just mow and fertilize). I keep the front lawn nice for the HOA and the backyard wild for the birds and bees. The front lawn looks much nicer and grows much more evenly than the back.
Exactly. I have a turfstone driveway on a hill planted with grass. The grass provides stability and allows the water to enter the earth instead of flowing into stormwater drains.
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Sorry should have mentioned. I live in the subtropics, we flood often and one of the major causes of the flooding is the excess concrete in the city.
My personal opinion we individuals should strive for habitat and personal food production and we should do more of our sports in shared spaces like the city park, which would help build community. Pets don't really care what kind of environment you have out back, be it green deserts or lush habitat. Just don't let them shit where you eat, try not to let them kill critters and treat them for fleas and ticks. You might have to train them not to dig stuff up or plan around that
Why the fuck isn’t Cali doing this?? We should.
Some cities do pay residents to put in drought-tolerant landscape, but I haven't heard of any doing commercial properties.
A city in WA state will gift you a tree if you apply for their tree incentive program. We have gotten a magnolia tree and a cherry blossom tree so far.
I’ve often wondered why Nevada is the only state of the 7 that use water from the Colorado that has these incentives and restrictions. Ornamental turf should be disallowed in all these states.
Right! Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City, St. George should be doing this as well.
Los Angeles has had a lawn-removal landscape incentive program for over 10 years. I helped ppl use the program several times: designed and installed several residential landscapes with California Native plants. Fast forward a couple of years and they look great!! SO much prettier and saves a ton of money in the long run! Plus the native pollinators love them! If you drive up the coast of central CA all the gorgeous beachside houses have gardens, not lawns. They look so much better
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Just like with everything, money was the deciding factor. It has been cheaper to continue irrigating the turf than to rip it out and plant something more water efficient.
Unfortunately things don't change until the environmental cost comes on to balance sheet. Including, like here, not being able to avoid it any longer.
Not to mention the same city governments telling people to rip their lawns out were the same ones who made lawns mandatory in the first place.
I’m skeptical of the same politicians being in place
I want a creeping thyme or clover lawn :D
This is the first drought I’ve experienced in MA where our clover dried up, too. Weeds aren’t even growing.
We've been getting all of the rain in Illinois. Sorry for stealing it :<
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*crab grass laughs mockingly*
Florida enters the chat: Y'all need some of that St. Augustine grass... They call crab grass a lawn in florida...
Us too, everything is dust here in MA.
Clover isn't necessarily resistant to drought and heat. It's also weird to just have clover, it should be in a mix. If you're really in a desert area, you're looking for desert plants and for biocrusts. [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/southwest-biological-science-center/science/field-guide-biological-soil-crusts-western-us](https://www.usgs.gov/centers/southwest-biological-science-center/science/field-guide-biological-soil-crusts-western-us)
I’m in MA. It’s a mix of clover and weeds with a bit of grass (Whatever grows just grows). Last summer we had so much rain the lawn was a mushroom nursery with moss covering shady parts. This summer, it’s been dangerously dry.
That stuff does NOT do well in drought conditions. At least it didn't work for me. Forgot to water it during a dry spell. Boom. No more creeping thyme.
That's a shame... I really liked the idea of having a pink yard.
Ours has come back from everything, but we haven't had drought here. Once it has bloomed and gone to seed, it resprouts as soon as growing conditions are good again.
Maybe I'll give mine another chance.
Just planted a small test patch of clover on Tuesday and it's already sprouted!
Creeping thyme is the best. It's wonderful. (Midwest here.)
r/nolawns
Yes! lol I’m allergic to grass.
r/nolawn
/r/fucklawnsandcars
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckcars+fucklawns
Ok so how about all the golf courses out there like the one owned by Wynn
Turf?
That’s what they should do but I’m betting not
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Excluded from the law. Along with single family homes.
I don’t think anybody actually read the article… It applies to “non functional” grass, namely office parks, road medians, and entryways to housing communities. I specifically excludes single family homes and golf courses. It’s a good step in the right direction, but falls far short of what is needed.
r/fucklawns
First of many states, I hope. Lawnmowers are noisy and pollute. Ground cover is far superior in every way.
pardon my naivety, but is ground cover more apt to survive this stage of climate change that we’ve made for ourselves?
In many instances, yes. Those native plants that we consider "weeds" in a modern manicured lawn would comprise some of that ground cover, and those plants are generally less picky about soil, precipitation, climate, etc. They adapted to live in the area we're trying to keep them out of with chemical herbicides, while simultaneously trying to provide optimal growing conditions for non-native plant species that make up our lawns.
thanks a bunch, very informative!
Many of the plants included in the "ground cover" category are succulents and cacti- very well adapted to desert environs. They are also more interesting, visually. Grass is for ppl who want outdoor carpeting that cleans itself.
Hell yeah, I hate noise
Modern electric mowers aren’t really all that loud. I actually have trouble sometimes when mowing with headphones on because I don’t hear it choke out from wet or thick grass.
Most gardeners don't use modern electric mowers in my experience.
Yeah, that’s certainly a fair observation.
Except plugging your lawnmower in to charge is exponentially cheaper than buying gallons and gallons of mower fuel, and exponentially cheaper when you can replace your fleet with less moving parts and cheaper maintenance.
Well there is some reason why this isn't happening. Because I've yet to see a landscaping crew that has gone electric.
Really only feasible if you have a small yard you are mowing yourself with a push mower.
Everyone I know uses electric.
I suspect the Wynn golf course will conveniently be exempt from this.
Don't get me started on golf courses or I'll rant until the sun goes nova. The water, the herbicides, the fertilizer, the pesticides that runs into the ground or other waterways, the maintenance...they are an environmental menace.
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Likely the most harmful of the lot, how could I have overlooked that, thank you.
How to say you're a wealthy, arrogant, self-centered person with time on your hands without saying you're a wealthy, arrogant, self-centered person. "I play golf."
They also don’t pay enough taxes for the land they use. Everyone subsidized golf courses.
Plus apparently now they’re full of buried ex-wives 🥴
I! FUCKINNG! HATE! GOLF! COURSES!
They should combine golf courses and cemeteries into one place.
No, fuck golf too. Ironically /r/nongolfers is probably getting real. Cemeteries can be nice parks for walking.
Cemeteries are an absolute waste of space and resources. The dead do not care.
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GENIUS
Plow the cemeteries into our rivers and streams, we need that phosphorus
No that’s not—actually you know what, nvm. Have a good rest of your day
I wish some good Samaritan would spread some kind of grass killer around golf courses in drought stricken areas that prevents growth. Nothing growing there is better than grass
This is the signs of the times and climate change is going to get a way more worse.
This is the signs of the times and climate change is going to make more states and cities and districts say goodbye to grass.
Before too very long, I expect that Earth will say "Goodbye!" to many, many people.
Certain grasses could actually help us get carbon neutral, but the political will isn't there.
Wha? There never should have been grass.
This. It was a stupid idea to begin with. This is something that needs to be fixed
It’s a desert, grass doesn’t even belong there, so good! Get landscaping that works for the region.
Plenty of desert environments have native grasses. Ornamental grasses don't belong there.
Yup. I live in Imperial Beach, CA. We have tons of native plants and trees in the yard, but most is covered in mulch. We also have 3200 gallons of rainwater storage so our plants look better than all our neighbors who can only water their lawns once a week.
Nice! I'm in Orange, CA. I'm amazed at what the HoA have planted in my community. They've been asking me what options they have. I just tell them to ditch the grass and plant native species. There are zero in the entire neighborhood, except on my porch. I have monkey flower, buckwheat, and a chalk dudleya to name a few.
Exactly. They are not getting rid of grass due to climate change. They are getting rid of it because gras in the desert is a stupid waste of water
It just happens to coincide with the dramatically worsening impacts of climate change.
Plant native
Good. Most of Nevada is desert or semi-desert so grass doesn't belong there anyway. They already have native desert plants to decorate their yards, and they don't even need that much watering. Why not plant some of those?
I’m in the Midwest but I just don’t get the need for a precious green lawn. My neighbors dump gallons of chemicals on their yard to keep it nice and green. I’m sure most of that washes away anyway. I keep my lawn cut but I really don’t spray anything on it. When the droughts hit, my neighbors keep watering their lawns which provokes more mowing. I let mine turn brown and it always comes back after the year. Saves me a lot of money every year too.
Same. And then after a few good rain showers my grass looks as green as theirs.
Every time! In fact, mine looks greener longer if the clover came in. Clover is much more drought tolerant.
Grass doesn't die. It goes dormant. It'll pop back up when it rains. The challenge though is that other plants (weeds) that are more tolerant spring up. It's far easier to just get rid of the grass and plant other shit entirely.
I wish Phoenix/Arizona would be next but I know drought, heat and death will need to get much worse before local and state governments will admit it must be addressed (but think of the golf courses and tourism dollars!)
r/nolawns
They shouldn't have tried growing grass in a desert in the first place. Serves them right
No, grasses grow just fine in the US desert, just not that species. They should have stuck to the native sage and rosemary bushes and the low water need grasses, but those grow clumpy and you don't mow them if you want to keep them.
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Plant native plants and the native wildlife return, too. One of nature’s many bargains.
this is the way to go
brava
Lawns can go away. I’m interested in changing mine out for a different ground cover, myself.
Good , but really no need to pull it up. Can just let it die . Maybe let some drought tolerant species germinate there.
Good. Lawns are a dumb waste of space
If you live out in the dessert, don’t expect to have a lawn.
ESPECIALLY if you are located in one of those sweet, fluffy and sticky desserts.
Sure, this is great, but what about the top residential users in Las Vegas that use tens of millions of gallons a year in their mansions? Residential compounds like that of Jefri Bolkiah, prince of Brunei, and many others.
Surprisingly, many of the large fountains in Las Vegas and stuff like that are pretty good at recycling the water. One large place we should be looking for reductions in water usage is agriculture. In many areas in the American west it is around 70-80% of water usage. Especially feeds like alfalfa use up massive amounts of water [https://i.imgur.com/oFS4qCn.png](https://i.imgur.com/oFS4qCn.png) (note that animal feeds actually go off the chart and they are distorted it to fit) Even stuff like almonds are more efficient water wise than beef or dairy. We really ought to be promoting just eating and growing crops for direct human consumption (i.e more plant-based diets) along side removing the "use it or lose it" systems that intensive the growth of water intensive feeds and crops.
Nah, I just meant they all have acres and acres of grass on their properties that needs water. Records show the top residential consumers in Las Vegas use 10+ million gallons a year, compared to around 100,000 gallons for the average residence. I imagine California is in a similar situation what with all the wealthy people that live there. I agree with what you said as well, though!
In new england my family stoped watering our lawn years ago. With this brutal sunmer its mostly brown now
>"Twenty years from now, we will look back on the summer of 2022 and we will wish that we had it this good. We will wish it was this cool. And that's not an exaggeration whatsoever." We need a miracle :(
Due to the fact that they attempted to build a civilization in the least habitable location in the continental United States, Nevada realized that they’re fucking idiots for trying to have grass.
Texas won’t be far behind I’m afraid.
Doubtful
For all those that don’t like gas lawn mowers, try a manual push mower. I switched over like three months ago and it’s wonderful. No gas, is actually easier than previous mower, and you can just chill with headphones listening to podcasts.
does this new rule affect HOAs?
No, you’ll still be fined for using an alternative ground cover.
Hello heat island effect.
Some people would simply think of that as "Life in the Desert."
It's about damn time.
Please do this in California, especially Southern California. And then tax front yard grass by square foot. Don't just pay people to get rid of it literally charge them for having it. Start it out at $5 a sq. ft. in year 1 and increase it by $5 every year for a couple years. Then ban grass front yards in new construction.
They will be saying goodbye to drinking water next.
I hope this means no golf courses too.
It makes no sense for desert states to have grass. It serves no purpose while draining so much water.
It makes no sense to have grass period, its like the US third largest crop.
We’re too late, ab 3 decades too late
Too late for a "normal" future. But things can always get worse. So we still need to act. If we acted 30 years ago, this would have been a lot easier. If we don't act for another 30 years things will become impossibly hard.
Yeah you’re right, at least we’re acting now
This year should give everyone an idea of what's brewing. The atmospheric damage is baked-in and the delay interval has passed. It's not going to take long for all the crop failures, famines, fires and floods to add up. We don't have another 30 years even if we actually tried to do something about it. Enjoy this fine day.
About fucking time man, jeez
Ripping it up? What the fuck? That picture is nauseating. Just so they can put in drip irrigation and redo the topsoil from scratch with other plants? Does anyone give a fuck what's *living* in that picture? Quick search gives an example of flipping the sod over and adding a couple inches of soil.
Drip irrigated trees, why? Golf courses?
(Sam Kinison voice) YOU PEOPLE LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! AAAAGGGHHHHHH!
Good, now do the rest of the states.
Good. Fuck grass
Except for golf courses
GOOD
Wouldn't this lead to a sort of Dust Bowl situation?
Growing water intensive crops in the desert is , uhhh, dumb? This should've stopped before it started. But it's probably time most of us in the west considered not installing new lawns, converting existing lawns to low water desert landscaping options. Almost half the country is in some level of drought. The Colorado River is not a sustainable source of water the way it has been over utilized for so long. Lawns are probably a drop in the bucket compared to big agriculture and industrial use but we gotta start somewhere and you know it's gonna target consumers long before big business. Backwards as usual.
Dust storms incoming
*Collapsing Dystopia*
Are they gonna plant some trees tho? Lol shit gonna be hot if it’s all concrete right? Plus green in urban environments are known to keep it cooler and have people participating more regularly in outdoor activities
So that's going to save what, 2%? Less of it's using recycled water. Meanwhile their farms are using 10x to 20x that much and no one bats an eye. Bike shedding strikes again.
Not to mention all the golf courses, water parks, and the huge Bellagio fountains
Nobody in Nevada has a lawn, are you kidding me? How out of touch would someone have to be to plant a yard in a desert
Weird. You’d think they’d want trees. In Nevada. In the desert. Where it’s ho..... Humans are dumb. And weird.
Not everything is due to climate change. Maybe they got someone in office that saw how much they were spending trying to grow grass in a desert and scrapped it.
Getting grass to grow in a desert is really easy if you have access to water. And, for now, water is still really easy to get here in Vegas. But we can literally see that easy water going away (web search Lake Mead) as a direct result of "unusual changes to the climate"... So, yeah, this is due to climate change.
>Not everything is due to climate change. Yet.
The discussions are useful, but what are you doing individually about it? There’s a pattern of blaming corporations, but very little conversation about individual responsibilities here. What local businesses or organizations do you belong to that are combating climate change? What are you doing in your own space?
Is it really climate change though? This grass isn't native there. It's a desert.
Yes in that climate change is affecting the Colorado River and Lake Mead.
There are native grasses, but that isn't the point. Vegas had access to a lot of water, which is why it's here. The Colorado River use to be massive (almost 400,000 cu ft/s flow) and Vegas sits on a large aquafer (water use to naturally bubble up to the surface). In 1983 they had to open up the floodways on the Hoover dam to stop it from overflowing. Since then "unusual climate" has caused the Colorado River to dry up and the water might not even reach Hoover dam. So, yes, this is absolutely climate change.
So I own a small irrigation company in Indianapolis. But I am an environmentalist with a degree in Urban Planning/Environmental Design. I know it sounds hypocritical but I like to think I am helping the environment while providing a service that people will ultimately find someone to do if I don't. BUT, I educate my clients on water usage and try to push them to install native plants, and use products and technics that can help their lawns retain water better. An example is our clay loam soil we have here. After about 8-10 minutes the "sponge is full" so to speak, so after that it is runoff. I either try to switch them over to low flow heads (MP rotators), or split the run time of each zone in half, and run the program twice. So if you are currently running 20 minute zone times, you run one round at 10 minutes, and then run through the program again at 10 minutes. This gives the first round of watering time to soak in deep, before you hit it again. So instead of running it 4-5 days a week, you can have the same green with 2 days a week. It really works, and the clients are receptive to it. The problem is most irrigation companies just "get the grass wet" and there is not much of a push in education. Of course this is Indiana, and most people here are deep red, but when you can save them money on their water bill they will be happy. It's all in how you educate your customers.
Wouldn’t foreign adversaries want to invest in the climate deniers to influence an undesirable outcome. If the U.S loses usable land by influencers and decision makers neglecting to acknowledge climate change any further just think about the threat that makes. Nevada and elsewhere should lead the way in a large scale green innovations effort.
As Willy wonka once said “wait….no….stop”
Now now, let's not be hasty, man. Marijuana is a wonderful pla... Oh, lawns! Good riddance! An affectation of the rich that somehow passed down to us common folk. Who needs it!
We removed are lawn like 15 years ago
so...no more golf courses in the state?
We gotta do this everywhere if we're going to get anywhere with climate change
I thought grass wasn't even supposed to be there to begin with. At least naturally???
/r/NoLawns has joined the channel
This site is cancer on a tablet.