​In partnership with the National Association of Landscape Professionals​, Ariens is providing its customers with a variety of lawncare tips. For more tips and tricks to achieving the perfect lawn, please visit www.loveyourlandscape.org​. ​​

Lush green grass tickles our toes … flowers treat our eyes to bold, vibrant colors … and fragrant shrubs delight us with their sweet perfumes. It’s easy to appreciate the sights and smells afforded by lawns and landscapes, but did you know their real value is much more substantial than pleasing aesthetics and aromas? That’s right, well-managed landscapes offer tremendous benefits for people and for the environment. Let’s explore some of the little understood, but vitally significant, benefits of landscapes.

Environmental Benefits of Managed Landscapes​​

• Natural Coolants – Grass is much cooler than asphalt or cement. It acts as an “air conditioner” for the surrounding area. In fact, lawns can be 31 degrees cooler than asphalt and 20 degrees cooler than bare soil. But wait, there’s more. Trees shading homes can reduce attic temperatures by as much as 40 degrees.
• Environmental Cleaners - Grass plays a vital role in capturing dust, smoke particles and other pollutants, and it produces oxygen.
• Water Protectors – Healthy lawns absorb unhealthy runoff that might otherwise filter into bodies of water.
• Air Cleaners – Grasses absorb carbon dioxide and break it down into oxygen and carbon. In fact, a 50’x50’ lawn produces enough oxygen for a family of four.
• Noise Minimizers – Lawns and plants dramatically reduce noise pollution; they can reduce noise levels by 20 percent to 30 percent over hard surfaces like concrete and pavement.
• Turfgrass slows down and absorbs runoff into bodies of water.

Even in areas that have water restrictions and are experiencing drought, it is important that lawns and landscapes remain a viable component of healthy communities. There are a number of sustainable practices that will allow managed lawns and landscapes to reduce water usage but still provide important environmental benefits.