Tag Archive for: Resources

The Hidden Cost of Turf Removal

The Hidden Cost of Turf Removal: Why Going Grass-Free Isn’t Always Greener Turfgrass removal programs have gained traction in recent years as the need for water conservation has grown, especially in arid and drought-prone areas of the country.…

Green Spaces: More Than Just a Pretty Place

“I just spent $15,000 on my new landscape to save $40 a month on my water bill!” Seem efficient to you? It’s a question worth asking, especially as more communities across the country are encouraged to change their landscapes in pursuit…

Sponge Cities: Designing for Drought, Flood, and Fire in a Changing Climate

As climate extremes become the new “normal”, cities must do more than just make space for people—they need to absorb water, heat, and unexpected environmental conditions. With worsening floods, longer droughts, and wildfires creeping into…

How to Maintain Sustainable Turfgrass

Turfgrass is often criticized in water conservation conversations. I’ve seen it everywhere from media headlines to municipal rebate programs and the message is clear. If you want to save water, rip out your lawn. But is grass really the villain…

Irrigation System Maintenance: The (Most) Cost Effective Way to Save Water

For many ornamental landscapes, the easiest path to water savings isn’t the addition of new irrigation technologies or the removal of turfgrass—it’s simply fixing what’s already there. Studies have shown that 30-60% of irrigation water…

Nature is Our Neighbor

Parks, green spaces, and urban landscapes are not just pretty or pleasing to the eye, they are vital to health and community well-being. We know, for example, that people living near green spaces have a 55% lower risk of developing psychiatric…

Green Spaces are Cool (Spaces)

Summer temperatures in the United States have been getting hotter since 1970 with city temperatures increasing more quickly than adjacent rural areas. And since 80% of the U.S. population lives in cities, this trend affects the majority of Americans…

The Truth About Grass’s Impact on Water Use

“Grass lawns are the biggest water waster in the West!” “Lawns don’t provide any ecological functions or benefits. Why do we have them?” “Maintaining lush, green lawns in dry climates promotes unsustainable landscaping practices!” These…

Every Drop Counts

Every Drop Counts in Healthy Green Spaces Healthy green landscapes—parks, sports fields, home lawns, gardens, and urban forests—perform essential environmental functions like mitigating urban heat, slowing stormwater, sequestering carbon,…

The Healthy Green Spaces Coalition is powered by the National Association of Landscape Professionals.