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| Front lawns of just eight average houses have the cooling
effect of about 70 tons of air conditioning, while the average home-size central air unit
has only a 3 to 4 ton capacity. |
With up to 90% of the weight of a grass plant in its
roots, it makes a very efficient erosion prevention device, also removing soil particles
from silty water. |
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| Turfgrasses trap much of an estimated 12 million tons of
dust and dirt released annually into the U.S. atmosphere. |
Turfgrass helps purify water entering underground aquifers
- its root mass and soil microbes act as a filter to capture and breakdown many types of
pollutants. |
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| Playing fields covered with dense turf have proven safer,
as demonstrated by a simple egg drop test. When a dozen raw eggs were dropped from a
height of 11 feet onto a two-inch thick piece of dense turf, none broke; two thirds of
them broke on thin turf from that height; and from just 18-inches up, all broke on an
all-weather track! |
A Gallup Survey reported 62% of all U.S. homeowners felt
investment in lawns and landscaping was as good or better than other home improvements.
The investment recovery rate is 100-200% for landscape improvement, compared to a deck or
patio that will recover 40-70%. Proper and well maintained landscaping adds 15% to a
home's value according to buyers. |
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| Healthy, dense lawns absorb rainfall six times more
effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field. Sodded lawns can
absorb 10 to 12 times more water than seeded lawns, even after two years of growth, thus
preventing runoff and erosion. |
Grass areas quickly affect people's moods by creating
feelings of serenity, privacy, thoughtfulness or happiness, and its yearly cycles of
growth and color change, lift human spirits and link urban inhabitants with their
countryside heritage. |
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| Recovery rates among hospitalized patients are often
quicker when their rooms view a landscaped area than patients with non-landscaped views.
Where vegetation grows, child mortality, suicide and energy consumption are less than in
places where there are no plants. |
A turf area just 50-feet by 50-feet absorbs carbon
dioxide, ozone, and other atmospheric pollutants, and releases enough oxygen to meet the
needs of a family of four. The grass and trees along the U.S. interstate highway system
release enough oxygen to support 22 million people. |
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