The University of Western Australia and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences study into the sustainability of lawns around the globe has found the benefits of lawns were far outweighed by their impact on the environment. Researcher Dr Maria Ignatieva from UWA’s School of Design said lawns made up almost a half of the

urban green areas globally and called for a rethink about what flora are used in public spaces and gardens. Professor Ignatieva said it was important to look at new alternatives to the traditional grass lawn in urban planning and think about how residential spaces and gardens could be made more sustainable. “Traditionally, lawns were created purely for aesthetic reasons and in modern times, for recreation,” she said. “However we need to rethink our view of them, and see them more as a creative opportunity to create a space that is visually attractive and functional whilst at the same time being environmentally friendly.”

Dr Ignatieva suggested redesigning public and private open spaces and doing away with conventional grassy lawns as the universal urban ground feature by replacing them with a variety of drought-resistant native plants, new generation of groundcovers or other materials such as mulch and stones. “Native plants are designed to cope with Australia’s hot, dry conditions, and while being environmentally friendly they also require far less time and expense to maintain.” Turf war The study noted the aesthetic and recreational benefits of lawns but to the turf industry this wasn't given enough weight. WA Turf Industry executive officer Eva Ricci said she was increasingly frustrated when the broader considerations of lawns and grassy spaces weren't considered.

Loading She said the mental and physical health benefits of a lawn to families and society as a whole were major benefits. "I'm a mother and a grandmother and I know what we need for urban liveability," she said. "You want to replace greenspaces with mulch and natives, where are the kids going to play? "The reality is we have to live a good life and turf in the environment is very important to living a good life."

Ms Ricci said there was no better weapon in the arsenal to beat urban heat stress than grass. "The cooling effect of grass is greater than anything else," she said. "When it comes to carbon emissions we've got a footprint now where you have a far bigger house, with a smaller bit of land, you've got airconditioners going, dryers going a thousand miles an hour because there's no area to hang your clothes out. "Everything is very congested and very hot when we do have our heat periods. "There is such a small amount of turf in new suburbs and they really are suffering from heat stress, it is quite incredible."

Ms Ricci also questioned the conclusions over the amount of water needed to maintain a lawn. "With new age smart technologies such as smart irrigator controllers, soil moisture sensors, and the appropriate amending of sands to soils, commitment to using quality wetting agents and soil moisture retainers, organic fertilising with carbon and humic matter fertilisers that are ecofriendly and phosphorous legislations etc, we can have our home lawns and public greenspace – parks and sporting fields and walk, play, exercise and lie on them too without guilt," she said. Australian Institute of Landscape Architects WA chapter president Andrew Thomas said the issue of reducing grass space with more native options was something their sector was 'acutely aware of' but they still saw a need for lawns. "We're already trying to do the things highlighted (in the study) by reducing turf spaces but we also appreciate the value that turf spaces provide to a community and to our culture," he said. "We still need spaces for ball sports, cricket and football and soccer and all of those things Australians hold dear, and we need to balance that up with more water wise and resilient finishes.