Lawns

Before I start, I have three things to address. The first is a mistake I make while typing the format for this debate. I said that round 3 would contain closing arguments. This is a mistake, only round 4 may contain your closing arguments. The second thing I want to address is a mistake that Mr.Miller made while typing his first round. The formant that he agreed to follow stated that the his first round should be 1-3 sentences. Instead, he posted 3 paragraphs. This gives him the unfair advantage of having more time to debate than I do. As a penalty, I ask him to restrain his second round to 4 paragraphs or less. No abusing this system by running several paragraphs together into one. Finally, I'd like to clarify that, for this debate, the definition of lawn is: ground (as around a house or in a garden or park) that is covered with grass and is kept mowed. Now onto the debate. ******In this round, I will point out the reasons lawns are a bad concept and shouldn't be used everywhere. Waste of SuppliesTaking care of a lawn uses a massive amount of resources that can be used for better purposes. Yale University estimated that the U.S uses 600,000,000 gallons of gasoline each year to mow and trim lawns. That's 5 gallons per household. The human energy used to push mowers could be used for better activities.In some Western states, (New Mexico, California, etc.) the amount of fuel used to move the water to irrigate the lawns is the same as the amount that is used to mow the lawn itself. The water that is used to irrigate lawns could instead be used to irrigate crops or be given to those who need it. Also, massive amounts of natural gas is wasted by being turned into fertilizer for lawns. The amount of gas used to make 200 bags of fertilizer is enough to heat a home for a full year. The transport of this fertilizer to the stores, and then to your home costs additional fossil fuels.Lawns also consume large sums of money. Per arce, it costs more to maintain a lawn than it does to grow corn, rice or sugarcane. Each year, North America spends 40 billion dollars on lawns, more than the entire continent gives in foreign aid. That's $75 per person.Space Could be For Better PurposesThe space used for lawns could be used for something better, like a garden. There are other things that could be used, but the garden is one of the better choices. Having a garden gives you access to fresh and healthy vegetables and decreases your carbon footprint by making it so you don't have to go to the store for all your food and by absorbing CO2 from the air better than grass does. It saves you money by not having to buy all your food from a supermarket. You save money, time, gas, and energy on mowing because a garden doesn't need to be mowed. Other, more arid, parts of the world could just not have lawns or a garden. They could have whatever plants and soil type is native to their area. This would save massive amounts of oil, natural gas, money, and water. Harmful to the Environment The environment also pays a price for the upkeep of lawns. In the U.S alone, an estimated 7 million birds die each year from pesticides. Pesticides have also been linked to Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, which is responsible for destroying entire colonies in days. Runoff into lakes, ponds, and rivers from fertilizers create algae blooms that suck the oxygen from the water, choking the fish that live within.Sources: http://www.merriam-webster.com...http://homeguides.sfgate.com...http://www.safelawns.org...http://peoplepoweredmachines.wordpress.com...