That attractive lawn more often than not is a water guzzling, pocket draining expense. It has no food value, it returns little to the environment. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and weed control chemicals permeate the air, taint the soil and water supply. Mass plantings of like materials provide a breeding ground for insects and disease. There is no diversity, no ecological balance, no harmony with nature.
Function is sacrificed for form.
More and more people are realizing that creating a symbiotic balance in the landscape with native plants, alternative or no lawns, making use of micro climates and gardening organically is something that we can and should do. We need to work with nature not against it. Look at the wealth it returns to the soil and keeps out of landfills. A good eclectic assortment of trees and shrubs can provide us with shade, food and clean the pollution from the air, water and soil. Nature and the soil are our life force.