Contact: Michael Metallo
National Gardening Association
800) 538-7476, ext. 123
mikem@garden.org
Contact: Bruce Butterfield
National Gardening Association
(800) 538-7476, ext. 113
bruceb@garden.org
According to the just-released results of National Gardening Association's 2011 Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey, when a representative sample of U.S. households nationwide was recently asked: ″How environmentally-friendly do you think the practices currently used to maintain residential, commercial and municipal lawns and landscapes are?″ NGA found that only one out of five respondents in 2011 (17%) gave current lawn and landscape maintenance practices a passing ″green″ grade compared to 21% in 2008. This strongly suggests that more needs to be done, especially given the fact that a majority (79%) of all U.S. households said that it's important to them that residential, commercial, and municipal lawns and landscapes are maintained in an environmentally friendly way.
While homeowners can't control how commercial and municipal lawns and landscapes are maintained, they do have control over what happens in their own backyard. To measure how 'green' homeowners are in caring for their lawns and landscapes at home, NGA used an Eco-Scorecard that asked respondents with a yard or garden which of 12 environmentally friendly lawn, garden, and landscape practices they will follow at home this year.
Households with a Yard or Garden
2011 Environmentally Friendly Lawn, Garden and Landscape Practices
Water your lawn and plants only when they need it. 2008 63%, 2011 51%.
Keep fertilizer, pesticide, yard and pet waste out of water sources and off pavement. 2008 43%, 2011 36%.
Read and follow the label when using pesticides and fertilizers. 2008 49%, 2011 34%.
Cut your lawn at the highest recommended mower setting. 2008 39%, 2011 31%.
Learn more about how to best care for the lawn, specific plants, soil, and wildlife at your home. 2008 20%, 2011 15%
″The indicators from the full report raise concern for the health and welfare of our environment. The fact that only 2 out of 12 environmentally friendly lawn garden and landscape practices on the NGA Eco-Scorecard this year are being followed by more than 50% households with a yard or garden indicates there's a real need for improvement in our appreciation of the impact each of us can have on the environment in our own backyards. Most homeowners, though they like the idea of being environmentally friendly, have a large gap in their understanding about how to practice 'green' lawn and landscape care and maintenance,″ said Mike Metallo, NGA President.
When the 20011 Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey asked respondents ″How knowledgeable would you say you are about how to maintain your home lawn garden and landscape in an environmentally friendly way?″ most homeowners said that they aren't very knowledgeable.
Environmental Friendly Knowledge Level, All U.S.Households
Extremely knowledgeable 3%
Very knowledgeable 11%
Somewhat knowledgeable 33%
Not very knowledgeable 20%
Not at all knowledgeable 9%
Don't know 5%
Don't have a home lawn/landscape 18%
Average 2.7
For more environmentally friendly lawn and garden information visit www.garden.org
About the National Gardening Association
The National Gardening Association (NGA) founded in 1973, is a national nonprofit leader in plant-based education, respected for its award-winning Web sites and newsletters, grants and curricula for youth gardens, and research for the lawn and garden industry. NGAs mission is to advance the personal, community, and educational benefits of gardening by supporting gardeners and teachers with information and resources. To learn more, please visit www.garden.org and www.kidsgardening.org.
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