Nicole Wisniewskj, an editor at the trade publication Landscape Insider brought to our attention a study of the lawn culture across the United States. She wrote "A new study, hot off the presses, conducted an interesting experiment, focusing on how Americans take care of their lawns—from Boston to Baltimore, Miami to Minneapolis and Phoenix to Los Angeles. They discovered that lawn care practices across the country had fewer similarities than they originally predicted. The project was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) MacroSystems Biology Program and Long-Term Ecological Research Program. For sustainability purposes, the study concluded that responding to lawn care-related environmental challenges may require locally-tailored solutions. The green industry is certainly aware of this; because of regional differences, no lawn can have a one-size-fits-all care solution." The full report can be seen at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=130552&org=NSF&from=news

Alex Pearl