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[Thomas Beckett <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

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Magnus wrote:
> With rising fuel costs and the apparent likelihood that we've already 
> reached a peak oil state, I'm looking at ways I can cut back on my use 
> of combustion engines.  I've already started telecommuting a couple of 
> days a week for the last few months.  Now I'm looking at my lawn mower.

One option that has not yet been discussed in this thread it so minimize
your lawn space.  Instead of hundreds of square meters of grass that
needs energy and regular fertilization to be trimmed and green, use
larger plantings of shrubs and ornamentals that don't need as much
weekly care or nutrition.  Make big beds of shrubs, perennials and cover
plants.  Grow vegetables and tree fruits.  Plant varieties of grass that
don't need regular mowing.

Tract housing with acres and acres of emerald green lawns arguably
contribute enormously to global warming by reducing carbon sequestration
in the soil and creating dead zones in the oceans through fertilizer
runoff.

OTOH, one needn't go to the extreme that these folks have:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/thtv_homestead.php

What the Dervaes family has done with their tract home lot is admirable
but more than most people would need or want to do.  They have created a
lot of good strategies for suburban sustainability from which folks
cherry pick.

TaB



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Thomas A. Beckett, JD & MBA                  Business Law and Consulting
828-713-1668            <http://www.tbeckett.com>           919-824-5696
Authentication instructions: <http://www.tbeckett.com/verification.html>
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