n A 2500 square foot lawn converts enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to provide enough oxygen for a family of four daily. Who couldn't use better air quality?

n Turf areas provide a great ability to sequester carbon as well as cool our environment. With our urban warming problems, shouldn't we do the best job possible by naturally providing a cooling effect in balance to the great amount of concrete, asphalt and roof lines we have built?

n The front lawns of eight homes have the cooling effect of 70 tons of air conditioning; the average home's air conditioner has only a three or four ton capacity and takes lots of electricity to power it.

n Turf cools the environment. On a typical hot summer day natural turf is approximately 78 to 88 degrees farenheit in contrast to concrete or artificial turf which is in the range of 117 to 157 degrees. These higher temperatures have a great effect on home cooling, energy consumption, water use and the family's use of the home. A lawn adds to the beauty and functionality of your surroundings and home in a profound and positive way.

n The psychologically calming effect has long been noted for lawns and their inherent ability to create tranquility. These are some of the reasons we have turf around our hospitals and business parks. With our frantic lifestyles, who couldn't use a little of that! Tranquility now!

n Fire protection and erosion control: Give your home 30 feet of protection! With the recent Hummingbird Fire and last year's Henry Coe fire, we would all do better, save a lifetime's work and lower our insurance costs by giving the heroes, our fire departments, a little help by giving them a defensible area around our homes.

n Additionally a healthy, sodded lawn absorbs rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay field. Grasses capture, clean and reduce soil loss when used in our environment - nature's way of cleaning the earth that surrounds us.

One acre of grass produces more oxygen per year than one acre of rain forest. Wow!

All this from one little plant that requires so little from us. Now that's a great return for your buck. And we haven't even touched on turf's recreational and athletic benefits!

So, for those who prefer to enjoy the benefits of having a lawn or those who wish to do something altogether different, we applaud you for bringing a little enjoyment to the places you call home and allowing the beauty of nature to abound.

Author Erin Gil is a second generation farmer and the owner of the Grass Farm in San Martin.

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