Native landscaping leads to eco-friendly lawns
Incorporating native plants into your landscaping can have a positive effect on the environment. Among other things, plants that are naturally local to a particular area and have evolved and adapted to regional growing conditions require less care and promote a healthy ecosystem.
“If half of American lawns were replaced with native plants, we would create the equivalent of a 20-million-acre national park, nine times bigger than Yellowstone or 100 times bigger than Shenandoah National Park,” said Doug Tallamy, renowned entomologist, and professor at the University of Delaware.
Benefits of landscaping with local plants
- Fertilizers aren’t required
- Requires fewer pesticides and water than traditional lawns
- Helps prevent erosion
- Those with deep root systems actually increase the soil’s capacity to store water
- Significantly reduces water runoff and, consequently, flooding
- Does not require mowing (which burns fossil fuels, the burning of which contributes to global warming)
- Helps reduce pollution by removing carbon from the air
- They feed and shelter local wildlife (bees, butterflies, and birds) which are beneficial to the ecosystem
One plant at a time, one yard at a time, we can help create a more eco-friendly environment. For more information about Alpine Bank’s sustainability and conservation efforts, please visit our Green Initiatives webpage.
About This Author
Pete Yang
Pete Yang is a senior vice president for Alpine Bank and the co-chair of Alpine's "Green Team." He's based in Aspen, where he handles commercial and consumer loans, with a particular focus on resort financing. He has a keen interest in protecting Colorado's unmatched mountain environment.
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