December 4th

By Mutt Mulligan

Check out the TurfMutt Foundation’s Living Landscapes Fact Book

Due to the pandemic, we have gained a fuller understanding of the importance of the outdoors – from our yard and parks to school yards and sports fields. They are essential to our well-being and to nature, itself, even when the snow flies.

For over a decade, the TurfMutt Foundation has advocated the importance of managed landscapes and other green space as critical to human health and happiness, and to promote good environmental stewardship of those spaces.

Each season, the TurfMutt Foundation updates its Living Landscapes Fact Book. It is a clearinghouse of scientific data that illustrates the many good reasons to get outside and connect with your own personal patch of the natural world. Green space is a safe place that’s good for you, your family, your community, and the planet.

Be An Outsider: It’s Good for You & the Environment

Exploring and appreciating nature – starting in our own backyards and community green spaces – reduces stress, improves memory, boosts heart health, and offers a host of other benefits for our minds and bodies. Bundling up this winter and spending time outside offers a much-needed break from being cooped up inside and from screen time overload.

But that’s not all. Our yards, parks, and other public green spaces are also environmental superheroes. They capture and filter rainwater, produce oxygen, and absorb carbon. Your yard is also an important part of the connected ecosystem that provides food and shelter for pollinators, such as birds, bees, butterflies, bats, and other creatures.

Be Purposeful When Planning Your Landscape: Right Plant, Right Place

Plan now to select plants that are native to your climate zone that are adapted to thrive in your location (for more information refer to the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map). Consider location, maintenance, sunlight and water needs, as well as how the plant will support local pollinators and backyard wildlife year-round.

To learn more, go to TurfMutt.com.