July 27th

By Mutt Mulligan

5 ways your living landscapes cool communities

Hot weather has its grip on much of the U.S. as summer continues to sizzle. As we’re all looking for ways to stay cool, TurfMutt wanted to remind you about the amazing cooling benefits of the living landscapes in your own familiy yard. (Turns out, they are beyond beautiful!)

Particularly in urban areas, there’s a phenomenon called the heat island effect. That’s where cities are hotter than surrounding rural areas due to the concrete, asphalt, roadways and lack of tree canopy that trap the heat.

Here are just a few of the ways our living landscapes (i.e. trees and grass) help cool our communities.

• Lawns can be 31 degrees cooler than asphalt and 20 degrees cooler than bare soil.
• Eight average-sized front lawns can provide the cooling equivalent to air-conditioning for 18 homes.
• According to the Urban Forest Coalition, 100 million mature trees around U.S. residences save approximately $2 billion annually in reduced energy costs.
• Strategically placed trees save up to 56% on annual air conditioning costs.
• Urban forests also help keep cities cool. In fact, large parks or tracts of urban trees can cool daytime summer temps by about 10˚. Shaded ground can be up to 36˚ cooler than unshaded ground.

Want to learn more about the benefits of your family yard? Visit www.SaveLivingLandscapes.com.