With spring in full swing, one homeowner has grown fed up with how their HOA is caring for lawns in the area.
No matter where you live, most homeowners associations will dictate how neighbors should maintain their lawns. In some cases, the HOA will take care of it themselves — even if it's not needed.
One homeowner recently took to Reddit to complain about their HOA's excessive lawn maintenance, explaining that the company had suddenly shown up in their yard.
"The grass has been brown for two months, we live in the desert, and there are two guys on riding mowers and ELEVEN guys with leaf blowers going over our tiny patch of grass over and over again," the homeowner said in the post. "Lawn culture is a brain disease."
Aggressive lawn care on yards with dead or dormant grass can not only be harmful to the lawn itself but can also unintentionally contribute to more extreme weather as a result of warmer temperatures. Research has found that heavy-duty lawn equipment, such as gas powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers, is the main driver behind these dangerous impacts on the environment.
The Princeton Student Climate Initiative estimates that these tools take around 800 million gallons of gasoline to power each year. Around 30% of that fuel does not combust completely and results in toxic pollution. As far back as 2011, lawn and garden equipment has been responsible for up to 26.7 million tons of pollutants annually, further research has found.
Homeowners can help eliminate these harmful climate impacts by opting for equipment with electric engines.
However, many HOAs across the county have been found to prevent people from making similar eco-friendly changes, such as growing native plants, installing rooftop solar panels, or banning electric vehicles in a garage. By blocking these efforts, HOAs can inadvertently cause harm to the local environment while souring relationships with neighbors.
Other Reddit users have bemoaned the alleged excessive lawn maintenance, with one person saying, "Oh. How dreadful."
🗣️ If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
🔘 Making it look better 🌱
🔘 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰
🔘 Helping pollinators 🐝
🔘 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"HOAs can suck it," another chimed in.
If you have found your HOA has certain rules preventing you from taking steps to protect your lawn and the environment around you, check out our guide on how to work with your HOA and change restricting rules.
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