Grass Is The Most Wasteful Crop In The US. Should We Ban It? | True Cost | Insider Business

The American Southwest is running out of water fast. Nevada is imposing a ban on all "useless grass," meaning the American dream of a manicured lawn and white picket fence could become a thing of the past.
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Grass Is The Most Wasteful Crop In The US. Should We Ban It? | True Cost | Insider Business

[@jbellfield]

Don't have this problem in Ireland. But yeah, growing grass in a desert seems extremely dumb.

[@apotatoman4862]

@@Sanyu-Tumusiime why waste the money if the water doesnt need to be used

[@yingyang7448]

They basically explain in 7:35 that switching to a species that can handle less water and higher temperatures is best. A flat desert near the location of the customers is easier to rile up turf and transport it.

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

@@apotatoman4862 why not waste money? we are rich, we should have lawn. lawn is not a waste, it looks nice. LOOKS and DECORATIONS are not a waste of money. why not just get more water from desalination from the pacific ocean?

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

@@taiweannoona1204 it's not dumb. it's called beauty. growing grass in the desert looks beautiful. we need more grass. rather than trying to "use less water", why don't we "produce MORE water" by taking it out of the pacific ocean and building a new desalination plant in San Diego Californai

[@jamesbond36969]

@@Sanyu-Tumusiime it appears that u don’t know how carbon intensive and ecologically destructive desalination plants are.

[@chrishan9138]

Growing hundreds of acres of grass in a desert is insane.

[@Bryanhaproff]

Sigh.. the reality is Nevada residents only recieve 2% of their annual allottment. The other 98% is used for agriculture. Almonds shipped to other countries... its a scam.

[@dm1972]

its actually not, lowers the amount of heat radiating off the desert sand. Rich millionaires and billionaires with crazy huge pools and acres worth of yards are the issue along with golf courses. The average person with a patch in their small backyard isnt an issue.

[@notsure1277]

@@dm1972 What about a million average persons with a quarter of a million lawns?

[@michael7264]

@@dm1972 Wrong. B.A. Political science checking in.. Took a whole class on CA gov and did a paper on our water usage. Ag industry(being subsidized by the gov) takes up something like 80% of our state's water. Residents consume like 3-7% of the water and the cities have the gall to ask us to conserve water.. Problem aint rich citizens, grass, or even washing our cars - it's the gov mismanagement as always.

[@u.npeacekeeperball432]

Why live in the desert at all?

[@hippiehillape]

I wrote a satirical paper in school arguing that grass is the dominant species in America, and humans are subservient to their lawns.

[@oaf1575]

lmfao

[@HakikatBirSinghBhatti]

I wanna read it.

[@humanhuman1773]

In a way, lawns are kind of a method of control. If you don’t cut your lawn you can literally get fined so you end needing to spend money on lawn equipment just to look like everyone else.

[@ulissesmendoza8752]

​@@humanhuman1773 that's if you live in a HOA mainly tho

[@tenj00]

link that. sounds interesting.

[@stevehook7012]

Putting artificial grass in the desert and constantly watering it is like me putting heaters on my property in northern Canada to remove the snow so I can see the grass. If you chose to live in a desert you're gonna have to live with desert scenery, just like people living in snowy areas have to live with the snow. I think switching people off of lawns in places like this is great, eventually people will change their housing culture to adapt to nature, not forcing nature to adapt to you. If you don't like desert scenery, maybe shouldn't have bought a house in the desert lol. Bonus in all this is if it keeps up states like Arizona will look vastly different to the rest of the US and that might actually be an even bigger boon for tourism and people's interest in buying property. Maybe this will even change building codes / building style to remove the front yards since if they will be "unappealing" rock anyways maybe just put the house closer to the street and maximize the space on your property, or increase property density.

[@boohere2]

It's not artificial grass if you have to water it. You know there is actually fake grass out there that you don't need to water. So...why not do that instead? Insider never mentions it. Weird. I got 2 people I know that have installed fake grass. No watering required. They love it

[@dm1972]

Im willing to bet 1 of these Rich Celebrities in LA uses more water for their gigantic pool and home than i will ever in my lifetime on my small lawn lol. Real grass is way better for dog waste and cuts down on backyard heat tremendously. The reason people put grass in is to get rid of the desert sand that radiates heat.

[@curlyhairdudeify]

​@@dm1972How is real grass better for dog waste? You just leave your dog's turd's in people's lawns?

[@dm1972]

@@curlyhairdudeify The grass and water absorb and soak up anything extra? You let your dogs just shit on the rocks and concrete? Nasty nasty yard

[@overlordbrandon]

​@@curlyhairdudeify Gib Dog Poop to Natural Decomposer = Free Fertilizer for the real grass + Dog poop got Decomposed However I agree to the original commenter about the insanity of growing real grass in desert and displacing tons of water as it is unsustainable economically and environmentally

[@notsure1277]

When you choose to live in a desert, then you must adapt to the local environment. The lawns and forests that exist in your cultural memory must be left behind.

[@bzuulu]

This is a really great point

[@Silent_Tentacle]

Better yet, start relocating people from states that should be uninhabitable but were populated due to marketing and propaganda 100 years ago. Wasting environment resources to keep people living in a desert is insane.

[@josephbutz2082]

​@@Silent_Tentacle unconstitutional to just move people who don't want to leave. Just cause you don't want them there doesn't mean anything

[@pramodmali4569]

Use mud pot to store water which will keep the water cool this will also help environment.

[@sergeybrin1963]

If only the same concept could be used for illegal immigrants.

[@JM-tb1fp]

I hate whenever my uni cuts beautiful dandelion & daisy field for the sake of keeping the grass. I seriously don't understand.

[@jamesbizs]

Because not everyone thinks it’s beautiful?

[@baneofbanes]

@@jamesbizsyes many people are dumb.

[@CircuitReborn]

Honestly "native plant lawns" look better and handle better

[@fat2slow]

Well exactly Native plants thrive

[@ktchpmn]

Let's not disregard the fact that all the golf courses and hotels/casinos in Las Vegas use far more water than any of the home lawns in LV

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@TheBlawdfire Well it won't last forever

[@iampdv]

Chad I am not necessarily for grass, but what you write is total bs, and reading and hearing such things just infuriates me. What purpose do the casinos have? Is one's good feeling about having a nice lawn in their yard not a purpose? How so? The tendency of co2 emission counters to tell others what has a purpose just blows my mind. After all, even if we were given a quota of co2 spending, I would spend all of it on things like nice garden and taking a bath regularly. I never use your casinos, disnay land parks and other 'consumer society' things like this. So when it comes to suggestions to ban something, why don't you start with that useless crap?

[@misterhat5823]

@@TheBlawdfire Are you serious or just trolling? That is utter BS. We could also create jobs by having a bucket brigade to help get rid of all the crap you just spewed. Casinos don't need grass to create jobs. And how many jobs does a golf course create? Your comment is the typical right-wing BS of claiming everyone benefits when corporations get more than their fair share of resources. The only people that benefit are the shareholders.

[@misterhat5823]

@@TheBlawdfire Imagine being such a sad troll.

[@jacobbwalters8133]

⁠@@misterhat5823 trolling or not he has a real point. It is impossible to overstate the importance of tourism to the Las Vegas economy. Over a third of all Vegas residents are directly employed in the hospitality or tourism industries and almost two thirds of the city’s economic output comes from tourism related activities. (All data is publicly available from the NV GOED and the LVCVA). Few cities on Earth are as heavily reliant on a single industry as Las Vegas is on tourism. Killing the tourism and hospitality industries would mean killing the city of Las Vegas. Meanwhile killing your lawn would mean that you- a person who made the conscious decision to live in the middle of a desert- would need to learn to love caring for cacti rather than grass. Also spare me the sob story about how a green lawn is the only thing that can bring you joy. If that is truly the case then you probably have some deep mental health issues that need to be fleshed out with a therapist, not random strangers in the KZbin comment section.

[@critterjon4061]

I worked in native landscaping and for anyone in the western half of the country who is looking for a native alternative to turf I would recommend buffalo grass it is native to the us and only requires a fifth of the water and still gives you the green grass lawn that most homeowners look for

[@goodscharlotte]

Micro clover only needs to be watered once a season (in most parts) to stay green year round and also is great for bees and bunnies etc. Plus it doesn't need to be mowed often if at all. Another perk for those with dogs is it doesn't turn yellow from their waste.

[@foxbat473]

Americans brought Buffalo grass to Zimbabwe its very popular here😅

[@mafftv3801]

Does it actually just look like a normal lawn aswell?? I wouldn’t mind getting hold of some

[@foxbat473]

@@mafftv3801 yes it does but you seldom play on it

[@bananaguard]

​@@mafftv3801It's thicker grass blades

[@billyyank5807]

This is what happens when you try to populate places you shouldn't live.

[@Badpoison1]

Amen

[@emepantti]

This is what happens when people populate places whose environmental conditions they're not ready to live with. If you move to the desert, accept the fact that lawns will not thrive there, and also that it'll be constantly very hot from May to September. It feels ridiculous to heavily irrigate a lawn and live a 24/7 air conditioned life in a desert. The desert itself is immensely beautiful, embrace it instead of despising it.

[@jackesioto]

Try telling that to advocates of space settlement.

[@VisibleNoises]

More where you populate places where you refuse to adapt to the environment.

[@circlesevendivination4928]

This feels like satire. But we should totally switch grass for other more helpful plants, like pollinators or having a garden on every lawn. If we got a class in school about gardening it would be easy for us to start, or having companies that can help turn these grass lawns into gardens

[@streamobject0014]

when life starts feeling like satire, it's an indication that you live in an illusory dystopia.

[@_blank-_]

@@streamobject0014 Yeah, I've given up on the idea that we will tackle seriously the climate crisis, seeing how Americans are adamant in defending their wasteful, rotten consumerist lifestyle, including lawns in the desert (???). Welcome to the environmental collapse dystopia.

[@moonasha]

the idea of the manicured lawn without a single dandelion is absurd and grotesque. It should be done away with as soon as possible, for the sake of pollinators, our water supply, and so on. In a lot of places this is already happening, and I think the trend will continue to catch on

[@ilsunnylo3562]

Just go for the zen sand garden. No trouble and no maintenance.

[@Iceyfire12]

Need to get rid of the HOAs in the US first! Hopefully Americans will Rid the HOA system!

[@moonasha]

natural lawns with succulents, cacti, etc, look so much better in the south west than ugly grass carpets

[@fyurex8969]

Awesome! I hate the fact that we're wasting so much money and water to try to terraform the desert into lush grasslands. These people move out into the desert because it's cheap and then complain about the lack of green.

[@ulissesmendoza8752]

I mean if Saudi Arabia can do it so can we I wouldn't want grass but somehow they did it

[@fyurex8969]

@@ulissesmendoza8752 yeah and it's not sustainable for them either

[@poppinc8145]

@@ulissesmendoza8752 KSA burns money doing a lot of insane shit and all of it is unsustainable. Also there's the fact that it only has 20 million citizens and they all live along the coastlines.

[@Lydia13778]

These regulations should really make their way to Utah. Being neighbors to Nevada, we have a lot of the same issues shown in this video. Our Great Salt Lake is shrinking and if it continues toxic dust will destroy the salt lake valley. Water preservation is a HUGE issue here and needs to be taken mote seriously.

[@releventhurt]

True i was just there is a beautiful state but has no buisness being so unwise with its water resourse. Alow more native vegetation to grow and see your aquafiers swell.

[@parkrthington1902]

The Great Salt Lake... Could turn into another Bonneville Flats, that dried up thousands of years aga because of man's indiscriminate use of water.

[@mouthfulacoque3580]

its utah. if you've spent any longer than 2 weeks amongst the residents, you know they are way deserving of some long needed population control

[@SuperReznative]

Geo Engineering weather modification is real ,and needs to stop ASAP.

[@kylewhite9077]

Too bad the state is run by an anti-science theocracy

[@c00mgoblin]

As a Las Vegas native, grass should have been BANNED a long time ago! It’s literally useless and a waste of water.

[@dirtyorganboy2264]

Sorry having a small lawn is not the issue in Vegas. It’s the agriculture and manufacturing sector that wastes 95 percent of the water. What homeowners use is a literal drop in the bucket in comparison.

[@WillowOD]

Same this could go for obese people.

[@umadbrew]

As a 5th generation Southern Nevadan....It's not Las Vegas issue. You could shut off water to Las Vegas tomorrow and the Colorado River will still shrink. The other states who grab much more water than Nevada need to get their shit together. LV can save all the water they want. It's literally only a drop in a bucket.

[@baneofbanes]

@@umadbrewand that justifies wasting how little water you get how?

[@baneofbanes]

@samgriess438and nevada isn’t grassland. Never was and never will be.

[@_blank-_]

Make gardens, not lawns ✌️

[@Jaxck77]

I love the desert rock look. It makes the American southwest look & feel so much better than endless piles of artificial greenery.

[@Heejinstar23]

Yes! Too many places are in drought. Ban grass everywhere

[@AnotherDayattheDock]

bruh not in the south

[@Crackpidgeonextreme]

I live in las vegas and for the life of me i cannot understand why people insist on having grass in a desert and after living here for years ive come to the realization its people moving to Nevada from California or other states that are not the desert that insist on grass and usually after paying a $300 water bill for a few years they get rock or leave

[@jonransdell]

My neighbors across the street have a garden made up mostly of plants native to our local area (south bay area of Los Angeles county) and their garden reauires little to no watering, they mostly just remove the non-native weeds. Their plants are always healthy.

[@VanillaMacaron551]

Hopefully fake, plastic grass also is banned there. That is a big environmental disaster.

[@davidcovington901]

No, see, you don't mow it. So none goes into that ocean adjacent to Las Vegas.

[@sipati2]

@@davidcovington901 And than overtime from sun damage and such microplastics go into the ground, air and slowly into the ocean too.

[@travisstorbakken1737]

Hopefully you don't drive anything. Gas or electric. I also hope you don't wear footwear of any kind. It's pretty clear you use a phone or computer though..... plastic. Just saying.

[@yingyang7448]

@@travisstorbakken1737 The idea isn't to be perfect. It's to do what we can.

[@notsure1277]

You are missing the real problem. People should not try to grow lawns in a desert in the first place. Instead of investing precious limited local resources in maintaining an arbitrary artificial idea of a "dream home", people should be adapting to, and making the most of, the local environment.

[@SebAnders]

If grass doesn't naturally grow in your yard....just let it be, it's not the end if the world

[@jamesbizs]

Or. You know. Not

[@QuantumImperfections]

[Florida] I just moved into my first house (renting) from an apartment and my surprise at the water bill was measurably irate. So much money spent on watering a yard at midnight to prevent evaporation that not only got rained on but was using POTABLE water was mind-boggling. All in an effort to avoid HOA fees and 'look nice for the neighbors'. I don't have an issue with yards per say but the sheer waste from them is wild. I'm not a 1700s noble - I'm not going to impress anyone with my rented 0.25 acre yard no matter how pretty it is. If the yard was artificial turf or allowed to (within reason) allowed to be more natural for local bees / butterflies I think would be a better use.

[@Kharmazov]

Water shortages are becoming a thing even here in central Europe. We still get plenty of water from failing snow and rain but all of it goes to the sea.

[@XanderPie]

Create water catchment systems (swales, ponds) in order to refill the ground water and you won't have to worry about it

[@Kharmazov]

@@XanderPie And that is exactly what they had been doing.

[@tackywhale5664]

@Kharmazov Than why is it still going into the sea?

[@Kharmazov]

@@tackywhale5664 Because it takes time to build all of those artificial lakes etc.

[@Sandlin22]

There's no shortage of water. The earth is 70% water. Over 177 countries have desalination plants. The "water crisis" is fear porn. At no point will we run out of water. Desalination plants started being built in the 70s and continue to be built. As the technology gets better, more places build these types of plants. In a true water "shortage" you'd see the required infrastructure be put up so fast it would spin us in a circle. Next someone will whine about the process of desalination and complain about its waste while intentionally ignoring the waste produced is already useful in some applications and is far less impact full then the trash they generate daily 🤷‍♂️

[@Thelawncarenut]

My lawn is not an "ecological dead zone" anymore than an entire neighborhood with rocks for a yard is an "ecological dead zone" - And the water inspector saying that the water is lost when it evaporates tells me he needs to re-visit 8th grade science class. What we need is for people to stop talking in extremes and meet in the middle, in the gray area where we can find agreement.

[@JC-dr8ev]

Exactly. He needs a water cycle lesson. Also, never mentioned erosion control.

[@LuthienNightwolf]

I lived in Phoenix for about 8 years and always loved the desert landscaping. It seems strange to me that people would choose to live in the desert and then completely sidestep the natural beauty of that area. It might not have as much green but it has it's own charm and nature has designed all of it to thrive in that sort of climate. Its always better to grow what's native to your area. I will probably never own a house myself but if I do I definitely won't be wasting water on a useless grass lawn.

[@Demopans5990]

Heck even a garden is better than a lawn. Fresh herbs and veggies at your literal doorsteps. Chinese Mahogany and peppercorn trees for example. Nearly year long aromatic fresh leaves for cooking

[@tomgosy]

Turning desert back into desert does make a lot of sense for water management

[@BargSlarg]

Bros a water cop, this feels dystopian

[@jimlee4961]

He's a something

[@joshizac2174]

Well our population is getting bigger really quickly and the water is getting less and less. It isn't unlimited

[@yucol5661]

Having to suck a limited amount of water of the ground and using it for status symbols and decoration is also dystopian.

[@davidybarra7774]

He said he been doing it for year... i thought meter maids were annoying. This guys the most . Bro really said "ive noticed alot of people changed to a more water conservative option" bc of you lil punk coming by st 5 in the morning snaping pics of thier house unwanted

[@jonathancormack]

What an idiotic comment, skidmarks

[@stararker]

Just move to Florida. It's been raining here for a week straight. Water can't evaporate due to 100 percent humidity so we all good there. You will need to deal with gators though.

[@CordeliaWagner]

Cute little SwampCats 🥰

[@bzuulu]

That's wild, I've always wondered what those green circles were in the desert when I saw them from Google Earth.

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

Good god, I can't imagine wasting clean water to grow grass. Don't get me wrong, I have a large lawn, but I live in an area with ample rain fall, so I don't have to water it. Were that not the case I just wouldn't have a lawn at all. I'll water fruit and veggies, but I'll be damned if I'll waste perfectly good drinking water on grass.

[@jamesbizs]

Who says it had to be clean water?

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

@@jamesbizs Those sprinklers in everyone's yard are attached to the mains. That means the homeowners are using drinking water. If they watered with waste water, or had rain barrels, that would be a different matter.

[@baneofbanes]

@@jamesbizsyou ever had a sprinkler? It uses the same water your hose does.

[@tysone1254]

We need to do something with lawns. They are just such a waste of time resources and money, when only a couple percent of the grass area is actually used for leisure activities!

[@boohere2]

Have people switch to fake grass.

[@nooli22]

@@boohere2 And let's dump a bunch of micro plastics into the environment - Great option!

[@adrianlouw2499]

You could just use the cut grass for mulch on your garden beds or make compost with it...couldn't be easier to recycle. Lawns look much better than most other options that don't require daily work, such as vegetable patches do etc. Insects and worms also thrive in lawns and attract birds unlike fake grass, gravel or concrete... Oh and enjoy the accumulative smell of dog urine on astro turf...nightmare.

[@adrianlouw2499]

@@boohere2 By "have them switch to" do you mean mandate?

[@ulissesmendoza8752]

Advise people of alternative ground covers

[@squirrelnibbler19]

Green grass comes from British and Irish heritage where constant cold misty water makes rolling hills of grass appropriate. In the west coast and desert this makes as much sense as having an artificial snow pile on your yard for looks. Accept, you left that climate and you need to leave the grass behind.

[@greenwoodfireresponse]

Some states in the US that is not true at all.

[@Demopans5990]

​@@greenwoodfireresponse Even then, gardens and trees provide more value. Rose bushes for example

[@Jorora]

@@greenwoodfireresponse But we're not talking about those states we're talking about the midwest and Nevada. This idiot said westcoast which isn't appropriate for Oregon or Washington which have literal rain forests and year long rains but for most of the west side of the US it is very rocky and desert like terrain that has habitats that cannot support wasting a ton of water.

[@greenwoodfireresponse]

I live in the midwest.@@Jorora

[@damomo13]

Yes, and make it illegal for my neighbors to complain about my lawn too!!!

[@jamesdagmond]

I get growing grass in places where there is normally grass but putting grass in Las Vegas is just silly.

[@somename152]

the grass they grow and pay to cut along interstates and the patches of grass next to the sidewalks along the road always seemed weird to be especially when I moved to the USA from Canada since we don't do that. I used to ask my husband why because the USA is so much hotter, and don't have nearly as high of tax percentage as we do yet y'all plant grass that requires constant upkeep. It should be something else like us. We just put more pavement or rocks, things that don't require any additional upkeep.

[@chadwells7562]

There may be a functional reason. Keeping soil together or thermal management.

[@420.........]

@@chadwells7562 lol dude stop

[@chadwells7562]

@@420......... Why? You don’t know if there’s a functional reason or not

[@jamesbizs]

@@420......... dude, you’re ignorant.

[@AnalyticalReckoner]

The city I live in was a swampy area and so grass struggles to grow here because the earth is mostly clay instead of soil. People still try but it almost always turns into a muddy patch with dead grass after a year.

[@atomicgeisha]

I love rock gardens they are pretty and easy to take care of.

[@brandonthomas6880]

I do landscaping for a living but not in a dry climate like this. Regardless, over the years I've realized that what people consider as a "weed" are essential to native environments. These "weeds" serve an infinite amount of purpose compared to the Bermuda grass that replaces them. It's kinda odd that the grass doesn't serve any purpose beyond one's vanity or status but it's considered a normal thing associated with property.

[@Monaleenian]

Grass looks nice. That's all. Not sure what you think it has to do with vanity or status.

[@melikecomedy]

@@Monaleenian I'm not sure how you can't connect the words it looks nice and vanity, that's what vanity is, doing something just for looks

[@Monaleenian]

@@melikecomedy Vanity has to do with have inflated or excessive pride in oneself or one’s appearance. It does not relate to liking the appearance of your lawn or your dog!

[@mouthfulacoque3580]

i deadass uprooted a lot of my lawn to make room for vegetables and other landscaping. that shit annoys me so much

[@baneofbanes]

@@Monaleenianit’s because it does. The lawn was created by European no Italy and ever since people have been copying it.

[@gnes04]

I get that the rocks may not be as nice to run around and play on as grass, but the native succulents and cactus type plants do look pretty damn cool in the front yard

[@benjaminlehman3221]

Not surprising that grass won’t survive in a DESERT

[@sunb5738]

I have those kinda grass fields in my town (not the US) and its UGLY af, also uses a lot of water. I never understood the aesthetic appeal of it either, it just looks so synthetic and dead. A lawn full of wildflowers, trees and bushes that are home to insects is much more beautiful....

[@mcyclonegt]

That's your opinion.

[@_blank-_]

@@mcyclonegt Decreasing water levels are not an opinion though.

[@CordeliaWagner]

People who move to a suburbia in the middle of a desert maybe like it empty and lifeless...

[@itzzzsss]

Going off topic, I feel that if you own a home, that front lawn should be used from the owner of the home. Like build a large tent space. So you can camp and cook on the lawn. It's a little weird that you have to make it look like a nince natural museum piece. Nice and trimmed vegetation. And leave it untouched

[@heronimousbrapson863]

I remember Tucson, Arizona as a kid in the 1950's. Even then, our neighborhood had few if any lawns. Instead, attractive landscaping using gravel and native plants such as cacti predominated.

[@tkondaks]

90% of homeowners' lawns in the Phoenix area already have rocks instead of grass. Nothing new.

[@administratorshan]

why don't they install plastic artificial turf? just curious

[@nickb2912]

@@administratorshan Artificial grass is horrible for the environment, the surface of artificial grass can reach 165 degrees.

[@carlonapolitano3598]

More than 70% of water from the colorado river is used for irrigation in agriculture. Less than 15% is used in residential(People). The majority of that percentage of water is used in raising cattle in the US(Meat Production). I appreciate the spotlight put on the matter of how turf and traditional lawns are an immense waste of water and states with strict water consumption situations enforce regulation on them. Its cool making a video and reporting on how niche states like nevada are banning turf because it is a waste of water but it is dissapointing hearing a useless summary on how having a large, traditional lawn was a status symbol in the US since the 1800s and that there are companies still based in nevada making sod that is more "water-friendly"? This is insider business and its surprising to see how no effort was put by the reporters into looking at the major consumers of water and is instead focusing on how there are still some sod-farmers based in nevada or there are water patrol officers?(LOL) What about the fact that there had been a history in areas of the south-west where water grants were given to farmer based off of how much alfalfa they reserved to grow on their land for feeding cattle? Raisemore Alfalfa-> Get More Water Access -> Raise more cattle and Crops -> Need more Water to grow more alfalfa and crops, and raise cattle -> repeat... What about clarifying the distinction of how a US State is emphasizing regulation on the residents homes and implicating blame on them because "they are watering their lawns too much"? Roughly 13% of water is consumed in residential use in ALL recorded usage of people who live off the colorado river. This sentence means that not even all residents get their water from the river, but states can still choose to enforce water preservation laws and regulations on them to "serve the majority". But its ok. Its easier to report on a situation happening tangential to a core problem, sprinkle in some buzz-words to imply an air of "sustainable water consumption" or anything positive in that regard, to produce a low effort video that misdirects people into thinking regulating their personal habits and choices are what is good for those around you and the environment. Very Disappointing but congrats, you got what you wanted it looks like.

[@dan_youtube]

It's just propaganda

[@CordeliaWagner]

Animal agriculture? Just switch to a plant based diet. Meat is a waste of precious ressources.

[@CordeliaWagner]

Why have animal agriculture in the middle of a desert? Sounds totally DTUPID.

[@davidcovington901]

My goodness, a fact-based reasonably-argued comment? I had to check to see I was still on KZbin. Best of the day!

[@thebakedbeeble3761]

Dirt's fine for me, but if you really need something in front of your home on the ground, gravel works fine, and if you want something a little easier to walk of barefoot, pea gravel is better. (Just gravel but rounded out). Or river rock

[@geissler91]

Future humans will look back at our wasteful use of clean water and will be sickened by how idiotic this question even is.

[@KissyKaede]

I fully agree with banning lawns nationwide. It would also reduce noise pollution from landscapers constantly working on yards. It's a complete waste of water. Go with native flora in your yard that do not need to be artificially irrigated.

[@Mamatha450]

Seriously I always feel for those people who has no water to drink.🤔

[@taylorembach8559]

Golf courses are big water wasters. They should be the first to go. Next should be the grass outside the homes.

[@CandymanSEHTx713]

Honestly, grass is outdated. Herbs, vegetables, and fruits look best especially when fruiting and flowering. Also, have you seen a clover yard? They look immaculate.

[@theaquariancontrarian3316]

The irony is that replacing grass with gravel increases atmospheric temperatures. How about plant desert trees that don't need much water and provide shade???

[@sairamsk3206]

Planting slabs and payments in the ground instead of grass will stop the absorption of water into the ground. And stones could stop plant growth which allows weeds to grow.

[@bok..]

yeah should just switch to native plants

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@bok.. We should just pave the world with cement.

[@cisium1184]

They also exhaust that restricted soil in a few years. Your solution is not a solution. There is no solution. Let ecology and market economy work out problems on their own: they always do a better job in the long run than well-meaning busybodies.

[@Jorora]

@@cisium1184 You mean the same market economy that created this grass problem in the first place? Or the same market economy that has us wasting all kinds of resources on on ridiculous useless amenities instead of just making use of the natural beauty of whatever habitat we live in? Or the same market economy that caused the Great Depression and Great Recession? This stuff never works and it never has. It only functions to make people money which in that sense it works well but it's not sustainable in the real world where things run out and people need resources to survive. People pay for these lawns and want them but people are crazy and ridiculous, they need to get real and have a more realistic lifestyle. People in Alaska and other parts of the world do just fine adapting to their environment I don't know why we can't do it in West or Midwest of the US.

[@letit023]

Yeah it very smart thing to grow grass in the middle of blistering hot desert 😒. And people in the Westcoast keep wondering why they continue to have water shortages. Can't fix stupid.

[@jagoldenpyrenees491]

Native plants and flowers with deep roots that hold the soil together and take care of themselves are what you want. I've never understood the obsession with fescue. It's ugly, worthless, and high maintenance. Just let the flowers grow! I squeal in delight when I find a new type of bloom in my yard and immediately scan it with Google Lens to study it. Many are perfectly edible!

[@Rokegle135]

Really google lens allows you to check plant species now?

[@jagoldenpyrenees491]

@@Rokegle135 Yup! Just scan it with the app and it tells you what it is(common names and scientific name), if it's edible, and what uses it has plus other stuff. I've cross referenced a lot of stuff and it's been super accurate so far

[@halfskip1785]

Woah there fescue hater. There are lots of different fescues, some are very drought tolerant such as sheep's, blue and hard fescue. They look nothing like the tall fescue you are thinking of.

[@jagoldenpyrenees491]

@@halfskip1785 Still a pointless waste of ground space

[@bobstuckrath1805]

Why not? Ban grass and lawnmowers. Outlaw golf and croquet. Swing sets upset me too. The color "red" makes the bulls pissed off.

[@DM-eo6zw]

NO !

[@codemangleason3986]

All lawns should be Replaced with Swales, Native Growth, and Food Forests

[@TheRealWinser]

Blaming lawns for the drought in Lake Mead like they didn't makeup water rights for water that didn't exist. Only the people that can't pay the fines are punished while all the rich people water their golf courses and their country club houses.

[@robsonwilianwinchester9726]

In fact most water 🌊💦 in arid USA 🇺🇲 are used for growing crops (some crops shouldn't be growing bacause consume too much water 🌊💦 like wheat 🌾!!!) Is not only the fews 10% of us population which mostly of them live in southern California and East ➡️ America mostly coastal places like Massachusetts which rain 🌧️ ☔ more than southwest ↙️ state's which have more arid desert 🏜️ like climates!!! And is good too suburbia's and golf ⛳ club's stop using high consuming water 🌊💦 Turf grass but instead using low consumptions of water 🌊💦 like native species used to lack of water and specially native cactus 🌵 and tree's is most on!!!

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@robsonwilianwinchester9726 We just create a global Holodomor

[@boohere2]

Have everyone switch to fake grass including the golf courses

[@adityapatil325]

​@@boohere2 is fake grass plastic? If so, that would be another disaster.

[@davidcovington901]

@@adityapatil325 Removing the plastic from your car is a good first step. Keep us informed.

[@toditron]

I can't believe this is still going on. I would've thought people would stop having lawns in Vegas decades ago.

[@pshpsh5247]

Big ups to the camera man's super quick reflexes pulling focus to get the grass back in focus at 0:17

[@fluh2794]

As a European, I find the suburbs in the US quite...surreal.

[@notsure1277]

Of course you do -- there are no animal brothels...

[@chancekaufman8378]

i agree ,but are the lights on his car are also useless .. grass police💀

[@bufordhighwater9872]

People realize that there's no such thing as "wasted" water, right? Water that evaporates or freezes is still water. Watering a lawn is really only an issue in a place where the water is needed for more important things and lawns don't naturally occur. Seeding and sodding new grasslands plays a key role in terraforming and climate control. It's how you try to bring life to the desert.

[@Jsarabia94]

Exactly what I thought when the guy at the start of the video said the water is gone forever lol, like wtf?

[@Piccolo_Re]

The reason this grass is being grown in a desert is because it helps control variables. It helps prevent weed seeds in the sod. It also prevents birds from pooing in the grass and putting in weed seed into the sod. Sod is very expensive to buy if anyone ever looked into buying it but that sod gets shipped all over the place. It’s not just used in NV.

[@hurrdurrmurrgurr]

You're growing grass to prevent weed seeds and poo in the grass your'e growing? What kind of circular logic is this, don't grow the sod problem solved.

[@Sandlin22]

Whoa whoa this is the business insider comment thread buddy. Don't be using your facts and logic here the people in these threads rely on emotion and accept any nonsense they hear. Kind of like the "water patrol" guy saying evaporated water is gone forever while completely ignoring the concept of evaporation equals precipitation 😅

[@gaaraxiong]

​@@Sandlin22og

[@baneofbanes]

Maybe don’t buy sod to put in the middle of the desert like a moron.

[@baneofbanes]

@@Sandlin22except he isn’t using facts and logic. At least not good logic. If you need to import sod to support imported grass to keep it from dying in the desert, maybe it’s a waste of money and water

[@nomore-constipation]

Genuinely a genius idea to drain the aquifers of water. Especially when they are doing it for growing grass. Unbelievable....

[@momoneyy408]

They complain about drought but are adding more housing?

[@trentrockwell6598]

Oh that’s not the best part, The “Drought” is BS I live in Arizona and they claim we are still in a drought and have had less rain… BS our overflow reservoirs are full, We had more rain in the last three years than the 10 years prior, I know this because my friends work at the AZ department of water and Agriculture and have personally shown me they are lying about a drought and why, There is a Saudi company growing Alfalfa here which requires tons of water and they are using our resources to water it and just got caught and the state of AZ profited off of it and continues to lie about drought to charge more money for water and lower our water pressure to… They got caught and there was such backlash that as of now they pulled the saudi companies water permit and are making them drill for a well to provide water for their alfalfa, Just look how California hasn’t built any new reservoirs since the 70’s and when it Just flooded there and had massive rains what did they do, Drained all that water back into the ocean because they “Couldn’t hold the water” this is all pure BS and manipulation to make them billions of dollars by charging more for water and for the tickets they can collect from people who don’t follow their tyrannical rules, Sorry a lot of information but this topic pisses me off because they are flat out lying and Google to they claim the same thing but with all the evidence showing otherwise

[@Bob46374]

Hey genius, how’s lake mead & Powell looking? The biggest reservoirs on the Colorado

[@trentrockwell6598]

@@Bob46374 Hey genius I didn’t say all states just Spoke about where I live and what I’ve seen them doing in California… Reading isn’t your favorite thing to do is it?

[@smh9902]

Why ban grass growing, when you can ban HOA's and municipal governments from mandating that grass be used?

[@Anne_Onymous]

Ban grass? Kim Jong Un says "yes."

[@_blank-_]

Based Kim.

[@grandemage]

Honestly over grass, a house in my neighbourhood has a white stone/gravel yard and it looks amazing. Has some trees but you can hand water those if needed. Really does seem dumb in an arid desert to have grassy golf courses and yards.

[@steveguillory7568]

If only CA would adopt the strategies that Las Vegas has, we’d have far less issues with drought.

[@Freight_Train]

There is no way Nevada's situation could apply to Georgia. I have about an acre of lawn around my house and I almost never water it because we get enough rain. The purpose for the grass is to decrease the number of bugs (especially scorpion and centipedes), rodents, and snakes that come to the house. They bugs like trees and chunks of branches and logs or rocks to live under and around. The rodents and snakes don't like to cross open fields because they would be seen by predatory birds. The grass is for more than looks here. It provides a safer place for my kids.

[@Andrew-gt6qx]

Any good dad with young kids knows the importance of having a fun and safe yard. This is achieved with well maintained and REAL grass.

[@GabrielKnightz]

So just to be clear, some guy having a patch of green on his front lawn is a legally prohibited but acres of pointless golf courses are perfectly fine. Got it.

[@michellesmith9855]

Yes... But we reclaim water in Las Vegas and we have a 0 percent consumption rate. Lake Mead is depleting because of the major dams upstream and the other states that take more water than they need.... Lake Mead is rising as of now because they are letting more water through the dams.

[@northernmetalworker]

Grass fed beef is a far better environmental practice than factory farming, and it can be done on a small scale, which is obviously a problem if you hate independent farmers.

[@joe.oneill]

Are you guys looking to compete with The Onion?

[@_blank-_]

If Americans keep imitating Idiocracy... Lawns in deserts? Seriously? Sounds like that electrolyte bit in the movie.

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@_blank-_ Then raise the price of water in those areas.

[@CommunityTrashPicker]

8:08 Here it comes from aquifers as if that’s not damaging

[@druggeddragon420]

THIS but also the fact that corporations use up more water than any of us could ever individually should make them more targeted than us

[@CreedK]

I’ve always hated grass lawns, to the point that even I’ve yelled at my dad in frustration during an argument before about how much time and water he wastes on it lol (and because he never let us use the yard to plant any veggies or make part of it a usable patio or something). I was recently in Japan and loved their small garden culture/aesthetic. They were small but nearly every home in more suburban areas had a beautiful garden of seemingly curated and well maintained variety of bonsai, trees, and shrubs. It was so peaceful and far superior to lawns. Grass lawns have a place at large castle estates, golf courses, and places where it grows naturally. But not in front of random residential homes. The desert lawns shown towards the end of the video are a significant improvement and are very pretty and low maintenance.

[@kurlyq2gbike]

There is literally not enough money in the world to make me want to be a "water patrol" d-bag

[@CordeliaWagner]

Go to Florida and do Aligator Patrol.

[@vinodhd10]

A lot of things need to be trimmed in the USA

[@kanarie93]

interesting. US is banning grass in gardens, Holland is encouraging it as concrete city is way hotter then green city leading to more evap....

[@lightgiver428]

Replace it with clovers. It's much better for the environment and it looks like a cool fantasy land. They use less water and they store nitrogen back into the ground, which is good for plants.

[@tmzz3609]

Las Vegas bans grass but allows the Bellagio Fountain

[@connorgavranovic4670]

As a grass farmer, I don’t agree with this and I sure as heck know that our buyers don’t agree with this either. We are just trying to make a living for our family and good grass for customers

[@kurtronqx7135]

That's okay. But acknowledge that you don't agree with it purely because you need to keep doing it to survive. It's you're livelihood. Your customers on the other hand probably won't die if they stop putting grass on their properties. However, all of you might be experiencing worse weather because of lower water levels..

[@robertburke4263]

I am all for it. No more mowing, no more edging, no more blowing, no more gas and no more oil mix.

[@DavidConant]

Don’t ban grass. Un-ban wild yards.

[@adnivara777]

Is it wasteful and dumb at this scale?? Absolutely!!!

[@realmattblev]

I sympathize with the water crisis, but the solution looks like something China would do...

[@jameslafevers6048]

yes, grass is pointless. Switch to clover it's not only more drought tolerant but also decently edible and produces flowers that is good for pollinators.

[@patoteto2]

In Mexico we have lawns but they’re seasonal they’re only geeen when it rains

[@pastorcalebgillespie]

Government telling me I cant have a nice lawn is the definition of government overreach.

[@triangulum8869]

Man where im from ive never seen anyone watering their lawns, it rains too much to worry about the grass getting dry

[@baneofbanes]

I’ve lived in the eastern US my entire life and I’ve never seen anyone water a lawn ever. This is the climate they’re meant for.

[@halfnelson6115]

I live in the northeast and have a big lawn. I NEVER water my lawn, and it does fine with just the rain it gets.

[@ShawnLH88]

Vegas is banning this crap…golf courses waste billions of gallons

[@wbwam7710]

always thought lawns looked really stupid in desert environments; completely out of place. Much prefer the gravel and sparsely dispersed, hardy plants in the new front yards :)

[@exosproudmamabear558]

Just ban it. Ban lawns,ban golf courses. Just plant native long life plants for city scape. Dig johads with native trees or plants that can hold water nearby so it can hold water.

[@drone_boss]

I live out West. A waste of water. A waste of numerous resources.