Green Lawns, Red Tide And A Dying Gulf Of Mexico

     People are good at talking problems to death. Talk and no action. It happened with dog fighting, animal cruelty, and a host of other concerns. Organizations and activists jumped all over those issues, enriching their pockets and ensuring everything dysfunctional continues (discussed extensively in previous blogs). Saving the Gulf Of Mexico must not be talk and no action. Otherwise, the Gulf will die, tourism and many other businesses will collapse, and people and wildlife will suffer even greater than they are now.
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      Red tide occurs naturally. Some use that as the excuse to do nothing. If it occurs naturally, they argue, then human activity can continue unabated. Scientists give conflicting reports. Some scientists serve parochial interests and not the public good. The interests they serve do not want to lessen the use of chemicals and fertilizers that are killing the Gulf. They might use the argument that it is inconclusive if human activity causes, exacerbates, or impacts red tide. Therefore, in the absence of conclusive evidence, we can all continue to do nothing. (When it is too late and everything is destroyed, they can then say they have the proof they need to finally do something.)
      Some people have protested. But protest without a clear course of action and direction accomplishes nothing.
      What is known is that there has been an enormous expansion of human activity along the southwest coast of Florida. In the process, a great amount of mangroves, seagrasses, forests and wetlands have been lost, and continue to be lost. This has harmed the Gulf of Mexico. So does the flow of agricultural and other waste into the Gulf. Changing the flow of harmful waters away from the Gulf requires an enormous amount of advocacy and political will. It can and must be done if the Gulf of Mexico is to survive.
       There is an important course of action that individuals can take that will help greatly. Green lawns require an enormous amount of valuable water, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. In exchange, the green lawns produce nothing. They are near dead zones that give little more than a show of green color. They do not feed people. They do not enrich the environment. They are not a magnet for birds, butterflies, bees and other important creatures that are vital for a healthy planet.
        All the fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals required for a green lawn ultimately wash into the Gulf. The nutrient surplus alone is like putting the algae that causes red tide on steroids. The lawns look pretty, in the eyes of those that see sterile green as beauty, while the Gulf of Mexico looks and smells awful and kills wildlife and harms people. What is more important, green lawns or the health of humans, the Gulf and wildlife?
        The single critically important step individuals can take to protect the Gulf of Mexico is to change the nature of landscaping. Lawns can be turned into highly productive places that feed people, wildlife, and that attract birds, bees, butterflies and more. This can be done by growing native plants and trees and certain other plants and trees. At the very least, it is better that lawns turn brown so that the Gulf does not turn red and dead.