Feeling good about losing the lawn

Let’s face it: Lawns were never such a great idea. They consume water, energy, time and sometimes fertilizers, and you probably don’t flop down on yours that often, anyway. Keep a modest patch of turf going somewhere if you like, pick up or borrow a push mower to maintain it, and consider replacing the rest with a low-maintenance, water-wise garden with native plants and grasses. Throw in a fruit tree to create a show of color in spring and supplement your zero-mile diet come harvest time. Your eco-friendly lawn will attract birds, bees, butterflies and admiring glances from neighbors who have been secretly longing to do the same thing.

Lower your water bill by investing in a few handsome wood-slatted rain barrels for your lawn. You might also consider creating a “vegetated swale” to direct downspouts into plantings. When hardscaping, do what you can to reduce “stone miles.” Try to source rock and flagstone that hasn’t traveled 2,000 miles on a truck to get to your lawn; when one considers the weight of these materials, they can carry a significant fuel penalty.

Save up to 10 percent of your home energy bill in summer months by installing a clothes line to dry your laundry outdoors. A dryer accounts for about 6 percent of your home’s energy use, and adds more wear-and-tear on your clothes than a week on a dude ranch. (That dryer lint used to be your chinos.) Two posts, a pulley and a line, and you’re good to go.

Not quite ready to give up on your grand green acres? The least you can do is ditch the polluting two-stroke gas lawn mower and spring for the Swedish-made Husqvarna Automower Solar Hybrid ($3,000). The quiet and unobtrusive robot trims your turf with three small blades, creating a fine mulch that helps fertilize the yard. Solar panels up top help extend the life of the battery; the device heads back to its docking station to recharge whenever juice starts running low. For lawns up to a half-acre in size.