Case environmental historian and Shaker resident Ted Steinberg penned a wry book called American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn. It's chock full of facts about how much we spend ($30-40 billion annually) and the environmental impacts  (7 million gallons or 50% more gas than the Exxon Valdez is spilled refueling lawn care devices) on our yards. Here are a few more eye-openers:

Miles a car would have to drive at 30 mph to create as many polluting hydrocarbon emissions as using a gas-powered leaf blower for half an hour:
17 million

Estimated acres of lawn in the United States, a lawn at least the size of Kentucky and perhaps as big as Florida:
75,844

Approximate number of birds that die each year as a result of lawn-care pesticides:
178,800

Gallons of water used per day by a single golf course in Tampa, Fla. (Florida alone has 1,000 courses) is enough to meet the daily water needs of 2,200 Americans.

What are you doing to lessen your impact? What can we do collectively to encourage 'greener' lawns?