Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

General philosophy message board for Discussion and debate on other philosophical issues not directly related to veganism. Metaphysics, religion, theist vs. atheist debates, politics, general science discussion, etc.
Jamie in Chile
Senior Member
Posts: 399
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:40 pm
Diet: Vegetarian

Re: Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

Post by Jamie in Chile »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:40 am
Based on what you said before, it doesn't sound like you have very much of a choice.

Is there any leeway in what you can do with the lawn?
Can you plant another kind of grass which needs less input?
Can you plant a small (and attractive) garden?

It's not your house, but if you show your landlord a plan, he or she may agree to it.
I can't see how I can change the lawn area to help. In theory, a slower growing type of grass or one that stayed short forever (if there is such a thing) would help since less frequent cuts would mean flowers survive longer and you could manually address areas that you felt needed to be dealt with to stop things getting out of control.

One thing I did think of was instead of using a regular lawn mower to get some kind of machine that cuts at a higher level, above the level of flowers. This would allow flowers to grow, thicker grass and a richer habitat, more insects, bees probably. Ie a blade that instead of cutting perhaps 1-5cm off the ground which is what a regular lawnmower does is cutting at 20-30cm off the ground. I'm not sure how common such a machine is, and the machine would likely need to be quite a big tougher, but in theory it works. Although ultimately it is a compromise. IF cutting the lawn is immoral, then this would likely also be immoral, just less so.

Another thing I thought of was to allow a complete wilderness for the back part of the garden, and just cut the grass in an area nearer the house and on the way from the entrance gate to the house. If I was owner, and assuming the other people living with me agreed, this is something I might consider. Again, just another comprimise.

All of which is just a philosophical discussion for now at least. I don't feel strongly enough about this issue to spend a lot of time or money on it, or try and convince the house owner of my wife of any needed changes.
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

I think I should clarify that I see no issue with mowing a lawn if you have a lawn.
I don't think many insects are harmed.
I see an issue with the waste of space and resources the lawn represents; the amount of water it consumes, the sunlight it occupies, the fertilizer, etc.
Throwing clippings in the trash is a huge issue (they should be left on the lawn in the least or preferably used to grow mushrooms or as compost which makes the lawn less of a waste).

If youn have sunlight, don't waste it by failing to grow food. And don't add insult to that injury by acually watering non-food items. That's my view.
Either food or fallow. Ornamental grass is evil.
User avatar
miniboes
Master of the Forum
Posts: 1578
Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Diet: Vegan
Location: Netherlands

Re: Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

Post by miniboes »

How about the time input of growing food, Brimstone? Is the time input of learning how to grow the food and growing it worth it? Time is one of the most precious resources in existence, so the big upside of grass is that it's nearly maintenance free; you only have to mow it every now and then (given that it rains regularly where you live).
"I advocate infinite effort on behalf of very finite goals, for example correcting this guy's grammar."
- David Frum
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

miniboes wrote: Thu Apr 20, 2017 2:42 pm How about the time input of growing food, Brimstone? Is the time input of learning how to grow the food and growing it worth it? Time is one of the most precious resources in existence, so the big upside of grass is that it's nearly maintenance free; you only have to mow it every now and then (given that it rains regularly where you live).
Grass is pretty high maintenance, it's vulnerable to weeds and parasites, fungus, moles and drought, it needs fertilizer and regular mowing which is much more time consuming, but also more unpleasant [loud, stinky, etc.] than simple garden maintenance.
One thing about gardening is it's actually enjoyable, almost meditative. Mowing a yard isn't for most people.

The only thing zero maintenance is leaving a yard completely fallow and letting local plants take over.

There are veggies and fruit bearing plants you can grow that are pretty low maintenance for a yard sized plot, though. For some, all you have to do is harvest (if they do well in your zone), and they'll grow along side local weeds, fallen fruit or seed will start the next year's growth automatically in the spring and you don't have to touch them. You only need to weed if you want to maximize yield.

Perennials are also nice. Plant once, and harvest for years. They have deeper roots, so they're not as vulnerable to weeds once established.
There are a number of perennial fruits and veggies.

There are also high maintenance plants, which don't grow well in your zone, but I don't recommend those unless you like gardening a lot.
You just have to look up what will grow well where you live and its needs. You can program an automatic watering system to do the rest for the most part (no more complicated than watering a lawn if you don't want it to be).
Take5
Junior Member
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:10 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Is It Immoral to Mow the Lawn?

Post by Take5 »

the lawn grows again. But that’s not the point. The act of regularly cutting the lawn means that less insects, bees and birds will live.

So cutting the lawn means that you value the lives of all those creatures less than you value the sight of a neater looking garden. I could make the analogy with the vegan argument that it is not fair to eat meat because the animal gets a lifetime of suffering and then dies, just for a slightly nicer tasting burger.

So, it is probably more moral to not now the lawn or weed.
Completely agree, Jamie. I have a part of my lawn which extends along the side of my house, outside my garden wall. It balances the lawns on the other side of the small close in which I live. I have been mowing this for the past 40+ years, although I derive absolutely no benefit from it. I'd love to let it grow wild, but, not everyone agrees, not least my wife! :?

Only in the last couple of years has it been of any use - we have a couple of neighbours kids who like to kick a ball around on it, which I encourage.

I leave it as long as possible between mowings, to save on fuel for the mower. As I write this, my wife, for the umpteenth time over the past couple of days, has asked me if I'm going to mow the lawn. I've replied - hang on I'll check the weather forecast.

And, it's set fine - so I'll have to mow it this afternoon. :(
Post Reply