TL;DR
Traditional landscaping violates the “do no harm” vow of providers and health systems have an obligation to start thinking of health impacts beyond their front door. Lawn replacement with native plants is a healthier option with many benefits for patients and the wider community.
Lawns are the default choice for health system landscaping
Health systems with hospitals and clinics in suburban and rural areas often sport a lot of lawn. It may be at the entrance, in strips along the sidewalk, around the parking areas, or even a huge and unused expanse around the main building. These lawns require frequent maintenance and are often regularly doused with pesticides to maintain the look of a green carpet. Yet it is rare for a health system to consider the health impacts of their lawn maintenance choices. So let’s take a peek at how health system landscaping is hurting your patients.
Negative health impacts on adults
The top problem with health system landscaping is lawn chemicals – and all those lawn chemicals don’t just stay on your lawn. They end up in dust, which floats right into your clinics and hospitals, and can be breathed in by patients and staff. Those pesticides also get washed into stormwater and sink into the soil.
Unsurprisingly, exposure to those pesticides is not in the best interests of patients, staff or other members of the community. In fact, studies of golf courses have shown an association between lawn chemicals and Parkinson disease. While association is not causation, it does beg the question of why this approach to landscaping is considered appropriate for an organization with a “do no harm” mission.
Negative health impacts on children
Children are also exposed to the dust and contaminated soil and water that comes from lawn chemicals. As their size makes them closer to the ground, and as they are far more likely than adults to touch something and put their hands in their mouths, their risk of exposure is higher than that of adults. In children, lawn chemicals have been associated with neurodevelopmental problems and ADHD, and pesticide exposure in children has been associated with wheeze and asthma.
Again, why risk the exposure in an organization dedicated to preserving health?
Carbon emissions
The health impacts of traditional lawn maintenance are not just relegated to lawn chemical exposure. The carbon impact of lawn care must also be factored into the equation. According to the EPA, gas-powered lawn equipment represents nearly 4% of all volatile organic chemical (VOC) emissions and 12% of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.
The presence of lawn also indicates the absence of native plant species, which impacts carbon storage. Whereas 1 acre of native prairie species can store 1 ton of carbon per year, a turf lawn can only store between 0.25 and 0.5 tons per year.
Time to re-think health system landscaping
The choice to default to traditional lawn landscapes around health systems increases exposure to pesticides in adults and children and exacerbates carbon emissions. Health systems committed to doing no harm can replace lawn with native plants to create a healthier landscape for their patients, their staff, and their communities.
Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash