Carbon by the Yard
Zoysia Turfgrass relief
35' X 48'
Embedded within the installation Symbiosis, Carbon by the Yard is a temporary, living sculpture in the shape of the Carbon element symbol, C. The work consists of carving a 16 x 14-foot shape into the existing grass, and allowing the Zoysia grass to grow tall around it. A simple gesture, the letter brings attention to the role lawn-grass plays in climate change. In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that grass uses up about a third of all public water: in the US, this translates to 9 billion gallons of water every day. Our mowers consume 200 million gallons of gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, gas-powered lawn mowers produce 11 times as much pollution as a new car hour for hour. And, manicured lawns provide no livable habitats for pollinators or the other plants and animals necessary to maintain a healthy ecosystem. With Carbon by the Yard, artist-environmentalist Cindee Klement brings attention to the ways in which our daily decisions can help to reduce our carbon footprints.
Reducing nitrate leaching losses from turfgrass fertilization of residential lawns
The sketch for Lawndale approval
September 23, 2021
I sketched the C into the space with flags. Moving and adjusting them until I had the shape C right and in the right place.
Next I marked the C with a water base paint used to mark fields.
The C marked in water based paint.
October24th- The first cutting.
The yard maintenance company used their regular mower. The CO2, cost, time, and noise pollution of the gass lawn mower was not worth the result.
I was afraid that the following week the lawn maintenance company would not be able to see the relief enough to remow it. I remarked the C with the flags.
The second cutting was rained out.
I will update this blog post through out the process.
October 8th - week three cutting #2
October 18th - Week 4 cutting #3
October 22 - week 5 cutting #4
After 4 cuttings the C is now beginning srand out.
November 1- week 6 cutting #5
November 7- week #7cutting #6
November 12th, week #8 cutting #7
November 19th, week #9 cutting #8
November 26th, week #10 cutting #9
December 3rd, week #11 cutting #10
December 24th, week #14 cutting #13
January 9, week #16 cutting #15
March 30 - this would have been week 29……. Unfortunately, it is not.
I noticed the grass was growing exceptionally slow. Long story short Lawndale’s lawn maintenance company was mowing on a high setting.
I am starting over on counting weeks of emissions saved.
April 10th, week 1, not cutting the yard #1
Spring 2022
August 2022