As part of National Lawn Care Month this April, Project EverGreen is reminding residents of the overwhelming benefits green spaces have on their surroundings.

“There are a lot of environmental, lifestyle and economic benefits offered by well-maintained green spaces that the public might not necessarily associate with a manicured yard or park,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “As we’re on the cusp of another lawn care season, National Lawn Care Month in April is a natural time to think about those green space benefits.”

The wealth of benefits from green spaces includes:

• Urban advantages. More green space within a city’s boundaries helps regulate air quality and climate and reduces energy consumption by countering the warming effects of paved surfaces.
• Decreased air-conditioning costs. The right type of tree can reduce a home’s summer cooling costs by 20 to 40 percent. Additionally, the cooling effect of an average size lawn is equal to about 9 tons of air conditioning.
• Cooler summer days. Lawns will be 30 degrees cooler than asphalt and 14 degrees cooler than bare soil in the heat of summer.
• Water quality protection. Proper landscaping reduces nitrate leaching from the soil into the water supply and reduces surface water runoff.
• Improved air quality. Trees, shrubs and turf remove smoke, dust and other pollutants from the air. One tree can remove 26 lbs. of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions.
• Improved property value. Consumers value a landscaped home up to 11.3 percent higher than its base price.
• Increased retail activity. Greenery and flowers attract shoppers and residents to urban areas, spurring economic growth.
• Increased worker productivity. Psychologists have found that access to plants and green spaces provides a sense of rest and allows workers to be more productive.
• Lower crime and enhanced self-esteem. Studies over a 30-year period in communities, neighborhoods, housing projects and prisons show that when landscaping projects are promoted, there is an increase in self-esteem and a decrease in vandalism.
• Increased community appeal. Parks and street trees have been found to be second only to education in residents’ perceived value of municipal services offered.
• Safer neighborhoods. In a study conducted at a Chicago public housing development, residents of buildings with more trees and grass reported that they knew their neighbors better, socialized with them more often, had stronger feelings of community and felt safer and better adjusted than did residents of more barren, but otherwise identical buildings.

For the full list of green space benefits and their sources, visit www.projectevergreen.com/why-green-matters.