Going green with lawn care is good for the environment but can make some neighbors red with anger. As one Redditor stated, they avoid pesticides and prefer their lawn to sprout naturally instead of overmanicuring it, but a neighbor doesn't agree and has resorted to bullying tactics.
Overdoing a lawn often means using lots of fertilizers, which can run off into storm sewers and pollute waterways. That affects the water you bathe in and drink as well as the natural habitats of aquatic wildlife.
According to the OP, the annoyed neighbor "came over and pounded on my front door to tell me he's SICK of looking at my yard, and if we don't fix it in 2 weeks, he'd call the town." He lived up to his promise and made those calls only for the blight officer to reveal the yard was fine. However, the neighbor then put up several negative signs about this yard's appearance.
🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
🔘 Absolutely not 💯
🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝
🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️
🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Fighting with a neighbor over a lawn is nothing new, as headline-making lawn disputes have included homeowners associations ruling against artificial turf, one person's fruit tree dropping rotten apples onto a neighbor's property because of an intentional lack of pruning, and leaves and grass clippings crossing property lines.
While an angry neighbor or HOA may appear to block one's climate-friendly home updates, some people may have justifiable concerns about property value loss, visual changes, or a lack of education about the environmental update. Community meetings and the support of local groups may help people understand more about the pros of various eco-friendly updates, including installing solar panels or going fertilizer-free.
Professional mediation may help neighbors with different environmental values coexist. If none of these solutions work, a sustainable privacy fence made from materials such as bamboo, wood, or metal may help.
Noting the law is on the Redditor's side, one commenter said: "When people (the town) look at your yard and determine that it's fine, then they know who the problem is. Those signs say a lot about him, and nothing about you."
Someone else gave more eco-friendly advice by suggesting "it is time for a front yard vegetable garden." In this case, that garden won't have chemical fertilizer polluting it.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
