MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada - Across North America, more than 20 million acres of lawns have sprung back to life, providing a soft landing for kids at play, a blanket for families to picnic and a cushion for bare feet to roam. Yet the greatest benefit of healthy grass - what it means to the environment - is one that is nearly always overlooked. Indeed, turf is about much more than aesthetics. For most urban communities, it's the foundation of the neighborhood's ecosystem. "As a society we tend to take the benefits of grass for granted," says Jim Beard Ph.D., one of the leading turf experts in the United States and the chief scientist at the International Sports Turf Institute. "Because it's around us every day, people don't think about the fact that a healthy turf generates oxygen for improved air quality and controls runoff and erosion. Most homeowners don't realize noise and air pollution are reduced in most suburban areas because the grass ecosystem serves as a natural filter for the environment. The scientific evidence clearly shows that a healthy lawn is good for the environment." Specifically, Beard and other scientists say a healthy lawn provides the following environmental benefits: • Cooling. Lawns have substantial cooling effect via evaporation. • Clean air: Grass not only creates oxygen but improves the quality of the environment by removing pollutants and other particles from the atmosphere. • Decomposes organic pollutants: Turf organisms are active in the decomposition of organic waste and hydrocarbons, which leads to soil improvement • Lessens global warming: Grass can absorb and sequester carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. • Noise filter: Grass and other ornamentals help absorb sound, potentially reducing noise pollution in some areas by 20-30 percent. Perhaps the benefits of turf are largely unnoticed since the lawn as we know it today is a relatively new phenomenon. At the turn of the 20th century, lawns - where they existed - were the product of sweepings from haymow and were filled with weeds that were difficult, if not impossible, to control. "It's true that most homeowners are making large investments in their lawns because they take pride in the beauty associated with them," says Dr. Karl Danneberger, a professor of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University. "But it's important for homeowners to know that the beauty they're creating actually is helping to support the environment." Turf scientists say one of the best ways to achieve these benefits is to maintain healthy turf, which means feeding it on a regular basis with a fertilizer that contains nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. While some people believe these fertilizers are likely to run off a lawn and cause pollution, the scientists say the opposite is true. "Like human beings, there are vital nutrients that grass needs to be as healthy as possible," says Dr. Beard, who is also professor emeritus at Texas A&M University. "And just like people, if grass is well-fed, it becomes healthier and stronger. Multiple studies have shown that healthy turf acts as a sponge, actually reducing runoff not causing it." "Homeowners who are confused about which product to buy or how to properly use lawn care products should contact a lawn care professional to take care of their turf needs.