[Descant]

To me, many of these posts are a very short term outlook, less than a generation. Fifty years ago, Stewart Lamprey and other water activists passed enabling legislation along with federal funding to build the Winnipesaukee River waste water treatment plan. Instead of failing septic systems leaching into the lake, we have sewer all along the western side of the lake from Moultonboro to West Alton. The newbies who have been here less than, say, 40 years, take it for granted. There are very few septics left now. Not Winni exactly, but about 20 years ago, the state bought about one million+ acres of land in the north country, set aside 25,000 acres of old growth as forever wild, put a conservation easement on the rest and sold it to wood product industries. Long term vision and action by an entire state. That's pretty rare.
Now we talk about, on a small scale, lawns. But we're really talking about our statewide water resources. Education may be a slower process, but I can see where, in 25 years, the real estate listing won't say " new kitchen", or "beautiful lawn" but will say "low maintenance lake friendly landscaping". There will be a market bonus for a certified "Lake Smart" property. I'm not a tree hugger, but I am thinking about my grandchildren, and I hope they will think about their grandchildren. Sorry to be preachy.