The quintessential California bungalow with front lawn could soon disappear in Santa Monica, according to Curbed LA, citing Lookout News: "In an effort to make Santa Monica more sustainable, the City Council last week expanded its green guidelines to all new buildings, including single family homes [...] The ordinance also restricts the area taken up by turfgrass to 20 percent of the landscaped area, encourages the use of drought resistant plants and restricts the size of water features." Though it sounds like yet another soviet rule from Santa Monica officials, it is a move in the right direction. Treehugger reminds us that the average lawn uses 88 gallons of water per day -- not smart in drought territory. For ideas on how to jazz up your (former/forbidden) lawn, check out eco-architect Fritz Haeg's manifesto on how to turn it into an edible estate -- an attractive proposition in these days of food hazards and inflationary prices. [update 05/03/08: Lawn Gone in Slate]
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