TurfMutt Foundation Highlights How Well-Cared-For Green Spaces Cool, Clean and Protect Communities

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Summer brings challenges homeowners and communities often dread: scorching heat, dusty conditions, sudden and heavy storms, and in some regions, increased wildfire risk. According to the TurfMutt Foundation, properly managed landscapes are one of the most effective—and often overlooked—tools for addressing these seasonal concerns.

“People often think of parks, yards and other green space as merely decorative, but they are one of the hardest-working assets in our communities,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of the TurfMutt Foundation. “They help communities stay cooler, cleaner and more resilient throughout the summer months. That’s a pretty impressive return from something some may take for granted.”

Here are 4 key benefits that our parks, backyards, schoolyards and other managed green spaces do for us.

Cool the Air
Trees, shrubs, turfgrass and other plants combat the urban heat island effect through shade and evapotranspiration, the process by which plants release water vapor into the air. This natural cooling effect provides relief from summer heat and cools homes, businesses, and neighborhoods.

Capture and Filter Stormwater
Summer storms can deliver large amounts of rain unexpectedly and quickly. Healthy, managed landscapes act as living sponges, slowing rainfall’s effects by capturing and filtering water before it enters streams, rivers and groundwater supplies. This also reduces runoff and erosion and helps with localized flooding.

Capture Dust and Particulate Matter
Landscapes help improve air quality by trapping dust, pollen and particulate matter that would otherwise circulate during dry summer conditions.

Reduce Fire Risk
In areas vulnerable to wildfire, properly maintained landscapes can serve as effective fire breaks, and strategic landscape design and ongoing maintenance can create defensible space around homes and businesses. Regular mowing, pruning, irrigation and removal of dead vegetation reduces the fuel for fire and helps reduce its spread.

“Also never forget the important benefit of actively growing trees, shrubs and turfgrass capturing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen,” adds Kiser. “Healthy green spaces also support pollinators, wildlife and overall ecosystem health.”

The TurfMutt Foundation encourages homeowners, businesses and communities to properly care for and maintain their green spaces so they can continue delivering these important environmental and quality-of-life benefits throughout the summer and beyond.

For more information about the benefits of managed landscapes and outdoor living, visit TurfMutt.com.

Media contact:
Debbi Mayster, Four Leaf PR on behalf of the TurfMutt Foundation
240-988-6243, debbi@fourleafpr.com

About the TurfMutt Foundation
TurfMutt, which celebrated its 15^th anniversary in 2024, was created by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s (OPEI) TurfMutt Foundation and has reached more than 70 million children, educators, and families since 2009. The Foundation is title sponsor of “Lucky Dog,” the Emmy Award-winning CBS broadcast television show in support of dog rescue and rehabilitation. Both TurfMutt spokesdogs have been rescue dogs, and Mutt Mulligan is a cast character on the show, where her “Mulligan Minute” segments teach viewers about the benefits of green space. In 2024, the Great Lawn at Louisville’s award-winning Waterfront Park on the Ohio River was renamed the TurfMutt Foundation Great Lawn as part of a $1 million sponsorship. Championed by Mulligan the TurfMutt, and through education partners such as Scholastic, Discovery, Weekly Reader, and the USBGC Global Learning Lab, TurfMutt has taught students and teachers how to “save the planet, one yard at a time.” TurfMutt has been an education resource at the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2017, the TurfMutt animated video series won the coveted Cynopsis Kids Imagination Award for Best Interstitial Series. More information at https://www.turfmutt.com/

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SOURCE TurfMutt Foundation