By definition, a well manicured lawn is wasteful. Lawns began as a way for nobility to signal that they could afford to take care of land, but not have it _produce_ anything.

I mow my lawn and I seed in the fall to keep erosion problems at bay, but that's about it. One of my neighbors has a putting-green like lawn with an in ground sprinkler system. It's amazing. It's the envy of the neighborhood, and it just makes me shake my head when I actually take the time to think about it.