I’m not a huge fan of Bob Vila’s (stemming from my favoritism to Tim “The Toolman” Taylor - even if he is fictional); however he definitely earned a few points with me when he wrote in an article on his website, “For a beautiful green lawn, my first choice would be an ancient Roman slave in a toga, but my second choice would be the sprinkler.”
Barring the option of a fig-leaf-fanning, grape-serving, water-toting toga-man, I guess a more practical way to keep your lawn properly watered would be a sprinkler system. But there are so many to choose from, like an above-ground system or an underground system.
Bob (yeah, we’re friends now - he let’s me call him Bob) says that both systems can cost a pretty penny, but the underground systems are more expensive as are their installation costs, not to mention they have to be much more carefully planned. The underground and above-ground sprinklers also have in common the fact that each year they must be blown-out with an air compressor to ensure no water is left in the system over the winter months to keep pipes from freezing and breaking.
There seems to be no consensus on which types of systems are the most eco-friendly, although many of the above-ground sprinklers do not specifically target areas that need the most water and are therefore more wasteful since you wind up watering an entire section of lawn. The underground sprinkler systems are typically designed to water specific locations that require the most moisture.
Honestly I believe that the greenest sprinkler systems are the ones that are used the most efficiently. If you plan your waterings for the proper time of day and appropriate amount of time you’ll waste less water and enjoy a healthier lawn and that’s (pun intended) very green!