Is there an easier way to detect for a block around the player?

Currently the easiest or most compact way to test for a block, say grass, around the player is by using an execute detect command for every block in a radius that you want. That means you would need 27 to test for a 1 block radius (3x3x3), one for each possible X, Y, and Z combimation (ex. detect ~ ~ ~ grass detect ~ ~ ~-1 grass detect ~ ~ ~1 grass detect ~ ~1 ~ grass etc.). This is even more of a problem if you are detecting for more than one block, meaning you could have over 70 for just 3 blocks, and we're just talking about a 1 block radius here.

Is there a solution to this? an easier way, or a more compact way?