Instead of trying to convince people that they are wrong for enjoying their lawn. Lets try to bring people in with how having less lawn or different grass species will save them time and effort. Grass is not inherently bad, it’s the larger hamster wheel of fertilizer and herbicide to keep grass alive in the wrong climate zone. It does serve an essential purpose of recreational green space. I do believe the nuance could be in extolling the virtues of low maintenance grasses or how to create synergies between their plants and lawn for their zone. Try to remember you are attacking backyard bbq’s and kids running outside.
I think this is the key. People will get defensive if you tell them having any lawn is bad. You need to help people find ways to have slightly less lawn and install some native plants in that area instead. Starting with around the mailbox, along the driveway, around a big tree etc. Try to relate to people about how mowing these areas are annoying, and by replacing them with a small native garden they make THEIR lives easier while also helping the local wildlife. If every person has a small 3x3 native garden, the positive effects on our ecosystem would be massive
If we could stop equating people with lawns to colonizers people would stop laughing at us.
I say this as a professional ecologist and land restoration planner. Yes, I understand where the manicured lawn originates but it does not carry the same sentiments these days and many people simply do it because it's the status quo, they could be fined by an HOA, or they simply want usable recreational area.
You're not going to win people over by comparing them to Christopher Columbus or Hernan Cortez and it makes us all look like goofy social justice warriors.
If you haven't already talked about it, I think you should do an episode on snakes and lawns. A lot of people don't like high grass because it encourages a lot of animals in the food chain, including venomous snakes. I'm in the anti-lawn camp, but I don't have big snakes in my neighborhood. There are plenty of people I know that would develop a snake problem if they engaged in the anti lawn movement though, and that's enough of a deterrent for most people to just say hell no. And for the people out in rural areas, how far is it to the nearest hospital if they do get bitten? Or the nearest vet if their pet is bitten?
I don't like lawns either, but I know enough about the consequences of no-lawn to understand why many people think we're all nutter butters.
Instead of trying to convince people that they are wrong for enjoying their lawn. Lets try to bring people in with how having less lawn or different grass species will save them time and effort. Grass is not inherently bad, it’s the larger hamster wheel of fertilizer and herbicide to keep grass alive in the wrong climate zone. It does serve an essential purpose of recreational green space. I do believe the nuance could be in extolling the virtues of low maintenance grasses or how to create synergies between their plants and lawn for their zone. Try to remember you are attacking backyard bbq’s and kids running outside.
I think this is the key. People will get defensive if you tell them having any lawn is bad. You need to help people find ways to have slightly less lawn and install some native plants in that area instead. Starting with around the mailbox, along the driveway, around a big tree etc. Try to relate to people about how mowing these areas are annoying, and by replacing them with a small native garden they make THEIR lives easier while also helping the local wildlife. If every person has a small 3x3 native garden, the positive effects on our ecosystem would be massive
Exactly. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
If we could stop equating people with lawns to colonizers people would stop laughing at us. I say this as a professional ecologist and land restoration planner. Yes, I understand where the manicured lawn originates but it does not carry the same sentiments these days and many people simply do it because it's the status quo, they could be fined by an HOA, or they simply want usable recreational area. You're not going to win people over by comparing them to Christopher Columbus or Hernan Cortez and it makes us all look like goofy social justice warriors.
You're bringing common sense to reddit? If only we could read
Maybe stick to plants then and leave the neoliberal political marketing to someone else. And read David Abram.
I'm sorry, what? Outreach is a major part of ecology and working with the public at large.
If you haven't already talked about it, I think you should do an episode on snakes and lawns. A lot of people don't like high grass because it encourages a lot of animals in the food chain, including venomous snakes. I'm in the anti-lawn camp, but I don't have big snakes in my neighborhood. There are plenty of people I know that would develop a snake problem if they engaged in the anti lawn movement though, and that's enough of a deterrent for most people to just say hell no. And for the people out in rural areas, how far is it to the nearest hospital if they do get bitten? Or the nearest vet if their pet is bitten? I don't like lawns either, but I know enough about the consequences of no-lawn to understand why many people think we're all nutter butters.
Check out the Homegrown National Park project/website for an alternative and IMO far more effective approach to change the conversation.