Tear Up Your Turf

In this video I give a brief list of options for actions you can take if you are having trouble with your Homeowners Association (HOA) or neighborhood covenant when trying to convert your lawn, or even trying not to mow to be more sustainable. All of sources below were used to create the video and I recommend that you look into them if you are looking for a more detailed explanation on any of the topic covered in the video. 

There are thousands upon thousands of resources, scientific research, and publicly available data that proves the seriousness of the climate crisis. Journalists, scientists, activists, politicians, and everyday citizens have been speaking up on the topic of environmentalism and climate change for decades. Once again I have to recommend the authors that contributed to the  Penguin Publishing Green Ideas Collection . If you want to know the reality of the climate crisis, the short, immediately accessible version, that is the purpose of this post.  Human Impact "The Story of Stuff "currently has 8.1 Million views on Youtube. This video explains the process and problems of the mass consumption system in our society, and it's very real impact on the environment. I have watched this video a few different times, and every time it is shockingly candid and educational. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you stop reading this post RIGHT NOW and watch The Story of Stuff . Science

The truth about the climate crisis can easily invite crippling dread and climate anxiety, leaving many of us feeling as if there is nothing we can do individually to slow the climate crisis. This is a major reason that many ignore the seriousness of the climate crisis. There are ways to acknowledge the realities of the climate crisis, humanity part in the environment, and the amount of work required to change the future while remaining calm in the face of the crisis. I am placing this post on managing climate anxiety before I ask you to dive into the devastating truth of the climate crisis so that you have the tools to manage any uneasy feelings.  For written works I recommend an accessible set of twenty short works from activists, scientists, journalists, and lifelong environmentalists have contributed to the  Penguin Publishing Green Ideas Collection . This series is easily understood by the everyday reader, and gives a range of arguments for acknowledging and working to reverse the

  Sustainable Living in a College Dorm In this video I go over the daily decisions I make to live more eco-friendly in a college dorm setting. If you want more ideas of things you can do in your daily life to practice environmental leadership, check out my post  What If I Don't Own Land? Small Lifestyle Changes for Conservation . 

With an understanding of how standard turfgrass lawns took over American culture and practice we can now introduce the environmental and economic impacts of lawns. There are tons and tons of resources, articles, videos, and research available for the public that supports the elimination of lawns and other areas that act as major misuses of land. So, what are the environmental and economic downfalls of monoculture lawns in urban areas? This post breaks everything down for you, easy to read, easy to connect, easy to share with others.  Land Laws take up 40 million acres of land in the United States, almost half as much land as we devote to the biggest crops, but unlike those crops lawns do not contribute in any positive way to economy or the food industry. This is land that we could be using to help pollinators and preserve native plants across the country. Lawns could act as mini personal nature reserves, pollinators gardens, or sustainable food sources. Instead they are taking up land

Hoping to use this information in the future, I wanted to make sure to find reliable resources for anyone in North Dakota trying to find which plants are native and successful in urban areas, and where to find them. The sources for this post are specific to North Dakota, but the process is applicable across the United States if you just do a little digging on the internet.  Prairie Wildflowers and Grasses of North Dakota is a 35-page document by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department that is fully accessible to the public. Their Introduction explains the importance of diversity in North Dakota better than I could when stating that, "Loss of diversity and distribution of prairie grass and forbs are of great concern, but it’s not just the plants that have suffered. Grasslands not only provide primary nesting habitat for a variety of bird species, but also are important staging and feeding areas for waterfowl and shorebirds during long migratory flights. In addition, prairies pro

You have read this far in my campaign blog, and you are thinking "This is great. Climate change is a real crisis and I never really liked plain old lawns anyway, but the problem for me is that I don't have a lawn, or land, or any outdoor space." But you still want to know what you can do to help the environment. Great news! This post is specifically for you. Millions of people in the United States live in rented spaces like apartment complexes, duplexes, or rental houses. Every renting situation can be different in what is provided and what changes a renter is allowed to make. So here I have made several lists of lifestyle changes a single person can make that ultimately will have an impact of any degree on the planet. Super easy, barely any effort lifestyle changes: 1. Turn off lights. Whenever you leave a room, pause for a millisecond, and switch the lights off. This saves electricity, saving you money and the planet energy. 2. Unplug devices and cords. While you

Making changes to protect the environment often times leads to making changes to protect yourself from chemicals and general capitalism industry products that could lead to impacted health. It is easy to find yourself searching and listening to the millions of people within the "Wellness" industry. This is a multibillion dollar industry, riddled with misinformation and pseudoscience. A lot of language used by the wellness industry is similar to multi level marketing language, and is primarily targeted toward women.  I HIGHLY encourage that you read the full article by Toronto journalist Stacy Lee Kong, Looks Like the Wellness-To-White Supremacy Pipeline Is Alive and Well . Or this article from the Brown Political Review, Examining the "Wellness"-to-Far-Right-Conspiracy Pipeline . If you are tired of reading, try this Youtube video by Take on Fake, The Wellness to Misinformation Pipeline .  While there is scientific backing of natural remedies, it is far too often co

One of the best ways to help the environment and contribute to the fight against the climate crisis is to speak up and speak often. Sharing the information in this blog and from your other research and knowledge about conservation is vital to the survival of the environmental movement. The authors, philosophers, activists, and world leaders discussed on this blog are not the only people advocating and sharing information on the climate crisis and alternatives to the capitalistic consumerism lifestyle that has become a pattern in society. There are millions of people around the world sharing their own stories on the internet, in publications, and even by word of mouth in personal conversations. This post is dedicated to giving you the skills to share environmental leadership with others in your daily life.  Sharing with the Public 1. Attend a rally or march. Sharing your frustration over the lack of action by local, national, and global governing powers is a great way to spread the word

You've learned about climate change, the standards of urban landscaping, and how much turf grass is involved in the environment and economy. Not comes the fun part, deciding on your new lawn that has the potential to help the environment and save you some money over time. The seven alternatives in this post vary considerably, so the decision comes down to how much work and money you are willing to put into your lawn alternative, what you hope to gain from your lawn alternative, and of course, your desired aesthetic for your lawn alternative. If you want a quick reminder about the benefits of alternative lawns, check out this Environmental Protection Agency resource Beneficial Landscaping . 1. The No-Mow Movement All of these alternatives to turf grass lawns could be considered no-mow, but the simplest option for changing your landscaping practices is to join the growing no-mow movement. The only requirement is to stop moving your turfgrass. The NRDC defines most no-mow lawns in on

Short, Simple, Singular.  This is the falsified appearance of a typical suburban lawn. Underneath lies a complex truth that may change your view on lawns the next time you drive past a perfectly green front yard and wish that you knew that homeowner's secrets.  Forage or Turf Grasses defines the traditional lawn as turf grass because it is " usually low growing and often stoloniferous (bentgrass, bermudagrass), or rhizomatous (bluegrass), or are seeded at such high rates that the individual plants form a firm sod (as with ryegrasses)." It is also mentioned (and important to remember for later) that turf grass root systems are very shallow. Turf grass is a monoculture crop - a single crop in a given area- that serves no benefits to people as a food or energy source, or to pollinators, or as a filtration system.  In a 2005 study it was estimated at that time turf grass in the United States covered a combined land area three times larger than any irrigated crop. Over fifte

This post is the next step. You now know to some extent the severity of the climate crisis and how to acknowledge that without introducing anxiety and dread. You also can acknowledge the importance of the climate crisis and its impact in your life on a personal level. Now we need to tackle how conservation is a public responsibility. The climate crisis is the responsibility of every person on this planet in varying levels. The governing powers, the 1%, and major companies are responsible for a majority of the negative actions resulting in the climate crisis. Each and every person on the planet impact the climate in some way, and so each and every person has a public responsibility to work on reversing the climate crisis. To explain public environmental responsibility I look to several leaders throughout history. North Dakota has a deep history of conservation and environmentalism, due in part to the state's connection to former president Theodore Roosevelt. The rural areas of this