Introduction

 

Dear Reader,        

        Welcome! My name is Sarah Griffis, and I am a senior at Dickinson State University. This blog is an outreach project for a portion of my complete seminar portfolio for a leadership course. I first researched the topic of alternative lawns and native plants for a persuasive speech as a final presentation for a speech class. After the speech I left the materials in a folder of past homework and projects on my computer, and in the two years that followed I always felt like I had never given the topic the proper time and effort it deserved. I was still curious about lawn alternatives and native plants. For this seminar I was wracking my brain for topic ideas and came across the presentation aid for my original speech. I decided that this outreach blog would be the perfect opportunity to expand not only my work but also my audience.

        I come from a small town in Montana, and my childhood home lies at the base of a mountain, surrounded by forest. I had very little exposure to suburban lawns and their upkeep until my parents divorced and my mother moved into town. Her lawn is still relatively atypical, as she has added trees, bushes, wildflowers, a garden, and a greenhouse. When I moved to North Dakota for university I had a mini culture shock at the elimination of forests and the expanse of bare lawns. My homesickness for "messy" yards inspired my original speech. The small amount of research I did for that speech was an eye-opening experience. I had no idea how impactful lawns were on the environment, how much water and land mass they essentially wasted, and how suburban culture encouraged this harmful practice of the grass lawn aesthetic.

        So as a result, this blog is dedicated to persuading anyone - but particularly North Dakotan's - to convert to a lawn alternative. Each post covers a different aspect of my research, building off the last post. Therefore, it is best to read in chronological order. The Reading Order page has every post title in order as a link to it's content for easy access. Additionally, to persuade that a quality of true leadership is conservation, there is a post about Theodore Roosevelt, Dickinson State University and North Dakota's favorite president. I hope that throughout this blog I have made my appreciation of alternative lawns, my passion for protecting the environment, and my belief that every small change can make a huge difference over time clear and convincing.

Thank you and enjoy!

        - Sarah Griffis

The first post will be titled "Conservation is a Public Responsibility" and will connect Theodore Roosevelts' opening address at the first Governor's Conference of Conservation to the topic of alternative lawns as a protection of natural resources.