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Why you should kill your lawn

Grass with singular sunflower, blue sky and words "Up From Dust"
Jessica Cornelison
/
KCUR 89.3

All summer long, we run mowers over our lawns to keep them the perfect height — and run sprinklers to keep them emerald green. Add fertilizer and weedkillers into the mix, and it’s a real resource drain. But there’s something else about lawns: They’re inhospitable to most wildlife. Celia joins Marielle Segarra on NPR’s Life Kit to explain how to push back against American lawn culture by killing a small patch of grass and turning it into a wildlife friendly garden.

The episode was reported by Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Shahla Farzan, and hosted by Marielle Segarra. It was produced by Sylvie Douglis and edited by Shahla Farzan and Neela Banerjee.

Up From Dust Season 1
I'm the creator of the environmental podcast Up From Dust. I write about how the world is transforming around us, from topsoil loss and invasive species to climate change. My goal is to explain why these stories matter to the Midwest and Great Plains, and to report on the farmers, ranchers, scientists and other engaged people working to make the region more resilient. Email me at celia@kcur.org.
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