![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/hVkSvK9OaNtTjyKxgaqCykpLm04=\/0x0:1920x1080\/320x180\/2023\/01\/26\/1674760257213.jpg?w=320)
<\/span>Illustration: Shoshana Gordon\/Axios<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
A new environmental movement has college students beseeching school officials to switch to organic lawn care \u2014 or let well-manicured campus quads grow wild.<\/p>\n
Why it matters: <\/strong>Concerns about pesticides<\/a>, chemical fertilizers, and herbicides like Roundup<\/a> have been upending landscaping, and the students’ efforts could boost the move toward natural lawn care.<\/p>\n Driving the news:<\/strong> A young, small organization called Re:wild Your Campus<\/a> is leading the charge.<\/p>\n Where it stands: <\/strong>Re:wild Your Campus has endowed 20 fellows on 11 campuses in 10 states this year, including at Princeton University, Drexel University, the University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n What they’re saying:<\/strong> “Students are enthusiastic about this \u2014 they’re excited about working on a tangible issue that connects to climate change and biodiversity loss,” Sheina Crystal, the group’s director of communications and campaigns, tells Axios.<\/p>\n The other side:<\/strong> School officials are “usually pretty resistant at first” and “have a lot of misconceptions” about the proposed changes, Crystal tells Axios.<\/p>\n The backstory: <\/strong>The two founders of Re:wild Your Campus, Mackenzie Feldman<\/a> and Bridget Gustafson,<\/a> were beach volleyball players at UC Berkeley who were told by their coach not to chase the ball off-court because the grounds crew had just sprayed the area with toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The big picture:<\/strong> There’s a battle over lawns playing out nationally, as homeowners and communities try to balance aesthetics with health and environmental concerns.<\/p>\n Flashback: <\/strong>Harvard College was in the vanguard when it pivoted to organic lawn care in 2008.<\/p>\n The bottom line:<\/strong> Movements that start on campus often radiate more broadly into society.<\/p>\n\n
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