This is a series of flash interviews with people I admire, people who are doing something—anything, a lot of things—for the Earth. These folks walk the walk, each of them in their own way, using their own unique skillset. They dedicate their energy, their time, and their hearts to a crucial cause: the preservation of this precious planet we call home.
Benjamin Vogt wants you to kill your lawn—and I mean that in the best way.
His motto?
“Unlawn America, reprairie suburbia, and rethink pretty.”
Before you break into a sweat at the thought of a yard devoid of green grass, let me explain. Actually, I’m going to step aside and let Benjamin himself explain. Which he is very capable of doing. Here’s a guy who earned an MFA in poetry and a PhD. in creative writing and English literature. He used to be a university professor. He is the author of two books and his articles appear widely online.
Somewhere along the way, the bard’s career shifted. Benjamin now specializes in what he calls “reconciliation ecology.” He designs natural gardens for homes, schools, and businesses all over the midwestern U.S. His firm, Monarch Gardens, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, specializes in lawn-to-meadow conversions and urban shade gardens. He uses 95 percent native plants to create designs that mimic wild prairie landscapes.
Benjamin’s mission, he says, is to “… address human privilege and colonization of other cultures (plant and animal) and … to mitigate and shed a light on the effects of human-created mass extinction and climate change. Natural landscapes in the urban context, matched to ecoregion and zip code, provide a myriad of ecosystem services—from supporting dwindling populations of insects and bugs that literally make our world run … to more direct human benefits such as reduced urban flooding, cleaner air and soils, cooler urban environments, and reduced energy use and pollution, all while increasing neighborhood desirability. (There's a reason there's more accessible greenspace in affluent, often white areas of town compared to others.)”
Benjamin’s designs are lush and vibrant, colorful oases of biodiversity. You can see some examples here. You can also check out his “MILK the WEED” Facebook page, where he writes ardently about the urgent need to rethink how we landscape our homes.
Here’s what Benjamin shared with me about growing up in different ecosystems, his worries for his son’s future, and how ripping up lawns gives him hope.
Tell me about some of your early experiences in nature.
I spent the first ten years of my life in western Oklahoma on an urban creek next to a vacant lot, so lots of exploring and playing with the Texas Horned Lizards (we really shouldn't play with wildlife, especially this threatened species). Then we moved to Minnesota which was VASTLY different, to say the least. From flat and dry to windy, tons of trees and lakes—and snow. The four seasons were so much richer and vibrant.
How did those early experiences shape your relationship with the natural world?
I gardened with my mom because when we gardened and went to the nursery, we were silent. It was a nice reprieve and a way to wake up even more to nature, even though I didn't learn anything specific about plants for wildlife like I have since having my own gardens as an adult.
How do you connect with nature now … through your work or leisure or both?
Garden design, nature writing, giving lectures and classes, and walking prairies with my son.
What are your biggest fears for the future of our planet?
Every freaking thing. I most worry about what my son will see and have to experience: increased droughts, water wars, higher food prices. And the diseases that will spread with ticks and mosquitoes and thawing permafrost. My son will witness climate refugees en masse, and he will hear and see less wildlife than I did at his age. It's an indictment I wish we took seriously, because none of this has to be. We have chosen the most difficult path because it was inconvenient to look up, and because it hurt too much to look inward.
What is your biggest hope for the future of our planet?
We can do anything we set our minds to. Once a social movement starts rolling, it can't be stopped. We can, should, and will rise up in so many exciting ways locally and nationally and globally. All the solutions are out there—we just have to have the will, fortitude, and perhaps faith in one another. Not easy. So many of our systems are meant to strip us of empowerment but heck, every time a client and I rip out their lawn, we are saying, “No longer. We draw the line here!” and we stand liberated and united with wildlife and with one another. Every garden and every plant matters.
Thank you, Benjamin, for being a Champion of Nature!
“Unlawn America, reprairie suburbia, and rethink pretty.”
What an incredible champion of nature. I have long been interested in the "rewild your lawn" movement but I didn't know there were people like Benjamin who actually help people achieve this. Thank you for bringing him to our attention, Jeanne!