America's Dumbest Crop

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A lot of the research for this episode (and a lot of the other stuff you read about lawns) came from these three books:

• The Lawn by Virginia Scott Jenkins: https://www.smithsonianbooks.com/store/aviation-military-history/the-lawn-a-history-of-an-american-obsession/ 

• American Green by Ted Steinberg: https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-green-the-obsessive-quest-for-the-perfect-lawn-ted-steinberg/9c2fe23bac0bfe8d

• Lawn People by Paul Robbins: https://bookshop.org/p/books/lawn-people-how-grasses-weeds-and-chemicals-make-us-who-we-are-paul-robbins/e45c6cb239d316e6

And if you’re looking for organizations to help you move beyond a chemical-fueled front yard monoculture:

Re:wild Your Campus: https://www.rewildyourcampus.org/ 

Wild Ones: https://wildones.org/ 

Plan It Wild: https://www.planitwild.com/ 

WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN GOOD MERCH? Check out:

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Rustek (plastic-free hats from Canada/Oregon): https://www.rustek.co/ 

Ethix Merch (our knowledgeable and thoughtful merch partner): https://ethixmerch.com/ 

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Sources & Citations

Citations reference first appearance, without repeating for subsequent usage:

• National Wildlife Federation: Why We Have Lawns (2024)

• Grist: Lawns are the No. 1 irrigated “crop” in America. They need to die. (2019)

• Piedmont Environmental Alliance: The Devastating Environmental Cost of Traditional Lawns (2023)

• Grist: Lawn equipment spews “shocking” amount of air pollution, new data shows (2023)

• EPA: Outdoor Water Use in the United States (accessed 2025)

• The Guardian: One in three Americans have detectable levels of toxic weedkiller, study finds (2022)

• National Association of Landscape Professionals: Landscape Industry Statistics (accessed 2025)

• USGA: The USGA Green Section Celebrates 100 Years of Impact (2020)

• USGA: Data-Driven Research: Science of Golf (2015)

• Wessels Living History Farm: Postwar Fertilizer Explodes (accessed 2025)

• San Diego Reader: The philosophy of the Great American Lawn (1994)

• One Earth: The various advantages of clover (2025)

• The Ecologist: Coming to your table? GMO crops resistant to “war herbicide” 2,4D (2014)

• Robert Earley: History of the Lawn Care Industry

• The Guardian: Advocates demand US suspend weed-killing chemical that may cause cancer (2023)

• McKenzie-Mohr & Associates: Reducing Fertilizer Use & Increasing the

• Use of Slow-Release Fertilizer (accessed 2025)

• Environment Texas: Pollution from leaf blowers and lawn equipment (2021)

• LA Times: Kim Kardashian, Kevin Hart, and Sylvester Stallone accused of drought restriction violations (2022)

• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality: Grasscycling (accessed 2025)

• The New York Times: Corporate Landscaping Lets Its Hair Down (2023)

• UC Santa Barbara Geography: The Lawn Is the Largest Irrigated Crop in the USA (accessed 2025) 

• The Washington Post: Lawns are a soul-crushing timesuck and most of us would be better off without them (2015)

• Paul Robbins: Lawn People (2007)

• Landscape Management: Colorado enacts bill to ban watering of nonfunctional turf (2024)

• LA Times: Thanks to a $5,000 rebate and DIY skills, their L.A. yard has it all – except grass (2025)

• City of Gilbert, Arizona: Water Conservation Rebates (accessed 2025)

• Colorado State University: The 7 principles of xeriscape landscaping (2025)
  

Episode Credits

Writers: Rollie Williams & Matt Nelsen

Director: Matt Nelsen

Editor: Rollie Williams

Executive Producers: Rollie Williams, Matt Nelsen, Ben Boult, & Daniella Philipson

Cinematography: Ben Boult

Producer: Miranda Manganaro & Daniella Philipson

Additional Directing: Ben Boult

Assistant Editor: Paul Ramsdell

Colorist: Nicholas Lareau

Intro Animator: Ian MK Cessna (https://ianhasawebsite.com/) 

Theme music by: Gratis (https://www.youtube.com/@gratis3241)

Special thanks: Mackenzie Feldman & Re:wild Your Campus

Special thanks to the Civil Liberties Defense Center (https://cldc.org/) for their continued support.Creator/Host: Rollie Williams

Copyright Climate Town 2025. All rights reserved.