Toxic Lawn!

Vassar Trash Talk Series Teaser

Ever wonder what happens to what you throw away in the trash?This is the introduction of a new podcast series called Vassar Trash Talk. The series explores the science behind how Americans handle their waste- in terms of trash, recycling and composting. Then, using Vassar College as our model, we learn through interviews and surveys how this liberal arts college handles its trash. We consider ways to educate and motivate people to reduce how much trash.

Episode 8: We are the Stewards of our Land: Tending our Gardens, Healing the Soil and Welcoming wildlife

In this last episode of the podcast series, we'll focus on the things we can ALL do to break free of this dangerous obsession of a toxic green monoculture lawn and to also help in the climate change and biodiversity crises. It can seem overwhelming to change and break free, but there are easy things you can do now to make a difference.

Episode 7: Our Lawns Are Biodiversity Deserts

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about how our green monoculture lawns are actually toxic dead zones and how we can reimagine our lawns to make a difference in both the climate crisis and the biodiversity calamity underway.

Episode 6: The Deafening Din of an Unsilent Spring

Even with the loss of birds and the smaller bird chorus in the Spring, forecast by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, spring is anything but silent as we use our lawn mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers, creating a deafening din that damages our health and that of the animals we share our land with. Tune into this episode to learn more about how noise pollution from lawn care is harmful and what you can do about it.

Toxic Lawn! Episode 5: How Lawn Care Contributes to Air Pollution

Today’s episode focuses on the many different types of pollutants emitted by lawn care equipment into the air we breathe. Lawn equipment contributes to climate-changing gas emissions, as well as ground level ozone and many other types of pollutants. A green, grassy, monoculture lawn is a toxic wasteland and a huge source of climate-changing emissions and health-damaging toxins in the air we breathe.