Why you should kill your lawn

Why you should kill your lawn

From Life Kit by NPR

May 21, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the environmental impact of traditional lawns and offers alternatives for creating a native plant garden.

Green, grassy lawns are bad for the environment. They need a ton of water, they’re inhospitable to wildlife and gas-powered mowers contribute to greenhouse gases. Celia Llopis-Jepsen, host of Harvest Public Media’s Up From Dust podcast, shares how to turn your lawn into a low-maintenance native plant garden, lessening your environmental impact while still keeping your yard pleasing to the eye. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit Sign up for our newsletter here. Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.org Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Celia Llopis-Jepsen

Topics covered

  • environment
  • gardening
  • sustainability
  • native plants
  • lawn care

Keywords

  • lawns
  • environment
  • native plants
  • gardening
  • sustainability
  • greenhouse gases
  • wildlife

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvest Public Media, NPR

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