From Boston to Berkeley, students are “rewilding” their campuses and eliminating pesticides. Now they want to expand to every campus in the United States.
They call it the “face” of a university: The leafy green quad where students race to classes, cram for exams, or just hang out. With the support of Daughters for Earth, those “faces” are getting a makeover.
In the largest effort of its kind, Re:wild Your Campus is working with colleges across the United States to get rid of pesticides and “rewild.” Their goal?
- Protect students, teachers, and groundskeeper from pesticides
- Revolutionize decorative landscaping (so it’s beautiful for the eyes and the environment)
- Create a new Model for public spaces
A Ripple Effect
By creating “living laboratories,” this student-run, women-led campaign hopes to ignite change far beyond the campus.
“Everyone who walks through one of our campuses is learning and will hopefully be inspired, ” said Mackenzie Feldman, Director of Re:wild Your Campus.
Daughters for Earth Steps Up
To reach more schools faster, Daughters for Earth recently funded a new project at Emory University. The grant will allow Re: wild to pay an organic horticulturist to help with the transition, including training the grounds team.
“The grant was huge. It’s the reason we were able to get this done,” Feldman said.
Dozens of schools have joined the effort, including Princeton, University of North Carolina, University of Michigan, Drexel University, University of California, and Brandeis. And many more are interested.
“We have a lot of other colleges who want to join but need funding to get started,” Feldman said.
How Do you Rewild a Space?
- Stop Using Herbicides that can threaten human health and destroy the soil’s natural ability to absorb the carbon fueling climate change.
- Eliminate Fertilizers that cause “dead zones” when they reach lakes and oceans, which kills fish.
- Replace Water Guzzling Plants with Native Ones, especially pollinator-friendly plants.
REWILDING TURNS PUBLIC SPACES INTO “GIVERS” RATHER THAN “TAKERS.”
