Reduce Your Lawn Day Is May 20th

Reduce Your Lawn Day is a national call to action to inspire transformations that turn underutilized yard space into thriving ecosystems with simple planting projects. Because small changes, multiplied across thousands of yards, create a real impact. Take the pledge and be part of a movement where collective action leads to lasting change.

Sustainability begins in your backyard.

Sign the pledge through May 26th and you'll be entered to win our grand prize, valued at over $1000! 

Prizes include a raised garden bed, pollinator houses, and a watering can from our friends at Gardener's Supply, a $250 gift certificate from American Meadows, a $250 gift certificate to High Country Gardens, and more!

 Learn more about the benefits of a sustainable yard with less lawn, and get ideas for easy planting projects.

4 Reasons To Reduce Your Lawn
10 Easy Planting Projects
5 Ways To Support The Movement
4 Not-So-Fun Lawn Facts
Reduce Your Lawn Photo Gallery
Helpful Resources

1. Create Habitat
As new developments spread across the country, lawns continue to replace wild spaces that are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Traditional turfgrass is a dead zone for pollinators and birds. Reducing your lawn can help rebuild habitat, right in your own yard.

2. Reduce Pollution
The gasoline-powered mowers and blowers used to maintain traditional turf lawns cause damaging air pollution from emissions, ground pollution from spilled gas, and noise pollution from noisy motors. Less mowing means less pollution.

3. Remove Harmful Chemicals
The fertilizers and pesticides used in maintaining traditional turf lawns cause harm to waterways and soil health. They are not just harmful to pollinators and wildlife, but they're harmful to people and pets too. Removing chemicals from our lawns will help protect pollinators, people, and our planet alike.

4. Feel The Benefits Of A Better Yard
Gardening and growing plants is good for the soul - and good for your health too! Studies show that spending time around plants reduces stress hormones. Working in the dirt, breathing fresh air, and moving your body are all ways that digging in will contribute to your personal well-being. 

Reducing a turfgrass lawn is one of the easiest ways to make a yard better for pollinators, people, and the planet. Need inspiration for an easy weekend project? Check out our top 10 ideas for your yard:

1. Remove the grass along your driveway and plant an easy-to-grow wildflower border
2. Plant drought-tolerant perennials to surround your mailbox to brighten the neighborhood
3. Flip the strip! Remove the lawn between your sidewalk and the street for a beautiful park strip garden
4. Carve out a garden bed for nectar-rich plants to create a pollinator pit stop in your yard
5. Easily expand your existing flower beds by pushing out their boundaries and adding low-growing groundcovers
6. Remove tough-to-trim grass along walkways and plant perennials with color and fragrance for a welcoming walkway
7. Replace a hard-to-mow area of your lawn with no-mow perennial groundcovers
8. Remove the lawn along your fence and grow beautiful shrubs or tall ornamental grasses for a beautiful border 
9. Designate a corner of your yard “for the birds” and plant native plants
10. Remove the lawn from a shady corner of your yard and brighten it with shade-loving flowers and foliage 

Looking for more ideas? Get This Look: Waterwise Yard Ideas

Ready to remove your lawn? See Our Guide: How To Remove Your Grass 

1. Share your photos! On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, tag photos of your planting project with the hashtags #ReduceYourLawn or #ReduceYourLawnDay. Or Click here to submit photos.
2. Join the Reduce Your Lawn Day Facebook Group
3. Tell your community about Reduce Your Lawn Day! Share a link to this page with your local gardening group, neighborhood group, government representatives, or Master Gardener & Extension programs.
4. Download and print the Reduce Your Lawn Day Yard Sign or Poster to engage the community in your Sustainable Yard initiative!
5. Sign the Reduce Your Lawn Day pledge.

1. The turfgrass lawns that are popular today came into style during the Victorian era, when the first lawnmower was introduced. It's time for an updated perspective on what's best for our yards!
2. Today there are over 40 million acres of lawn in the US, making turfgrass is the single largest irrigated crop in our country. That's definitely a waste of our precious water resources.
3. Every year in the US, we use 800 million gallons of gasoline in lawn equipment, which means we spend over $2.4 billion dollars in gas money annually. Imagine how we could better use those resources!
4. Pollution from gas-powered lawnmowers makes up to 5% of total air pollution in the US.

Sustainability begins in your backyard. Join the movement and remove your turfgrass for a waterwise, pollinator-friendly alternative!

You can share photos from social media by adding #ReduceYourLawn or #ReduceYourLawnDay to your posts! Your photos will be featured in our gallery.

Reduce Your Lawn Day is brought to you by High Country Gardens, American Meadows and Groundcover Revolution author Kathy Jentz.

Thank you to our partner organizations for supporting and celebrating Reduce Your Lawn Day. We know we can do the most good when we are all working together. 

Want to see your organization here too? Join us, take the pledge, and be part of a movement where collective action leads to lasting change! Contact Us to be part of the Reduce Your Lawn Day movement.

See All Reduce Your Lawn Day Sponsors

High Country Gardens
Sustainable Backyard Learning Center

Learn about xeriscaping and sustainable lawn alternatives, and shop for waterwise plants.

 Groundcover Revolution By Kathy Jentz

Choosing the right plants for your growing conditions is key. Learn more in this great guide to groundcovers.

American Meadows
Meadowscaping Learning Center

Learn how to grow wildflower meadow or natural garden, and shop for seeds, plants, and bulbs.