A Reddit post detailed how one woman decided to rip out her grass lawn after accidentally opening the wrong water bill and being shocked by her own water usage.
One Redditor shared an interesting story beginning with a classic case of mail delivered to the wrong address. Their neighbor, a single retiree, discovered that she used as much water as a family of four. The family's property featured xeriscaping and native plants. The single woman's home was on a large grass lot. However, the water usage was the same. After this realization, she made some big changes.
The Redditor explained that "within weeks she tore out 60% of her grass." She replaced one side with mulch and the other with a garden.
The poster theorized that many people are open to nontraditional lawns, whether a xeriscape or native plants. But they aren't spurred to action until the right kind of motivation comes along. For this Redditor's neighbor, the right motivation was the staggering "apples-to-apples comparison of water usage."
Non-native grass and perfectly manicured lawns require excessive upkeep, money, and water. A natural lawn, xeriscape, or native landscape saves time and money on maintenance while lowering water consumption. One peek at this family's water bill was enough for this neighbor to join the native lawn movement.
But native lawns aren't just beneficial for homeowners. They also help the planet in a number of ways. Aside from using less water and no harmful chemicals, natural lawns also support pollinators. Pollinators need native plants to thrive, and we need pollinators to thrive.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture estimates about 35% of crops rely on pollinators. If pollinators can't do their job, the human food supply is put at risk.
The neighbor's new yard means lower water bills, happy pollinators, and a flourishing landscape. Like her, many people rewild their lawns once they see the ample benefits.
One commenter explained, "I just stopped weeding. Let things grow… [I have] fireflies in my yard again!" Another person expressed their support of rewilding in a reply, "Go native. Makes a huge difference."
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