In this online class, landscape architect Owen Wormser will discuss the effect that lawns and meadows have on the environment. An area the size of Washington State is presently mowed turf in the United States. This makes lawns the largest irrigated “crop” in the country, and the adverse impact of their ecological footprint is staggering. Meadows offer the opposite effect, providing myriad ecological benefits including ongoing sequestering of carbon and significantly increased biological diversity. Meadows are more affordable than lawns, and with the right know-how they’re long-lasting, low-maintenance and very beautiful. Owen will discuss the benefits of native meadows, explain how to create thriving meadowscapes, and share strategies drawn from research and over 20 years of experience.

Owen Wormser was born and raised off the grid in rural Maine. His interest in plants and the natural world led him to pursue a degree in landscape architecture. In 1998, Owen moved to western Massachusetts to start his first landscape design and installation service. Since then, he has built hundreds of regenerative landscapes influenced by his study of horticulture, permaculture, organic agriculture, and ecology. In 2010, he started Abound Design, which provides design and installation services with a focus on sustainability, regeneration and beauty. Six years later, he co-founded Local Harmony, a nonprofit that promotes local regenerative projects and has overseen the planting of many thousands of native perennials. The second edition of his book, Lawns Into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape, was released in November, 2022.