To Mike Nowak, a mowed and manicured lawn is a problematic tradition — he calls it a “biological desert.”

Nowak, a radio show host, delivered a virtual lecture Wednesday to over 25 Evanston residents about the unseen climate impact of yard maintenance practices.

The hour-long presentation covered a wide range of topics, from climate anxiety to banks that the climate-conscious should avoid. It narrowed around the halfway mark to focus on the importance of transforming lawns — and, accordingly, practices like lawn mowing, leaf blowing and turf installation — to better support natural ecosystems.

“It boils down to love,” he said in his lecture. “Everybody talks about loving their country, but what about loving our planet?”

The talk was part of the “Nurturing Nature Speaker Series” hosted by Natural Habitat Evanston, a project of the environmental justice group Climate Action Evanston. The volunteer group brings in environmental specialists and advocates once a month — with Nowak’s talk being the first after summer break — to speak about actionable steps Evanston residents can take to combat climate change, beginning in the backyard.

Nowak urged residents to consider adding native plants to their front yards, highlighting that cultivating a climate-friendly lawn doesn’t have to begin with a complete overhaul. He said residents should start by reducing the percentage of non-native plants to 30-50%. Deviating from a traditional lawn style isn’t synonymous with mess or clutter, he added.

Other tips Nowak had for those looking to improve their yards’ climate-friendliness included reducing lawn size, being more mindful about watering and fertilizing and leaving fallen leaves on the ground.

The host of an eponymous radio show about environmentalism on the household level, Nowak also published a humorous book about gardening titled “Attack of the Killer Asparagus” in 2014.

“He’s a real environmentalist, but he’s a gardener first,” said Nancy Bradt, a Natural Habitat Evanston volunteer who helped organize Nowak’s lecture.

According to Leslie Shad, a member of Natural Habitat Evanston’s “steering team” for over a decade, such lectures have been effective at mobilizing residents to take climate action. A talk by a speaker from the Lincoln Park Zoo about bats and biodiversity in Chicago in November 2024 led to the formation of a 50-person bat monitoring group in Evanston, she said.

Mowed and manicured lawns promote a monoculture, disrupting natural biodiversity and contributing to carbon emissions, Shad added.

“You contribute to the ecosystem by planting native plants that help raise the insects that evolved here,” she said.

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