2:00 - To open this week’s episode, Sheina, co-director of Re:wild Your Campus, shared the organization’s origins. Rewild Your Campus began on the UC Berkeley campus in 2017 and was founded by Mackenzie Feldman and Bridget Gustafson after they discovered pesticides being used on the grass surrounding the sand volleyball courts where they played daily.

You can learn more about the origins of Rewild Your Campus and their work on their website: https://www.rewildyourcampus.org

04:00 - Sheina highlighted that pesticide use extends far beyond agriculture, with widespread application across everyday environments where people live, work, learn, and play. While agriculture accounts for the largest overall volume of pesticide use, non-agricultural settings often experience higher application intensity per acre and more direct, persistent human exposure due to close proximity (source, source.

In the United States, approximately one quarter of all pesticides are used in non-agricultural areas, including homes, yards, parks, golf courses, college campuses, and public buildings. Suburban lawns and gardens often receive four to ten times more pesticides per acre than agricultural land, largely to maintain aesthetic standards. An estimated 70 to 78 million U.S. households use pesticides, with the home and garden sector spending nearly $2 billion annually on these products (source).

Exposure in these environments is often continuous and unavoidable. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has noted that approximately 80 percent of an individual’s pesticide exposure occurs indoors, often from residues tracked inside or from products applied directly within homes  (source). This exposure is compounded by the intensity of chemical use in residential settings. Homeowners apply up to ten times more chemical pesticides per acre on lawns than farmers use on crops, with nearly 80 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients and 90 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers applied to U.S. lawns each year. Routine lawn maintenance also contributes significantly to environmental pollution, with an estimated 26.7 million tons of air pollutants released annually from mowing (source). Children and pets are particularly vulnerable due to frequent contact with treated lawns, indoor surfaces, and household dust, where pesticide residues can persist for years .

In terms of glyphosate specifically, each year, more than 21 million pounds of glyphosate are used in non-farming settings by homeowners, landscapers, and municipalities (source), with non-agricultural use increasing 43-fold between 1974 and 2014 (source).

With mounting evidence showing that glyphosate exposure has wide-ranging negative effects on both human and planetary health (see Episode 1, The Chemical Within with Zach Bush, MD, and Episode 3, Connecting the Dots with Dr. Stephanie Seneff), the risks clearly extend beyond agricultural settings. Recent research has further confirmed the health impacts of pesticide exposure in residential environments. A study published in JAMA Network Open found that individuals living within one mile of a golf course had a 126% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those living more than six miles away. This risk decreased with increasing distance, suggesting environmental exposure pathways such as air and water drift from pesticide applications (source).

One notable example of harm from residential exposure is the case of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, a groundskeeper who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after repeated exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides. Johnson later sued Bayer, formerly Monsanto, for failing to warn users of the risks associated with glyphosate exposure. His case became a landmark moment for glyphosate accountability. For a deeper exploration of this case, see Episode 8, Pathways to Justice, with attorney Brent Wisner, or watch the documentary Into the Weeds.

As a result of the work of Re:Wild Your Campus, UC Berkeley now manages 95 percent of its grounds, representing 1,171 acres, organically, without the use of synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides (source).

Building on this momentum, advocacy led by Re:wild Your Campus helped drive action across the broader University of California system, resulting in a temporary suspension of glyphosate-based herbicides issued in May 2019 by then - UC President Janet Napolitano (source).

18:55 - Sheina explained that a common barrier when encouraging schools to adopt organic land management is the belief that it costs more than chemical management. Multiple studies have shown this is a myth.

A 2010 study led by Beyond Pesticides board member and turfgrass expert Chip Osborne found that once established, organic turf programs can cost more than 25 percent less than conventional management. Since then, advances in organic products have made transitions even more efficient (source).

Harvard University documented its shift away from chemical lawn care nearly a decade ago, reducing irrigation by 30 percent and saving two million gallons of water annually. The university also eliminated $35,000 a year in yard waste hauling and now saves an additional $10,000 annually by composting on site and reducing fertilizer purchases (source). Case studies show that sustainable landscape transitions can reduce water use by 40 to 70% compared to conventional Kentucky bluegrass systems (source).