This Muddy Brown Yard Is The Ugliest Lawn In Sweden

In an effort to promote water conservation, the municipality of Gotland recently held a competition to find the ugliest lawn on the island. Follow the irrigation bans that prevent residents from watering their lawns. Mimmi Gibson, the acting director of marketing and branding at Gotland Region Municipality, helped select the winner, which belonged to Marcus Norström. “It’s really brown, it’s gold, it’s really muddy and earthy and it doesn’t have any green grass on it,” he told As It Happens guest Susan Bonner. “So it’s pretty bad.” A close-up of the “ugliest lawn” on the island of Gotland. (Marcus Norström) He added that seeing ways to improve turf through more sustainable practices was also a factor in their decision. The jury described Norström’s lawn as “a truly miserable lawn that lives up to our expectations of Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement,” according to The Guardian. As a reward for his effort – or lack thereof – Norström will receive a personalized two-hour consultation with gardener and judge Sara Gistedt. Gibson says they received a wide variety of entries. Some turfs were from the northern part of the island, where the limestone rests under a thin layer of soil and many plants struggle to grow. In more temperate regions, lawns that are normally rich and green turned gold and brown. “We have a really delicate nature, but we are also among the most [popular] tourist spots in Sweden. People love our island and we love them coming, of course,” he said. “But we had a record number of visitors and residents last summer after COVID-19, and we realized that we have to do something to both live in Gotland. visit Gotland, Gotland tourism more sustainable’. They found six areas for improvement, with water conservation a top priority. Then came the idea for the ugliest lawn contest. “We needed something that could, you know, start a conversation but not be too harsh,” Gibson said. “Maybe you could put a smile on your face but still have, like, a really serious core message.” Historic droughts across Europe are parching the land, including France’s Loire Valley. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters) While not everyone responded positively to the changes, Gibson says it was an important step. Given the historic droughts across Europe this summerwater supply has been a major issue, and Gibson said this is one way to be a part of the solution. “It was the right time, I think, this year to do that,” he said. “People were more receptive to the idea after seeing all these droughts… [and these] major floods and everything across Europe. So I guess there was a sense of recognition.” He hopes the competition will also help start a conversation about moving away from traditional green lawns and looking at other plants that are also beautiful but more resilient to climate change. Although she had her own yard when she lived in the country, Gibson now lives in an apartment and has no lawn of her own. “But I also had a really bad lawn, so I’m proud of that,” she said. Written by Aloysius Wong. Interview with Mimmi Gibson produced by Katie Geleff.

title: “This Muddy Brown Yard Is The Ugliest Lawn In Sweden Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Courtney Anderson”

In an effort to promote water conservation, the municipality of Gotland recently held a competition to find the ugliest lawn on the island. Follow the irrigation bans that prevent residents from watering their lawns. Mimmi Gibson, the acting director of marketing and branding at Gotland Region Municipality, helped select the winner, which belonged to Marcus Norström. “It’s really brown, it’s gold, it’s really muddy and earthy and it doesn’t have any green grass on it,” he told As It Happens guest Susan Bonner. “So it’s pretty bad.” A close-up of the “ugliest lawn” on the island of Gotland. (Marcus Norström) He added that seeing ways to improve turf through more sustainable practices was also a factor in their decision. The jury described Norström’s lawn as “a truly miserable lawn that lives up to our expectations of Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement,” according to The Guardian. As a reward for his effort – or lack thereof – Norström will receive a personalized two-hour consultation with gardener and judge Sara Gistedt. Gibson says they received a wide variety of entries. Some turfs were from the northern part of the island, where the limestone rests under a thin layer of soil and many plants struggle to grow. In more temperate regions, lawns that are normally rich and green turned gold and brown. “We have a really delicate nature, but we are also among the most [popular] tourist spots in Sweden. People love our island and we love them coming, of course,” he said. “But we had a record number of visitors and residents last summer after COVID-19, and we realized that we have to do something to both live in Gotland. visit Gotland, Gotland tourism more sustainable’. They found six areas for improvement, with water conservation a top priority. Then came the idea for the ugliest lawn contest. “We needed something that could, you know, start a conversation but not be too harsh,” Gibson said. “Maybe you could put a smile on your face but still have, like, a really serious core message.” Historic droughts across Europe are parching the land, including France’s Loire Valley. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters) While not everyone responded positively to the changes, Gibson says it was an important step. Given the historic droughts across Europe this summerwater supply has been a major issue, and Gibson said this is one way to be a part of the solution. “It was the right time, I think, this year to do that,” he said. “People were more receptive to the idea after seeing all these droughts… [and these] major floods and everything across Europe. So I guess there was a sense of recognition.” He hopes the competition will also help start a conversation about moving away from traditional green lawns and looking at other plants that are also beautiful but more resilient to climate change. Although she had her own yard when she lived in the country, Gibson now lives in an apartment and has no lawn of her own. “But I also had a really bad lawn, so I’m proud of that,” she said. Written by Aloysius Wong. Interview with Mimmi Gibson produced by Katie Geleff.

title: “This Muddy Brown Yard Is The Ugliest Lawn In Sweden Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-09” author: “Christopher Alarcon”

In an effort to promote water conservation, the municipality of Gotland recently held a competition to find the ugliest lawn on the island. Follow the irrigation bans that prevent residents from watering their lawns. Mimmi Gibson, the acting director of marketing and branding at Gotland Region Municipality, helped select the winner, which belonged to Marcus Norström. “It’s really brown, it’s gold, it’s really muddy and earthy and it doesn’t have any green grass on it,” he told As It Happens guest Susan Bonner. “So it’s pretty bad.” A close-up of the “ugliest lawn” on the island of Gotland. (Marcus Norström) He added that seeing ways to improve turf through more sustainable practices was also a factor in their decision. The jury described Norström’s lawn as “a truly miserable lawn that lives up to our expectations of Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement,” according to The Guardian. As a reward for his effort – or lack thereof – Norström will receive a personalized two-hour consultation with gardener and judge Sara Gistedt. Gibson says they received a wide variety of entries. Some turfs were from the northern part of the island, where the limestone rests under a thin layer of soil and many plants struggle to grow. In more temperate regions, lawns that are normally rich and green turned gold and brown. “We have a really delicate nature, but we are also among the most [popular] tourist spots in Sweden. People love our island and we love them coming, of course,” he said. “But we had a record number of visitors and residents last summer after COVID-19, and we realized that we have to do something to both live in Gotland. visit Gotland, Gotland tourism more sustainable’. They found six areas for improvement, with water conservation a top priority. Then came the idea for the ugliest lawn contest. “We needed something that could, you know, start a conversation but not be too harsh,” Gibson said. “Maybe you could put a smile on your face but still have, like, a really serious core message.” Historic droughts across Europe are parching the land, including France’s Loire Valley. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters) While not everyone responded positively to the changes, Gibson says it was an important step. Given the historic droughts across Europe this summerwater supply has been a major issue, and Gibson said this is one way to be a part of the solution. “It was the right time, I think, this year to do that,” he said. “People were more receptive to the idea after seeing all these droughts… [and these] major floods and everything across Europe. So I guess there was a sense of recognition.” He hopes the competition will also help start a conversation about moving away from traditional green lawns and looking at other plants that are also beautiful but more resilient to climate change. Although she had her own yard when she lived in the country, Gibson now lives in an apartment and has no lawn of her own. “But I also had a really bad lawn, so I’m proud of that,” she said. Written by Aloysius Wong. Interview with Mimmi Gibson produced by Katie Geleff.

title: “This Muddy Brown Yard Is The Ugliest Lawn In Sweden Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Patricia Brown”

In an effort to promote water conservation, the municipality of Gotland recently held a competition to find the ugliest lawn on the island. Follow the irrigation bans that prevent residents from watering their lawns. Mimmi Gibson, the acting director of marketing and branding at Gotland Region Municipality, helped select the winner, which belonged to Marcus Norström. “It’s really brown, it’s gold, it’s really muddy and earthy and it doesn’t have any green grass on it,” he told As It Happens guest Susan Bonner. “So it’s pretty bad.” A close-up of the “ugliest lawn” on the island of Gotland. (Marcus Norström) He added that seeing ways to improve turf through more sustainable practices was also a factor in their decision. The jury described Norström’s lawn as “a truly miserable lawn that lives up to our expectations of Gotland’s ugliest lawn and has good conditions for a more sustainable improvement,” according to The Guardian. As a reward for his effort – or lack thereof – Norström will receive a personalized two-hour consultation with gardener and judge Sara Gistedt. Gibson says they received a wide variety of entries. Some turfs were from the northern part of the island, where the limestone rests under a thin layer of soil and many plants struggle to grow. In more temperate regions, lawns that are normally rich and green turned gold and brown. “We have a really delicate nature, but we are also among the most [popular] tourist spots in Sweden. People love our island and we love them coming, of course,” he said. “But we had a record number of visitors and residents last summer after COVID-19, and we realized that we have to do something to both live in Gotland. visit Gotland, Gotland tourism more sustainable’. They found six areas for improvement, with water conservation a top priority. Then came the idea for the ugliest lawn contest. “We needed something that could, you know, start a conversation but not be too harsh,” Gibson said. “Maybe you could put a smile on your face but still have, like, a really serious core message.” Historic droughts across Europe are parching the land, including France’s Loire Valley. (Stephane Mahe/Reuters) While not everyone responded positively to the changes, Gibson says it was an important step. Given the historic droughts across Europe this summerwater supply has been a major issue, and Gibson said this is one way to be a part of the solution. “It was the right time, I think, this year to do that,” he said. “People were more receptive to the idea after seeing all these droughts… [and these] major floods and everything across Europe. So I guess there was a sense of recognition.” He hopes the competition will also help start a conversation about moving away from traditional green lawns and looking at other plants that are also beautiful but more resilient to climate change. Although she had her own yard when she lived in the country, Gibson now lives in an apartment and has no lawn of her own. “But I also had a really bad lawn, so I’m proud of that,” she said. Written by Aloysius Wong. Interview with Mimmi Gibson produced by Katie Geleff.