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Register 114 Seats Remaining

Rethinking Lawns

Incorporating Native Plants into Home Landscapes

2025-04-24 18:30:00 2025-04-24 19:30:00 America/Chicago Rethinking Lawns The U.S. has more than 50 million acres of lawn: the size of Minnesota, three times the area of any irrigated crop, and twice the size of the combined national parks in the lower 48 states. Skokie Public Library - Petty Auditorium

Thursday, April 24
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Add to Calendar 2025-04-24 18:30:00 2025-04-24 19:30:00 America/Chicago Rethinking Lawns The U.S. has more than 50 million acres of lawn: the size of Minnesota, three times the area of any irrigated crop, and twice the size of the combined national parks in the lower 48 states. Skokie Public Library - Petty Auditorium

Skokie Public Library

Petty Auditorium

The U.S. has more than 50 million acres of lawn: the size of Minnesota, three times the area of any irrigated crop, and twice the size of the combined national parks in the lower 48 states.

Each year, Americans use 3 billion gallons of gas for mowing (3% of U.S. gas consumption) and 53 million pounds of herbicide on their lawns. Each day, we go through an average of 9 billion gallons of water (30% of all American home, business, and educational facility water use) just to keep lawns looking fresh and green.

Seemingly small things add up when there’s that much grass. With mowing, watering, weeding, and the flooding grass increases, lawn is expensive! Lawn grass is just one species of thousands we could plant in our cities.

What if we tried something else? Experts from the Chicago Park District, Chicago Botanic Garden, and other institutions are trying different plants that might work, including native prairie flowers and grasses.

Learn more about this experiment and how you might incorporate some of its ideas into your own home's landscape from Becky Barak, one of the project leads, an assistant conservation scientist at Chicago Botanic Garden, and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University.

This presentation is presented in collaboration with the Skokie Beautification and Improvement Commission.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Presentation |

Skokie Public Library

tellus@skokielibrary.info
Phone: 847-673-7774

Hours
Mon, Mar 31 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Apr 01 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Apr 02 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Apr 03 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Apr 04 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Sat, Apr 05 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Apr 06 12:00PM to 6:00PM

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Mon, Mar 31, 10:00am - 2:00pm
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Wed, Apr 02, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
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Thu, Apr 03, 9:15am - 12:15pm
Radmacher Room

Thu, Apr 03, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Thu, Apr 03, 10:00am - 2:00pm
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Fri, Apr 04, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
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Sat, Apr 05, 10:00am - 10:30am
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Sun, Apr 06, 3:00pm - 4:15pm
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Petty Auditorium

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Sun, Apr 13, 12:15pm - 12:35pm
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Mon, Apr 14, 10:00am - 2:00pm
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Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 16, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Petty Auditorium

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North Courtyard

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Storytime Room

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Storytime Room

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Mon, Apr 21, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
New Nonfiction

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Tue, Apr 22, 9:30am - 1:30pm
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Registration is now closed

Tue, Apr 22, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Tue, Apr 22, 10:30am - 11:30am
Activity Room

Tue, Apr 22, 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Storytime Room

Tue, Apr 22, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Storytime Room

Tue, Apr 22, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Teen Room

Tue, Apr 22, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Zoom Event

Wed, Apr 23, 9:30am - 9:50am
Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 23, 10:00am - 10:20am
Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 23, 10:00am - 11:30am
Activity Room

Wed, Apr 23, 10:30am - 10:50am
North Courtyard

Wed, Apr 23, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Business and Community Center

Wed, Apr 23, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
New Nonfiction

Wed, Apr 23, 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Cosmos Room

Wed, Apr 23, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Activity Room

Wed, Apr 23, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Petty Auditorium,Radmacher Room

Wed, Apr 23, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 23, 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Thu, Apr 24, 9:15am - 12:15pm
Radmacher Room

Thu, Apr 24, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Thu, Apr 24, 11:00am - 11:30am
Storytime Room

Thu, Apr 24, 4:30pm - 5:15pm
Storytime Room

Thu, Apr 24, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Petty Auditorium

Fri, Apr 25, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Fri, Apr 25, 11:00am - 11:30am
Activity Room

Fri, Apr 25, 1:30pm - 3:15pm
Petty Auditorium

Fri, Apr 25, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Activity Room

Fri, Apr 25, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Business and Community Center

Sat, Apr 26, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime Room

Sun, Apr 27, 3:00pm - 4:15pm
Petty Auditorium,Radmacher Room

Sun, Apr 27, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Cosmos Room

Mon, Apr 28, 10:00am - 2:00pm
East Entrance

Mon, Apr 28, 10:00am - 10:45am
Activity Room

Mon, Apr 28, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
New Nonfiction

Mon, Apr 28, 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Storytime Room

Mon, Apr 28, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Petty Auditorium,Zoom Event

Mon, Apr 28, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Radmacher Room

Tue, Apr 29, 9:15am - 12:15pm
Radmacher Room

Tue, Apr 29, 10:00am - 12:00pm
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Registration is now closed

Tue, Apr 29, 10:00am - 10:30am
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Tue, Apr 29, 10:30am - 11:30am
Activity Room

Tue, Apr 29, 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Storytime Room

Tue, Apr 29, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Activity Room

Tue, Apr 29, 4:30pm - 5:15pm
Activity Room

Wed, Apr 30, 9:30am - 9:50am
Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 30, 10:00am - 10:20am
Storytime Room

Wed, Apr 30, 10:00am - 11:30am
Activity Room

Wed, Apr 30, 10:30am - 10:50am
North Courtyard

Wed, Apr 30, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Business and Community Center

Wed, Apr 30, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
New Nonfiction

Wed, Apr 30, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Cosmos Room

Wed, Apr 30, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Activity Room,Kids Room,Storytime Room