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In recent times, several grassy lawns throughout the nation have become slightly taller in the spring due to No Mow May, a campaign initially created by the U.K. nonprofit Plantlife in 2019 aimed at increasing understanding regarding the ecological effects of the conventional, resource-heavy, manicured grass lawn. No Mow May urges individuals to delay spring mowing to let grass grow taller, offering nourishment and refuge for beneficial creatures such as bees, beetles, and other pollinators.
This year, MIT participated in this initiative for the first time, with sections of the Kendall/MIT Open Space, Bexley Garden, and the Tang Courtyard not being mowed from May 1 through June 6. This decision aims to create a habitat for local pollinators, reduce water consumption, and promote new perspectives on the conventional lawn. MIT’s inaugural No Mow May was made possible by the advocacy of the Graduate Student Council Sustainability Subcommittee (GSC Sustain) and supported by the Office of the Vice Provost for Campus Space Management and Planning.
A student’s concept takes root
Although MIT is a densely populated urban campus, it features an abundance of green spaces — from pocket gardens and community-maintained vegetable plots to numerous shade trees — and enthusiasm for these areas continues to rise. In recent years, student-driven initiatives, backed by Institute leadership and operational personnel, have reshaped portions of the campus by boosting the presence of native pollinator plants and expanding community gardens, such as the Hive Garden. With No Mow May, these initiatives extended beyond the garden into MIT’s various grassy open areas.
“The intention behind it was to promote awareness of more sustainable and eco-friendly lawn practices,” elaborates Gianmarco Terrones, a member of GSC Sustain. These practices entail minimizing mowing frequency, reducing fertilizer usage, and offering refuge and food for pollinators. “The insects inhabiting these areas play a crucial role in pollination, and they are also essential components of the food chain for many animals,” Terrones remarks.
Research has demonstrated that refraining from mowing in spring, even in small patches of green space, can have a positive effect. The initial months of spring exhibit the fewest flowers in regions like New England, and providing resources and sanctuary — even if briefly — can support vulnerable pollinators like bees. Furthermore, No Mow May strives to encourage individuals to reconsider their yards and practices, which may not always be advantageous for local ecosystems.
Signage at each No Mow location on campus provided information about local pollinators, the project’s effects, and reflective questions for visitors. “Having an engaging sign that encourages people to ask, ‘look around. How many butterflies do you observe after six weeks of no mowing? Are there more? Are there more bees?’ can subtly shift individuals’ awareness of ecosystems,” shares GSC Sustain member Mingrou Xie. A mowed perimeter surrounding each project also signified to visitors that the tall grass areas at No Mow sites were deliberately designed.
Collaborative efforts foster sustainable practices
To make MIT’s No Mow May a reality, GSC Sustain members collaborated with the Office of the Vice Provost and the Open Space Working Group, co-chaired by Vice Provost for Campus Space Management and Planning Brent Ryan and Director of Sustainability Julie Newman. The Working Group, which includes staff from Open Space Programming, Campus Planning, and faculty from the School of Architecture and Planning, assisted in pinpointing potential No Mow sites and formulating strategies for educational signage and required maintenance. “Massachusetts is a biodiverse state, and No Mow May presents an exciting opportunity for MIT to enhance that biodiversity within its own campus,” explains Ryan.
Students were keen on utilizing high-visibility locations on campus, and the selected spots of the Kendall/MIT Open Space, Bexley Garden, and the Tang Courtyard were ideal. “We aimed to set a precedent and empower the community to feel they can effect positive change in an environment where they spend so much time,” states Xie.
For GSC Sustain, this positive transformation also materialized through the Native Plant Project, initiated in 2022 to boost the population of Massachusetts-native pollinator plants on campus — species like swamp milkweed, zigzag goldenrod, big leaf aster, and red columbine, with which native pollinators have co-evolved. In collaboration with the Open Space Working Group, GSC Sustain is concentrating on two areas for new native plant gardens — the President’s Garden and the terrace gardens at the E37 Graduate Residence. “Our short-term objective is to increase the population of native [plants] on campus, but our long-term aim is to cultivate a community of students and staff interested in promoting sustainable urban gardening,” Xie notes.
Campus as a testing ground continues to flourish
Just a few weeks into its growth phase, the campus No Mow May sites showcased buttercups, mouse ear chickweed, and small tree saplings, emphasizing the biodiversity that lies dormant within a typical lawn. Terrones also points out other observations: “It’s been thrilling to witness how much the grass has flourished over these past weeks. I initially thought the grass would grow uniformly, but as May progressed, the differences in grass height became more apparent, resulting in uneven lawns with a distinctly unmanicured appearance,” he states. “We aspire that MIT community members have taken note of how these lawns have transformed over a few weeks and feel motivated to adopt more sustainable lawn practices at their own homes/spaces.”
No Mow May and the Native Plant Project align with MIT’s overarching commitment to cultivating resilient ecosystems that support and protect the MIT community and the beneficial organisms that inhabit it. MIT Grounds Services have long incorporated native plants into the mix of what is cultivated on campus, and native pollinator gardens, such as the Hive Garden, have been developed and nurtured through partnerships with students and Grounds Services in recent years. Grounds, in conjunction with consultants who design and install our campus landscaping projects, strive to select plants that help us meet sustainability objectives, such as addressing stormwater runoff and providing cooling effects. No Mow May can serve as one additional data point for the iterative process of selecting the ideal plants and practices suited for a distinctive microclimate like the MIT campus.
“We are continually exploring new methods to utilize our campus as a testing ground for sustainability,” states Director of Sustainability Julie Newman. “Community-driven initiatives like No Mow May enable us to deepen our understanding of our campus and share those insights with the broader community.”
The Office of the Vice Provost, the Open Space Working Group, and GSC Sustain plan to reconvene in the fall for a formal assessment of the project and its achievements. Given the favorable community feedback, discussions regarding future opportunities to expand or extend No Mow May will be conducted.
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