Rebecca (Becky) Barak, Ph.D.
Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University
Rebecca Barak, Ph.D.
Becky is a conservation scientist and seed bank curator at Chicago Botanic Garden, and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in the Plant Biology and Conservation program. She studies seed biology and biodiversity in tallgrass prairies, and decision-making for restoration, particularly seed mix design. Recently, Becky has started working with collaborators to apply these biodiversity questions to studying lawn alternative plantings. The students in her lab study a variety of topics related to conservation and restoration in the Chicago area. Becky is a co-founder of Plant Love Stories a project that aims to collect and share stories about the plants that impact our lives.
Project Summary
The Grass can be Greener: Exploring Lawn Alternatives for Biodiversity Support, Climate Change Resilience, and Infrastructure Improvements
Lawns are everywhere, and while they are green in color, they could be much “greener” environmentally. Lawn maintenance (e.g., mowing, herbicides), reduces biodiversity and contributes to climate change. While some sports and recreation activities require turfgrass lawns, countless acres currently maintained as lawns do not need to be. Lawn alternatives – short, hardy, native plantings – may provide improvements over lawns in ecosystem functions such as plant and pollinator habitat, climate change mitigation, and stormwater retention. This project will plant and study lawn alternative plots in publicly-accessible green spaces, explore establishment options, and share information to encourage planting alternatives where appropriate.
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