Mercer Times

Gray skies and gusty winds did not deter students at The College of New Jersey from participating in a recent planting day event. Despite wearing less-than-ideal footwear, such as UGG slippers and white sneakers, the students engaged enthusiastically in clearing weeds and planting 70 native plants on campus.

This initiative is part of a growing trend known as "rewilding," where traditional manicured lawns are being replaced with native plants and pollinators on college campuses across the country. Kathleen Weber, a professor at the college, remarked, "I think this generation is very interested in climate change and solutions, right? They don't want to hear the doom and gloom but they want to say, okay, what can we do to live in a better world?"

Samantha Romito, an early childhood special education and psychology major who participated in the project after attending a talk on the importance of native plants, shared her thoughts: "So native plants rebuild and bring native animals back as well as just bump up the environment."

The project has been long anticipated by Professor Miriam Shakow, who has been teaching about climate change for fifteen years. She emphasized the significance of addressing both climate change and biodiversity decline: "It's as significant as climate change."

Students from Shakow's class have undertaken projects to address environmental issues like saving bees and other pollinators. They collaborated with college grounds staff to create pollinator habitats while committing to maintaining these areas themselves.

Sophomore Logan Fenton expressed his preference for organic land management over using herbicides like Roundup: "Native plants are a better option. I don't like the idea of a cookie-cutter campus."

To support its pilot program, TCNJ partnered with Re:wild Your Campus—a national organization assisting campuses in becoming biodiverse spaces—offering training and workshops. Thanks to an anonymous donation, plans at TCNJ include planting a meadow managed organically by staff and students.

Reflecting on their efforts, Professor Shakow said it was rewarding for students involved: "For the students who are already thinking about planting native plants, it can be really rewarding for them."

Student Romito added that despite initial uncertainty about gardening's appeal she found it enjoyable: "We put rocks near the ones we planted so we could come back and check out how they're doing."