EPISODE · Aug 25, 2025 · 42 MIN
Paul Robbins on the American Lawn, Biobanks, and John Muir
from Out of the Wild · host Ken I
Paul Robbins is America’s foremost authority on the lawn. He is the author of Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are. He is the dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.Subscribe nowWe discuss: Is Paul the Cary Elwes of academia? Julie Guthman’s work on pathogens, chemicals, and strawberries. What is a “lawn person?” Is the American lawn care industry taking advantage of us (and taking our money) because of our lawn guilt? Are suburban American lawns… communal? Penn Jillette (of “Penn and Teller”) and his show “Bullshit!” Here’s the episode about the lawn. Should environmentalists and libertarians unite to regain control over their lawns? Should “weed” be the next problematic word that becomes outmoded and ostracized (such as “retarded”) from the English language? “A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Are we on the verge of reinventing the American lawn? Or will it be more of the same? Redddot Phase 1 What would it take to build a biobank for all living animals?Pine Marten. Saving animals—easier when they’re cute? Paul’s article on biobanks and indigenous data sovereignty. Is the American chestnut tree resurrection… dead? Paul’s co-written essay on John Muir’s Tormented Landscape. Is our urge to conserve nature tied to North Americans’ complicity in removing Native Americans? I ask Paul, should I think of myself as a “settler?” I talk about rolling my eyes at land acknowledgements and Paul makes the case for them.
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Paul Robbins [https://nelson.wisc.edu/staff/robbins-paul/] is America's foremost authority on the lawn. He is the author of Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are [https://www.amazon.com/Lawn-People-Grasses-Weeds-Chemicals/dp/159213579X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1O5UO5RK78AJA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hEP1Rz-xQGo4mx8Tp67g-QfOpaPFbWQLW3A0vKGt-0z9diQs9WwTZv2JqR_jYpbhY1Jmd6Tx4iEQo7xOhipnhXPSq2HUGUs-0jC7xFt2t6hcwk7SQA11ZYSNquvzaVB-iwoPAxbA00mqkbcWTeLuGt9uAHXyJG8I6o6pvKR_Bvcc6aWVF4-EnuwJ0yM38qkY7w3zoa1QxElnlW7qAYeRcmMcqA9zx1vLga06-C9bBlw.Dq_94yf_bpF20PIPKGh5l9EC1gKUDufSC5IG5DT6OS0&dib_tag=se&keywords=lawn+people+book&qid=1754425011&sprefix=lawn+people%2Caps%2C406&sr=8-1]. He is the dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Subscribe now We discuss: * Is Paul the Cary Elwes of academia? * Julie Guthman's work on pathogens, chemicals, and strawberries [https://www.ucpress.edu/books/wilted/paper]. * What is a "lawn person?" * Is the American lawn care industry taking advantage of us (and taking our money) because of our lawn guilt? * Are suburban American lawns… communal? * Penn Jillette (of "Penn and Teller") and his show "Bullshit!" Here's the episode about the lawn [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502174/]. * Should environmentalists and libertarians unite to regain control over their lawns? * Should "weed" be the next problematic word that becomes outmoded and ostracized (such as "retarded") from the English language? * "A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." — Ralph Waldo Emerson * Are we on the verge of reinventing the American lawn? Or will it be more of the same? * Redddot Phase 1 [https://nsf.elsevierpure.com/en/projects/redddot-phase-1-planning-grant-novel-cellular-technologies-in-eco] * What would it take to build a biobank for all living animals? Pine Marten. Saving animals—easier when they're cute? * Paul's article on biobanks and indigenous data sovereignty. [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1099562/full] * Is the American chestnut tree resurrection… dead? * Paul's co-written essay on John Muir's Tormented Landscape [https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-14-summer-2021/john-muir-tormented-landscape]. * Is our urge to conserve nature tied to North Americans' complicity in removing Native Americans? * I ask Paul, should I think of myself as a "settler?" * I talk about rolling my eyes at land acknowledgements and Paul makes the case for them.
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Paul Robbins on the American Lawn, Biobanks, and John Muir
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