The World's Ugliest Lawn
A global initiative to save water by changing the norm of green lawns
Share your ugly lawn with the world!
Huge amounts of water are used to water lawns for aesthetics. As the world gets warmer, water scarcity is a growing problem. UNESCO is projecting water scarcity in urban areas to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7–2.4 billion people in 2050. By not watering lawns for aesthetic reasons, we can protect the availability of groundwater.
This is why Gotland in Sweden is launching The World’s Ugliest Lawn-competition, with the aim of saving water on a global scale by changing the norm for green lawns.
HOW TO ENTER
Simply share a picture of your ugly dry lawn from a public Instagram account with the hashtag #worldsugliestlawn. Or email the picture to us at uglylawn@gotland.se.
WHEN?
The winner will be selected by a jury and announced on this page later this fall.
1ST PRIZE?
The winner will get a unique second-hand t-shirt with the text ”Proud Owner of the World’s Ugliest Lawn” (yes, it’s the t-shirt Marcus wears in the video).
”This challenge is a great way to influence people to use less water”
Shailene Woodley
WHY DOES GOTLAND CHALLENGE THE WORLD TO SHARE IMAGES OF UGLY DRY LAWNS?
Gotland, Sweden’s biggest island, regularly experiences drought and water scarcity. Saving water is a constant priority.
Last summer, our competition “Gotland’s Ugliest Lawn” celebrated lawn owners who conserved water during drought by not watering their lawns, resulting, together with other water saving initiatives, in a 5% reduction in water consumption on the island compared to previous summer. With a tiny media spend, the initiative reached 788 million people – many of them wishing for a similar competition in their communities.
The World’s Ugliest Lawn-challenge is our way to inspire positive change globally and show that sustainability doesn’t have to be boring!
Contact:
Mimmi Gibson
Director of Brand, Region Gotland, Sweden
mimmi.gibson@gotland.se
+46 70 083 22 99
