Before the leaves at Drew get taken away, let us talk about the benefits of leaving leaves on the ground.
According to The National Wildlife Federation, the leaves are a vital wildlife habitat that, when removed, eliminates the food, shelter and nesting material for turtles, toads, birds, mammals and invertebrates. Moths and butterflies often rest in fallen leaves before emerging in the spring.
The National Wildlife Federation explains that leaves create a natural mulch which suppresses weeds. In addition, as the leaves break down, they fertilize the soil. If taken to the landfill, the leaves will add to the 33 tons of yard debris—13 percent of the nation’s solid waste—that are placed there every year. In the landfill, the leaves do not have enough oxygen to decompose, creating and releasing the greenhouse gas methane.
Actually, the largest U.S. source of man-made methane is solid-waste landfills. This does not even account for the carbon dioxide generated by gas-powered blowers and trucks needed for leaf disposal.
Apart from the environmental benefits, the leaves allow students to participate in fun seasonal activities. Many students enjoy making leaf piles and jumping into them with their friends in between classes.
Other students enjoy walking around in a zigzag pattern, trying to step on every crisp leaf. The cracklings underfoot are satisfying and bring genuine moments of joy. A whole area of leaves allows students to hear satisfying leaf-crunching sounds on top of being beneficial to the environment.
It makes sense that students purposely walk on the grass where there are leaves when they could be walking on a paved path instead: It relieves stress. According to an article from The Guardian, participants in a study “felt 30% more relaxed, while stress and anxiety dropped” after listening to woodland sounds for one minute. The sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping proved to be more effective than silence or a meditation track.
Apart from the sounds, the variety of colors created by the leaves is also stress relieving. According to Psychology Today, Michelle Harris, M.A., LMHC, ATR-BC, says, “When you’re walking and focusing on the changing leaves, you’re no longer cuing your brain to run or fight. Instead, you’re cuing your brain to pay attention to something beautiful and enjoy it.”
Stress can cause one to go into a state of survival mode, which feels like constantly running away. However, a positive experience, such as enjoying fall leaves on a walk, can reverse the effects of survival mode.
By now, a lot of the leaves are on the ground and the prettiest of the colors are gone. However, even when they are on the ground, the leaves add color and variety to the campus’s scenery. Students can look at them and listen to their rustling to displace their stressed thoughts. Once the leaves are cleaned up, Drew’s scenery will be barren.
The leaves, their sounds, their presence and their hues are relaxing. So, when the leaves disappear—with loud obnoxious leaf blowing—it upsets more than the toad that created his home in the trees in front of Tolley-Brown.
Those students who were planning on making a leaf pile will not be able to anymore. The rustling and crunching will be reduced, and a natural source of stress relief will have been removed.
The alternative to cleaning the leaves is to simply leave them where they fell. They can be turned into mulch or compost if they are still in the way. Leaving the leaves would give Drew Facilities more time to focus on more prominent problems on Drew’s campus while being mindful of the environment.
So, leave the leaves please, and let nature do what nature does best and nourish itself.
