Contest for Ugly Lawn

Residents of Sweden’s largest island competed this summer to see which of them had the ugliest lawn.

The competition is an initiative by Gotland Municipality to promote water conservation. After the island, located in the middle of the Baltic Sea, received record numbers of visitors and residents this summer, its politicians realized after ‘The Guardian’ that drastic changes were needed to save its water resources.

According to the 2022 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, water availability in Gotland is expected to decrease by 13.3% between 2021 and 2050. By 2045, water demand is expected to increase by 40%.

The tournament was created after a series of irrigation bans meant residents were not allowed to water their lawns.

“It may seem strange to you that we want to pay respect to ugly lawns, but it’s a challenge for us not to be allowed to water our lawns,” said Mimi Gibson, regional Gotland marketing director.

Mr Gibson said the Ugly Lawn Competition would encourage residents not to waste water and discuss possible solutions to adapt their garden to current conditions and climate change.