When a law stands in the way of good public policy, change the law. That’s just what a group of Eureka College students did to allow deep-rooted native plants where only turf once was allowed.

If that sounds simple, it’s not.

Turf grass is entrenched in municipal code and the American aesthetic. Native plants often look like weeds to people who don’t understand their environmental benefits and don’t see beauty in their diversity and historic legacy. Americans douse lawns and gardens with toxic pesticides and value perfect turf lawns, but the environmental damage of turf is becoming increasingly obvious. Municipal ordinances, however, still tend to favor turf grass.

Changing that in Eureka started several years ago when Anthony Corso was hired as LEED consultant at the college during planning for the construction of Sanders Hall. Corso worked with environmental studies professor Renée Mullen.

Corso said native landscapes reduce demand for water, reduce storm water runoff and create habitats. Additionally, on college campuses, they also provide “a real world experience,” he said, calling the landscape “a learning environment.”

Mullen said when it came to evaluating Sanders for LEED certification, significant credit was given for the native landscape.

But the world of LEED certification and the environmental passion of college students ran into entrenched city ordinances.

Eureka city code covered native vegetation in the weed ordinance, and anything over 8 inches had to be cut. That is the case in most municipalities.

Students in Mullen’s environmental studies and botany classes helped plan the native landscaping, and they mounted a passionate advocacy campaign when people began complaining about the wild, unmanicured look.

They found an ally in town administrator Melissa Brown.

“It takes public education,” Brown said. “I really appreciated working with the students. It was a very positive experience. It took two or three meetings for them to come back and address initial concerns, but in the end they answered all the questions and convinced the aldermen” to approve a change in the law.

At its December 2015 meeting, the council voted to amend its ordinance to allow native plants on residential property.

Brown is not aware of other central Illinois towns that have changed ordinances to embrace native plants.

Students were surprised during the process that some people thought turf grass was a native plant. What seemed obvious to students about the benefits of native plants was not so obvious to town officials who were concerned about how to identify native plants compared with weeds.

In the end, two people were designated to help the city, if necessary, identify what are weeds and what are native plants.

The process of defending native landscapes was frustrating initially to students who had to return repeatedly to answer questions by aldermen. However, in retrospect, the process has become a positive achievement for students.

Jon Hileman, a sophomore majoring in biology and chemistry, said he had planned a career in medicine but was reevaluating that after this successful experience helping to change a town ordinance.

“I felt we made a difference. I may reconsider medicine and look at something else that can help the Earth,” he said, already planning to work with friends this summer in his hometown in Indiana to get a similar ordinance change. He and his friends may also work on organizing an organic farm and food forest in his hometown.

Jake Hartter, a former Eureka student and graduate of Greenville College in environmental studies and biology, is now project coordinator for the native plantings at Eureka College.

“Landscape restoration is an excellent filter for excess nutrients and water,” Hartter said, pointing to a small 1.5-inch pipe now used for greatly reduced water runoff on the west side of Sanders Hall.

The bioswale or rain garden there has about 30 different plant species.

Mullen said native plants in the landscape around Sanders Hall were funded with an anonymous $40,000 gift. Sanders is the first building on campus and the first in Woodford County to earn LEED certification.

Julia Golan, a junior in environmental studies from Pekin, said, “Native plants used to be seen as a nuisance. Now they’re part of the solution to standing water.”

In agreement is Adria Slater, a sophomore majoring in biology from Champaign, who said, “There’s a lot of flooding around Eureka. This can be part of the solution.”

Erika Holum, a junior majoring in political science from Houston, said native plants are frequently referred to as weeds and that’s a kind of “plant blindness.”

“That happens when people don’t see and understand the value of native plants,” she said. “For us, the complaints became an opportunity.”

In Peoria, Councilwoman Beth Jensen said, “By amending its weed ordinance so that deep-rooted native plants are not considered weeds and are allowed to grow, the Village of Eureka has taken a positive step in helping to reduce water runoff. A similar amendment to the City of Peoria’s ordinances would be helpful as we work to find solutions to our CSO (combined sewer overflow) problem and other wet weather issues. Hats off to the Eureka students who spearheaded this effort!”