Member Spotlight on Cindy Smith, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Environmental Science and Policy, Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, George Mason University

Partner at MowCow Lawn and Landscape

If you paid too much attention to the prevailing attitudes toward lawns and lawn maintenance, you might assume that environmentalism is at odds with the interests of turfgrass industry. But one conversation with Cindy Smith may help you realize that the two actually go hand-in-hand.

As a professional who is invested in both education (as a professor at GMU) and in the lawncare industry (as a partner at MowCow), Cindy has a unique perspective on how anyone can contribute to healthy, thriving ecosystems. From MowCow’s organic-based approach to inviting her students to more carefully observe their surroundings, Cindy is focused on public education and shifting perception about how we interact with our environment.

Cindy sheltering from the rain in her field office.

In the lawncare sphere, defining terms is a simple but impactful tool that helps Cindy manage expectations and provide a better understanding of plants and their care. “So many homeowners want ‘chemical free’ lawns. Well, even the ‘natural’ products are chemicals. What they usually mean is lower input. And making that distinction is important,” Cindy says. “Others will tell me they want to add native landscapes. Ok, that means increased maintenance – are you okay with that? Or they want a pollinator patch, but no bees.”

Initiating this conversation with homeowners is key to beginning the long trek to public awareness of best practices in lawn and landscape maintenance and the net benefit when it’s done right. When it comes to her students at George Mason University, sometimes the lesson is as simple as “Touch, See, Do.” Asking students to challenge their expectations and investigate their surroundings in a hands-on setting provides an authentic learning experience. One basic exercise that is always eyeopening for students sets the tone for Cindy’s classes: “I have students walk around campus with infrared temperature sensors and measure the temperatures of the pond, turfgrass surfaces, pavers, wood chips, forested areas, asphalt. Before the exercise, they all guess that asphalt is the warmest. It’s actually shredded brown mulch. Turfgrass is the coolest.” It is this simple exercise that begins the process of challenging perception.

Beyond the university classroom and homeowner education, Cindy is invested in the restoration and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay. “What I do with my colleagues at George Mason, is part of the time I’m based at Potomac Science Center,” Cindy says. “My colleagues and I look at probably anything you can imagine, from the sediment on up to the surface, dealing with the Potomac River

water quality. We monitor a couple places, one of them in Dunstan Cove, we’ve been monitoring for almost 37 years, downstream from the NoVa Water Treatment Plant. So we’ve got the longest running story of Chesapeake Bay recovery from way back when, in the 80s, it was nasty, soupy green water from Washington D.C. down to Quantico.”

Cindy’s involvement in each of these aspects of environmentalism are a great foundation for turfgrass professionals to build upon. Her participation in VTC education and advocacy are a great benefit for the association and individuals. One of the largest hurdles in our industry is public perception, and while we must be united in protecting our livelihood at a legislative level, we also have to remember that this happens one homeowner, one student, one child, one company, one HOA at a time.

Nature Photography by Cindy Smith

Cindy Smith’s penchant for nature and living things began early. She recounts her early memories of observing insects. “When I was little, I got in a lot of trouble and my mom would send me to sit on the front stoop with my peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. I’d watch the red and black ants on either side of the sidewalk crack and put bits of my sandwich down to create an ant war.” Her early fascination with observing plants, insects and wildlife has evolved into a gift for nature photography. “You can learn anywhere, just open your eyes!”

That keen eye for beauty and purpose in nature has grown into a thriving career and a great impact in the Virginia green industry.