Leave the Leaves

October 16, 2025

Fall leaves are nature’s mulch and habitat. By letting leaves stay where they fall, we:
 ✅ Provide shelter for pollinators and other beneficial insects
 ✅ Protect and enrich soil
 ✅ Cut down on yard waste headed to landfills
 ✅ Save time, money, and energy

Learn what our member communities are doing to encourage residents to Leave the Leaves. 🍁

Will you leave the leaves this year?

Winston-Salem, N.C. provides yard signs for residents who take the pledge and their Leave the Leaves table won most unique at a recent local fair! (link to social posts) see if you can use their video.
In Sarasota, FL, the UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability office promotes their Leave the Leaves campaign through a blog, bumper sticker, and factsheet. https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2025/03/19/support-your-local-bugs-leave-the-leaves-get-a-free-bumper-sticker/
Also in North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Orange County, Hillsborough, and Carrboro have partnered along with the New Hope Bird Alliance (formerly Audubon) and are on their fifth year of leave your leaves. “While it’s part of our Climate Action Plan, we’ve also found it to be a fun and easy way for our residents to come together and do something positive for the environment. Each year, more residents have pledged to leave their leaves, and what started with a single town in our county is now countywide. Some folks even leave their signs up year-round. A special thanks goes to a former staff person, Elizabeth Houghton, who helped us make the program what it is today.” -https://www.townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/public-works/streets-and-construction/leaves/leave-your-leaves https://www.instagram.com/chapelhillgov/?hl=en
Davidson, N.C. provides a custom Leave the Leaves garden flag to community members who pledge to leave their leaves and also place flags on Town properties where they are committing to leaving the leaves. https://www.townofdavidson.org/1620/Resident-Resources
Falls Church, VA, provides a comprehensive website and more for their Leave the Leaves campaign.