Gardener's Guide to Global Warming

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

The National Wildlife Federation just released a 40-page report called the Gardener's Guide to Global Warming. It includes lots of tips on things we can do in and around our gardens and homes to give wildlife a better chance of survival -- and keep the air and the environment in general more healthful in the process.

Some of the suggestions are fairly simple things many gardeners do anyway: compost food scraps, use barrels to catch rainwater, plant native species, etc. But there are also suggestions for going deeper: encourage home stores and garden centers to carry (and use!) energy-efficient products, participate in citizen science (e.g., Project BudBurst), and create a green roof. The report also recommends using human-powered garden tools. (Good grief, who thought gas-powered leaf blowers were a good idea anyway?)

Has the threat of global warming prompted you to do anything differently in your garden or yard? If so, what changes have you made?

10 Comments:

Blogger Ottawa Gardener said...

Yes, it has made me puzzled about the last frost date.

This link has been spotted on many a blog as recent and once again I thank you for it (because I was oblivious before today). I love the blogosphere for news!

8:10 AM  
Blogger Ki said...

Thanks for the link to the Gardener's Guide to Global Warming. Unfortunately I can't do without our gas powered lawn mower since we still have too much grass despite my expanding planting beds/berms every year.

8:31 AM  
Blogger Ed Bruske said...

To the great lawn I say, plant a meadow instead.

Good for you, Christa, pushing the green envelope. We all need to be more conscious. No more "unfortunately, I can't." Translate to "I will."

8:01 PM  
Blogger Nickie said...

amen on the powered blowers!

My husband and I differ greatly on thier use. hubby loves all power tools...mowers, edgers, blowers...

Im the opposite. I love the time and exertion it takes to sweep the patio with a BROOM, to rake leaves with a RAKE and I would mow the lawn with a non powered pushmower if he would let me. Seriously, jsut the act of doing it manually is intensely satisfying.

besides....LAWNS SUCK and I've always felt that way even as a child. I'd much rather have flowers, herbs, trees, and plants. I have too much lawn now but I am slowly working on making it disapear.

8:49 PM  
Blogger Dawn said...

Thanks for the link. I received the 40 page booklet for free from The Natural Gardener Nursery here in Austin. Kudos to NWF for making such a great resource!

My goal is to have a garden with no grass someday. We moved here last July, so I still have far to go, but I'm working on it.

Regards,
Dawn

11:18 PM  
Blogger Christina said...

Wow. I think you've been reading my mind, because I've been pondering some of the same issues and am planning to post about them this weekend. But here's one thing I do for my gardening situation:

My garden plot is just over a mile away, and I walk there and back. Yup, I walk, even if it's hot.

Now, I just have to figure out the water issue. How to keep a vegetable garden plot that is not on one's own property watered through the summer in a desert, without being wasteful . . . it's quite a dilemma.

Thanks for raising a great question.

12:42 AM  
Blogger Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi Christa,

Excellent post!

No I haven't made any changes because I already do most if not all of the things you describe.

I am going to do something this year that is because of global warming: buy another rain butt or 2. The 2 I have already, have been empty for weeks now, because it hasn't rained for more than a month which is very unusual in my country. We are having summer weather in spring and are breaking weather records left, right and centre. Last April was the warmest and driest in more than 300 years both in the Netherlands and Britain. In Germany it was the hottest in a 100 years.

1:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This summer I plan on helping my father set up his 40 foot tall wind turbine that will generate 2 kilowatts of power.

My dad is more cheap than he is green and doesn't want to pay the electric company anymore than he has to. :)

And that's also why the family is raising this thing for him instead of paying for the installation like most wind turbine owners do.

And oh yeah, I'm also doing some composting. I've been known to do that. :)

12:15 PM  
Blogger Tracey said...

Here-here on the leaf blowers!
We are collecting rainwater for our entire house off of our roof, composting whatever we can get our little mitts on and I just planted a native plant bed. Oh! And we run any motor we can on bio-diesel - cars, tractor, home heating system . . .
Enjoying your blog!

1:28 PM  
Blogger Christa said...

It's wonderful to hear what you all are doing to make a difference. Bio-diesel and windwmills even! I am hearing about more and more people who are trying to reduce the size of their lawn. Less lawn, more native plants.

Girl Gone Gardening, I'm with you. I like raking leaves with a RAKE and sweeping with a good ol' fashioned broom.

7:27 AM  

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