 |
||||
Get Eco-Smart this Season Did you know your garden has a carbon footprint? Here's how to knock it down a size or two. 
Fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas currently provide more than 85 percent of all energy consumed in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and the dependency is likely to increase. As the country looks for new ways to use sustainable resources, take some time in to make your own impact on the environment. "Reducing carbon usage is something that's practical and not out of reach," says Rebekah Hren, co-author of "The Carbon-Free Home: 36 Remodeling Projects to Help Kick the Fossil-Fuel Habit" (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008). "You don't have to be dependent on nonrenewable resources." Here are a few simple ideas from Rebekah and her husband and co-author, Stephen, to reduce fossil fuel usage: • Get rid of traditional fertilizers. "Use organic fertilizers instead," Stephen says. "Going from chemical to organic actually builds up the soil, and the organic matter that slowly accumulates captures carbon." • Solar-powered path lights. "You can get these for really cheap now, and they work really well," Rebekah says. "Then you don't have to add to the electric bill to have garden lights." • Solar-powered water pumps. "These are good if you have any kind of water feature," Rebekah says. • Plant for the long-term. "Something like a blueberry bush, a cherry tree or a peach tree can save you a lot of money a couple years down the road," Stephen says. "Not only is it much fresher and healthier, there is no shipping cost and no transportation energy issues. And you don't have to go out and earn the money to buy produce." Create shade with a leafy plant or vines on a trellis. "It's always good when you combine two ends out of one activity," Stephen says. "One thing we did for cooling purposes in the summer is built a trellis over the windows that face west. We planted a deciduous grape vine so in the summer it's shading the window and you also get the grapes. It helps to regulate the temperature of our house and attracts birds and butterflies, too." Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Plastic is made from petroleum, and gardeners - either because they aren't aware, or don't have access to a place that will accept gardening plastic - create a huge waste stream every growing season. In 2008, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis collected and recycled 150,000 pounds of used plastic garden pots and polystyrene cell packs, trays and hanging baskets that otherwise might have ended up in landfills. The garden's plastic pot recycling program, which was open May - Oct. and included satellite collection sites, is the largest program of its kind. • See if it's possible to return plastic pots to the nurseries where you purchased the plants. Check first to make sure they'll recycle what you have. Typically, plastic garden pots will be marked on the bottom with #2 or #5. Separate these from cell packs and trays marked # 6. • Check with the nearest botanical garden or call your local extension service to investigate your options for recycling garden plastic. |
||||
|
||||
