Green backyards have more than just lawns.

It’s been a busy week for me as work gets into swing at the state park. And as more people in the northern U.S. finally catch up to summer, it’s time to talk about going green in your backyard.

Landscaping with native plants is often called xeriscaping (xeri meaning “dry”), because native plants are adapted to the region’s climate and soil conditions and therefore require infrequent to no supplemental watering. Xeriscaping is technically gardening with a focus on water conservation, however, so I like to refer to wholistically green gardening as conservation landscaping.

Though I don’t have a garden behind my city apartment, I did grow up with gardeners, and I had to do a large amount of research on the subject for a work project. So, I will share some useful links and tips on landscaping in a way that enhances the natural potential of your garden while offering habitat for wildlife and miles more eco-friendly benefits than traditional gardening.

The first and most important tip? Don’t obsess about having a green lawn. Lawns are artificial to begin with–the grass wasn’t here before Europeans were–and keeping them green to the current American standard requires more money, pesticides, herbicides, petroleum-based fertilizers, time spent mowing, gasoline, and water, water, water than Earth can stand. Cut back your lawn habit slowly by allowing it to go a little brown during drought periods and by reducing its size over time. The brown is a natural way for the grass to go dormant, and it will return. Meanwhile, replace the parts of your lawn which you don’t need with beautiful gardens of native plants, and watch the wildlife flock to your doorstep. And stay tuned for more on conservation landscaping.

Conservation Update and Some Helpful Lists

Please check the Conservation page tab at the top of the page for a new activism opportunity.

Also, take a look at this helpful list for figuring out what not to dump down the drain, and this list for alternatives to those hazardous home chemicals. (Thanks to IdealBite for the heads-up.) And if you want yet another environmental to-do list, here’s how to green your gadget collection.

Paper Redux, Part Two: Junk and Other Mail

The outcry began almost a decade ago, but now there are finally several options for reducing the flow of unwanted catalogs. Catalog Choice users select catalogs from the list provided, and the site takes care of removing users’ names from the mailing lists. As more people use the service, Catalog Choice says it will be able to acquire more catalogs for its list.

GreenDimes costs $20 for a several-year benefit but includes a larger list of catalogs and other junk mailings. I know people who have used this service and are satisfied with the results. If you are swimming in junk mail, what could it hurt?

SmartMoney.com has a useful article on other ways to stop junk mail, including those pre-screened credit card invitations some people can’t resist.

One final tip for stemming the white tide: pay your bills and receive you banking, credit card, and investment statements online. Many institutions now provide checking and savings accounts with free online banking, so ask at your bank first before making a switch. Financial institutions take many precautions to insure, as much as anyone can, that your identity is protected, and not having to deal with the paper copies is a priceless benefit. Above all, remember this: you’re helping the environment with every piece of mail you avoid.

Just One Thing: Less Packaging

This idea often aligns with the Less Plastic tip, but I believe it’s important–and powerful–enough to mention on its own. The best way to avoid individually-packaged foods is to buy in bulk. This does not necessarily mean buying extremely large quantities; even buying a “family” size reduces package waste when compared to using several smaller sizes, and the former is often, as many people know, the cheaper route. I live in an apartment in which we cannot store bulk anything, but think twice when buying the individual yogurt cups, and you’re on your way.

Keep this one thing in mind: according to the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, nearly 50% of human waste production by volume can be attributed to packaging alone.  Yikes. Resist the individually-wrapped prunes and chicken cutlets, my friends; it’s just not worth it. Besides, then you have to exhaust yourself opening that little plastic wrapper, and we all know how much fun THAT is.

How enduring is humanity’s damage to the Earth?

For possible answers, check out this graphic. You may not agree with all of the estimates (I don’t), but it’s both humbling and strangely encouraging to think about the limits to even our most potent destructive tendencies. Mr. James Lovelock would be proud.

(Thanks to Wilderdom.com)

A middle school student on plastic bags

Gunpowder Falls State Park, outside of Baltimore, MD, recently ran an student essay contest called the “Carbon Footprint Challenge.” The winning essay, by Thomas Lehner from Sparrows Point Middle School, is informative and compelling. Here’s the whole thing, courtesy of Gunpowder Currents newsletter:

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide a person uses in their lifetime. This essay challenge is to reduce my carbon footprint on the earth and to help others reduce their carbon footprint on the earth. I decided to use canvas bags instead of plastic bags at the grocery store to reduce my carbon footprint. It is really not as hard as you may think it would be to do! All that it really involves is remembering to take canvas bags with you when you go to the store.

There is a lot of research on the effect of plastic bags on the environment. According to the website http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php, “each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed world-wide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.” This averages out to 900 plastic bags per person per year! My research also told me that many different species of animals die from eating plastic bags. Whales, sea turtles, and seals are some of the many victims of careless littering. It also takes up to 1000 years for a bag in a landfill to decompose and when it decomposes it releases toxic chemicals into the environment. It costs more money and resources to use a “free” plastic bag than it costs to make or buy your own canvas bag.

With these facts in mind, I decided to figure out my family’s weekly consumption of plastic bags. I calculated that if we go to Walmart, the grocery store and the dollar store each week, we use an average of 30 bags per week. This would be 120 bags a month and 1,440 bags per year. Even if we practice bag recycling at the grocery store and reuse the plastic bags, we are still part of the problem of harming the environment and hurting wildlife. By using 2 canvas bags and 1 cooler bag each week, we are saving an average of 1,440 bags per year.

At first, the most difficult thing to do was to remember to take the bags into the stores. Several times we had to go back out to the car to get the bags. Another problem was dealing with the checkers because they were either shocked or annoyed with us for bringing our own bags. Their job is to place the items in plastic bags quickly and using canvas takes a minute or two longer to do. However we found that bagging our own items made it easier to carry the groceries inside to our house. We only had to make 1 trip with the 3 bags instead of 3 trips with 10 plastic bags. Also, we fold our canvas bags and put them back in the car and we do not have to store the plastic bags for recycling or reuse.

By doing this Carbon Footprint Challenge, I learned that plastic bags have a major role in the destruction of the environment. However, by simply using canvas bags my family can reduce the number of plastic bags used by 1,440 per year. This is an easy way to help the environment and cut down on the negative effects of plastic bags.

For more plastic reduction inspiration, check out my previous post Just One Thing: Less Plastic.

Paper Redux, Part One: Reading Online

The day seems to have passed when some forecasted the death of the book and the reign of the e-book. Many pundits now claim that the book is safe, and I join those who agree. Yet no matter how enduring the printed word, electronic reading materials definitely have their place in the green girl and guy’s arsenal. In addition to their obvious tree-saving benefits, e-books and e-magazines join online news in being easier on the bank account, as well. Below are some resources for happy web reading:

• Project Gutenberg. The original source for free e-books, now with over 25,000 titles on its own site and over 100,000 in its affiliate network.
• Questia Online Library. More than just a student’s or teacher’s resource; scroll to the bottom left corner for “FREE BOOKS”–more than 5,000, to be exact, in a pleasing e-book format.
• The Online Books Page. Links to over 30,000 free books on the web.
  
• Access the Great Books showcases 240 of the greatest written classics found online.
• World Wide School. A plethora of classic literature and educational books.
• Bartleby.com. A classy and searchable collection of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and reference materials; especially good for finding a poem or poet easily.
• Internet Sacred Text Archive. The self-described “largest freely available archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore and the esoteric on the Internet.”
• Zinio. Subscribe to your favorite magazines, but read them in a digital version. Caution: Turn on “Safe View” if you want to skip the mature magazine covers as you browse. While this isn’t generally free or cheaper than print (like my above links), I thought it was worth a mention for the green aspect. Along this line, check out Amazon’s new, wireless, e-book gadget Kindle, where you browse, order, and read books from one handheld device that supposedly mimics the book experience with an electronic paper display.

Of course, there are many ways to purchase e-books, from Amazon to ebooks.com, but I wanted to focus on the fun and free. What do you think of digital reading? Will Kindle-like devices become more popular (especially if the price comes down from $399)?

International Migratory Bird Day

I know, the events are getting a bit tiresome, but there are so many good ones, and my husband especially wanted you all to know about International Migratory Bird Day, which is tomorrow. If you’ve never thought about where all those beautiful birds of summer go for the rest of the year, or if you’d be surprised to learn how important other continents (like South America) are for American bird populations, visit the website: www.birdday.org. Maybe tomorrow is a good day to buy a field guide, or to crack open the one you already have, and appreciate the beauties of flight. Esquire magazine agrees.

What to Do About the Organic Food Dilemma

The New York Times recently reported on the quickly rising prices of some organic staple foods, like milk and bakery products. Grocery prices in general rose last year, and organic farmers are beginning to abandon the organic label, citing expensive organic feed for livestock and a shrinking profit margin over conventional foods. Compounding the difficulties are rising fuel prices and a lengthy process for obtaining organic certification.

Many people try to decide which organic products are really worth the price–which provide the most reduction in pesticide exposure? This question has become even more relevant in the current economic climate, and resources abound. Check out Dr. Green’s Organic Prescription for his take on the most crucial organic buys, particularly for families with children. (Can you guess the top must-have?) And be sure to get the new pocket guide to what to buy in the produce section, courtesy of the Environmental Working Group. They even score the level of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. (Preview: organic onions are a waste of money.)

Get Out!

The outdoorsy fun doesn’t stop with Earth Day. Express your love of America’s extensive trail system–or fall in love for the first time, or again–by attending a National Trails Day event near you. Find it at http://www.americanhiking.org/NTD.aspx. And show your local park service some love–it’s like an unofficial appreciation day for them, as well. (Yes, I work in a park. A little appreciation never hurt, right?)

UPDATE on 05/08/08: While you’re thinking about the great outdoors, consider signing up for NWF’s Great American Backyard Campout on June 28th.