Since I wrote about Growing Nature-Loving Kids, I have become aware of an entire movement spurred by Richard Louv’s powerful treatise on the necessity of getting children into the outdoors. The author himself is chair of the Children & Nature Network, a network of regional groups dedicated to the cause. Several states have issued proclamations and plans to move kids outside during school, free time, and family time. The National Wildlife Federation is promoting a daily “Green Hour” of outdoor play. In short, it seems like everyone is jumping on this very worthy bandwagon.

I believe the reduction or elimination of recess and the increased structuring of children’s extracurricular time is a serious issue, along with childhood obesity and the widening gap between kids’ perceptions and the reality of the natural world. That is why I take great heart in these developments, the rallying to a call for more green childhoods. But I think we might lose the quintessential part in all the pomp.

If we are not careful, we will begin structuring this green time to the extent that children do not have the chance to learn from nature and experience the thrill and spiritual awakening that free exploration and natural wonders can provide. The most important point in all of the emerging research on the ill effects of nature deprivation seems to be that kids must be kids in the most kid-friendly environment there is, and that is the outdoors. No where else can a child have all the limitless variables with which to play, experiment, invent, dream, learn, and ponder. Indoor environments will always be contrived and lacking in comparison.

And so the most important thing that anyone–parents, relatives, teachers, mentors and friends–can do for a child is to get him or her outside for some genuine, unstructured, free and fun play. Who knows? The adults might realize that they needed the same thing, all along.

Within the last week, National Public Radio did a retrospective on the Ford Model-T, remarking that the assembly-line car domesticated driving and changed the landscape of America, in addition to contributing to the very fuel situation in which we now find ourselves. This highlights a feeling that has grown in me over the past month, as I react to the way people are not changing their habits.

I want to offer a public service announcement, if you will, about our nation’s driving habits. It is true that our choice of vehicles–their overall size, fuel economy, and emissions–and our driving patterns–making fewer trips–have changed in recent times, mostly due to rising gas prices. This is to be cheered. But there are still some who insist on driving large, military-style vehicles when they truly don’t need them; some who still deny that their actions affect others. I want to say, for anyone feels the same, that you do not really need to waste that much gas. You can change. You do not need to continue taking your 13 mpg vehicle down the street to mail a letter. You do not need to continue driving it separately when you could carpool. You can trade it in; you can get a four-while drive vehicle to replace it, if you truly need that feature, but you might not even need that feature, either. I do not deny that some need to haul things and drive in more rugged places. I do, however, call to account those who are now affecting us all out of a style preference.

It is time to recognize that every time we use more gas than necessary simply out of laziness, we are hurting the entire world supply of fuel. That includes, eventually, our own. The prices will continue to rise. Gas will become prohibitively expensive for all but the most wealthy, and that includes those who now say it doesn’t matter to them because they have enough wealth to absorb the increase.

The bottom line is, unless you are conducting tank maneuvers or bushwacking through the Amazon, you can change your fuel intake. You can recognize that the amount you use today is only contributing to the price hikes. Until all of our vehicles use alternative fuel sources, we must work together toward stretching the remaining supply. It is so easy to become selfish in trying times. What we need now is intelligence and compassion. You can change your habits, and it won’t change your life as much as you think.

I just thought I would say it, once and for all. What do you think?

. . . Okay, maybe not all of them, but some consumer product giants like Deer Park, Kraft, and others are making their plastic containers sleeker to deliver the same amount of product in less packaging. They have even anticipated the fears of consumers and printed “Still 8 ounces!” or similar encouragements right on the package. It warms my heart to see even such a small step by the companies that, like it or not, control the majority of the product stream for the majority of the American public.

Another supermarket development you may have noticed is the introduction, and even T.V. promotion, of concentrated dish and laundry detergents. Buying liquids in concentrate saves money and packaging, as penny-pinchers have known for decades with their (admittedly sometimes scary) concentrated juice drinks. We all remember those from school. Now, it seems, concentrate is cool again, as long as you remember to use the amount on the package.

There are, of course, still corporations that need a push from their voters–the consumers–to make some needed changes to products millions use frequently. If you’d like to help, go here to sign a petition for safe cleaning products and disclosed ingredients from leading companies (with thanks to the Audubon Naturalist Society for promoting this opportunity).

Today’s Live With Regis and Kelly show is part of a “Green Week” series, and it featured several of the tips I’ve discussed here for saving money while going green: cutting down on junk mail to reduce spending; buying in bulk at the grocery store; and using clean greening products (bought or made). Other great ideas include eating out less for lunch to reduce paper (and money) waste and taking fewer short trips by car in favor of bicycling or walking. I was a bit disappointed that the recommendation to plant trees and shrubs around one’s house for greater heating and cooling economy didn’t caution against non-native species, but the intentions were good.

Check out the full list of tips here at the Green Week site by clicking on “Save Money.”

If the first rule of conservation landscaping is to lesson your lawn, the second is to lesson your water use. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, with the most obvious benefit being a smaller water bill. Using less water will also reduce your impact on the earth and encourage another key part of greener gardening: the use of native plants. Plants that are native to your region usually require less water because they are adapted to the climate in which you live, with its unique weather pattern and annual precipitation levels. Let me repeat: the best plants for an environmentally friendly garden are not only native to your country but to your region, as well. Trying to plant a U.S.-native cactus if you live in New Hampshire kind of defeats the purpose.

The first way to reduce your gardening water use is to plant regionally native plants. If you live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (most of Pennsylvania, Delaware, D.C. and Maryland, with parts of New York, West Virginia, and Virginia as well), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a detailed photo-book of regional native plants available online. If you live in the Mid-West, check out the EPA’s Great Lakes Native Plants Factsheet. The WildOnes organization is a native plant resource also primarily for the Mid-West, but it has a few Eastern chapters and good information for all. For Westerners, visit the customizable Native Gardening Guide at eNature, which goes for everyone in the U.S., too. Everyone can also benefit from visiting the National Wildlife Federation and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center websites, both of which have spotlights and lists on the native plants of specific U.S. regions.

Another great way to get into native plant gardening is to go directly to nurseries, greenhouses, and nature centers in your area and to ask if they have native plants available. If they do, take notes but don’t buy anything until you check out resources like those above and books at libraries to make sure the person(s) you spoke with know what they are talking about. I have personally experienced several instances where garden center personnel were happy to help but gave false or misleading information about which plants are native. The native gardening movement is growing in the U.S., but knowledge is lagging behind in the commercial horticulture industry. There are, however, some nurseries cropping up that specialize in native plants. Seek these out and support them with your business if you can. Here in Western Maryland, ElkRidge NatureWorks is a beacon of conservation landscaping, covering aspects beyond native plants for their customers.

Some of these aspects also reduce water use, and I want to mention two more: rain barrels and rain gardens. Both capture rain water, the former for your traditional watering use and the latter for the purpose of decreasing stormwater flooding and increasing groundwater infiltration (besides looking good!). More information and how-tos about both can be found in this pdf document from the Center for Watershed Protection. Be careful, again, if you do not live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, as the native plants mentioned may not be best suited for your region.

Now go and get your hands dirty with a greener garden; if not for the planet, at least for me, since I must garden vicariously.

Renting household items may be a great alternative to buying, whether you a) have next to no space for new things, b) don’t want the hassle of arranging, storing, and dusting new things, or c) want to lighten your contribution to the local landfill. Now I’m not advocating those “rent-to-own” places that enslave you for a new T.V., but there are small-scale renting options popping up around the web that are worth a look. Zilok allows you to rent out or to rent from others anything from laptops to golf clubs to evening gowns. For the book-hungry, BookSwim has monthly rental plans that work like Netflix and start as low as 14.99.

In other news, here’s a positive update–according to an article on CNN Money.com, GM is shifting its auto production from 50% cars to 60% in the wake of gasoline price-induced consumer spending changes. Also,

GM is launching a strategic review of its Hummer line of heavy trucks and . . . may sell the unit, though finding a buyer will likely prove difficult.

“This is very difficult environment to sell a brand like that,” Mainstay’s Kudla said. “Unfortunately for GM, Hummer just doesn’t have much consumer appeal at this point.”

The proof is in the numbers. Hummer sales were almost cut in half in April compared to a year earlier, with 2,380 moving off the lots down from 4,375 in 2007.

I was going to say sorry to those who like Hummers, but tolerance has its limits. There’s never been a reason to appreciate Hummers as civilian vehicles, and unless you live on on a craggy outer planet, it doesn’t seem like there ever will be.

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.

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.

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.

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.