Help make the world more livable in 2018
As a new year approaches, so does a clean slate.
For many gardeners, this means clean air and a new shot at making our planet’s climate better, since we’re in the business of producing oxygen every time we nurture a plant.
We have some stories to help make you think outside of your box and come up with ideas to create a more livable corner of your world.
Thirty days of wild: The Wildlife Trusts, a coalition of 47 land trusts dedicated to nature’s recovery in the United Kingdom, created a 30-day program to encourage people to connect with their natural world. The Waitrose Weekend newspaper reports that nearly 30,000 people and organizations signed up online to take part in the campaign last year. “Thousands of people carried out 1.8 million random acts of wildness during 30 Days Wild,” says the Wildlife Trusts’ Lucy McRobert.
What are “random acts of wildness”? Anything that connects us with nature. The newspaper lists some of the ways to do this: 1. Channel your inner poet. Write some verses about your favourite wild place.
2. Relax in nature. Pull a hat over your eyes, cross your hands behind your head and chill out in a meadow. In Canada, make it a toque.
3. Admire a sunset. In the summer, bats might be spotted overhead (and we need more bats). In a Canadian winter, the silence can be deafening, in an amazing way.
4. Go wild at work. If you have an open or unused outdoor space near your work, encourage colleagues to create a wild space there. Native plants might factor into your plan.
We suggest that you build an insect hotel to attract more desirable wildlife to your yard.
Thirty Days of Wild sounds like such a clever idea, Canada should have a month of “wild” also. After all, we have more wild per capita than any other country.
Cow burps: Many of our climate change problems revolve around the production of carbon and the slow erosion of the ozone layer.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 9.5 per cent of the greenhouse gases (GHG) produced by human activity is the result of cows letting off methane gas. They burp like crazy. Hazardous burps.
While vegetarians will suggest that we simply stop eating beef, there is another solution: breed cows that burp less. According to the Scotsman Newspaper in Edinburgh, a new breed of cow is in development and may be on a farm near you within a few years. The newspaper reports: “Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College, the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, and the University of Aberdeen have identified a link between an animal’s genetic makeup, the bacteria in its digestive system and the amount of methane it produces.” The newspaper quotes a news release: “Our Green Cow research has allowed us to identify a number of things that will help to reduce global methane emissions.”
In time, the Green Cow project’s dedication to indigestion could help agriculture cut its carbon footprint worldwide.
Free veggies: While visiting Strathcona, Alta., a couple of years ago, we saw signs posted in large containers of vegetables growing in open, public spaces. The signs wel- comed passersby to harvest food for their own consumption. We were surprised to learn that the privilege of self-harvesting was not abused.
Free fish: In Pincher Creek, Alta., a small, man-made pond in the centre of town provides opportunities for free fish. A sign reads, “Senior citizens fish for free. Limit two fish per day.” What a wonderful way to say thank you to the seniors in their community.
Ideas that are sustainable and green are all around us. As the garden sleeps through a Canadian winter, we can dream about what we each can do to protect the environment. Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster, tree advocate and holds the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow them at markcullen.com, @markcullengardening, on Facebook and bi-weekly on Global TV’s Morning Show.