Traditionally,\nwe make our New Year\u2019s Resolutions on New Year\u2019s Eve, or perhaps on the morning\nafter, when we are inspired to change our ways for the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From another\nperspective, we can at any time commit ourselves to self-improvement or even\nhigher goals. This column invites gardeners to create climate-friendly gardens\nin 2019, as their individual contribution to efforts to combat global warming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Essentially,\nglobal warming results from the imbalances of the normal carbon cycle, which\nbegins when plants capture carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sup>) from the air and\nconvert it into plant tissues. As the\nplants are eaten and digested by animals, or die and decompose, CO2<\/sup>\nis formed again and returned to the atmosphere. At the same time, vast\nquantities of carbon have been stored in the ground in the soil and what we\nhave regarded as fossil fuels: oil, coal, and natural gas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This natural\ncycle, which has continued for a very long time, has been disrupted as\nhumankind has burned the fossilized materials and released their stored carbon\ninto the atmosphere, disrupting the carbon cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The challenge\nthat humankind now faces is to reduce and eventually eliminate burning of oil,\ncoal, and natural gas, and to produce energy through other means, notably by\ncapturing the suns energy. This is the existential mission, i.e., its purpose\nis to sustain the existence of human life on the planet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the\ngardening perspective, gardeners can participate in this mission in two ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reducing the Use of Fossil Fuels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nstrategy involves reducing the direct and indirect consumption of fossil fuels\nin the garden. The direct consumption of these fuels involves using\ngasoline-powered equipment, notably lawn mowers, and other devices, including\ntrimmers, edgers, chain saws, tillers, sod cutters, and the like. While\noccasional use of such devices might be unavoidable, whenever possible gardeners\nshould use electrically powered devices or, ideally, hand-powered equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the\nrecord, the generation of electricity often involves burning fossil fuels, but\nthe shift to renewable energy production is in progress, and deserves support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The indirect\nconsumption of fossil fuels occurs when we use synthetic fertilizers and\npesticides (insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides), all of which require\nsignificant amounts of fossil fuel energy for their manufacture and transport.\nThe clear option is to discontinue uses of these materials and to identify and\nuse organic alternatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This\ntransition can require finding sources of organic fertilizers and learning about\nnatural, organic approaches to the control of pests and weeds. If you already\nknow about these options, you are ready to commit to their use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Capturing Carbon in the Garden <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\ngardener\u2019s second strategy for combatting global warming is to support the ways\nthat the garden stores (sequesters) carbon. Again, this is a natural process,\nso it is not difficult to incorporate in the garden. Here are the principal\nmethods: <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition\nto helping to save the planet, climate-friendly gardening is compatible with\nenvironment-friendly practices, and with your gardening success. It\u2019s still a\ngood time to commit to climate-friendly gardening as your resolution for 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information on this topic, see \u201cThe Climate-Friendly Gardener: A guide to Combating Climate Warming From the Ground Up.<\/a>\u201d<\/a> <\/a>This is a free download from the Union of Concerned Scientists.\u00a0 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Traditionally, we make our New Year\u2019s Resolutions on New Year\u2019s Eve, or perhaps on the morning after, when we are inspired to change our ways for the better. From another perspective, we can at any time commit ourselves to self-improvement … Continue reading