An Inconvenient Truth
Recently Donna and I went to see the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” If you have ANY environmental leanings, this is a must see movie.
Generally I have tried to keep politics out of the Scenic Nursery Blog But this is so important it broke down my resistance.
As a nurseryman I have always had environmental leanings. During the pesticide fights I tended to support the environmental movement. During the clean air and clean water fights I supported the environmental movement. Now during the Global Warming Fight I have to again support the environmental movement.
I sometimes wonder if the corporate spokesmen think they won’t have to live in the world we as a civilization create. Businessmen tend to be against regulation and in the nursery industry anti-environmentalism is a common reaction to the various regulations we have had to accept.
My position has always been that a market economy has to include ALL the costs involved with products and services. In my opinion that includes the costs of keeping the environment clean and livable.
As gardeners there aren’t a lot of things that we can do but every little bit helps.
By reducing the energy requirements in your garden we reduce Carbon dioxide emissions. What uses the most energy? Probably lawns. Reducing unneeded lawn can help. A mixed planting can give a more interesting garden and reduce mowing, watering and edging at the same time
Watering just enough will help also. With the use of automatic irrigation timers almost everyone waters too much. Reduce the frequency of irrigation to what you absolutely need. Check your irrigation system to make sure it is working at the best efficiency.
A layered garden is a way to create a more interesting garden and allows for the use of multiple small trees which sequesters carbon dioxide. This a technique I have advocated over the last few years for the aesthetics and the microclimate it allows us to create. This is a real win-win for us.
Again as gardeners, there isn’t much we can do as individuals, but as a group even small changes can help.
This may be a subject I bring up again
Jim
