ecogardening to reduce carbon footprint
DESCRIPTION
Tips on actions that gardeners can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Includes information on gardening practices, working in communities, and vegetable gardening.TRANSCRIPT
Ecogardening: Reduce Your
Carbon Footprint
Linda R McMahanOregon State University Extension Horticulturist & [email protected]
Program & Goals
• Fun fact quiz• Effects of predicted climate changes on
Western Oregon gardens• Sustainable practices for gardeners• Questions, Comments, & Feedback
Climate Change and Gardens
Quiz
What potential percentage of energy use can you save by planting deciduous trees to shade your home?
• 5%
• 15%
• 30%
• 50%
In Oregon, planting deciduous trees to shade a home has the potential
to save:
• $25 per year
• $50 per year
• $100 per year
• $175 per year
Percentage of world power used by the United States?
(We are about 5% of world population)
• 5%
• 15%
• 25%
• 40%
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/World_population_pie_chart.PNG
True or False
• Predicted climate change in our area includes warmer average annual temperatures
True
True of False
• Predicted climate change in our area would mean wetter winters with more storm runoff and increased flooding
True
What percentage of the “waste stream” typically discarded could be kept “at home” for use in the
garden?
• 5%
• 22%
• 34%
• 63%
In the U.S., fresh produce travels an estimated average “food miles” of:
• 50 miles
• 150 miles
• 750 miles
• 1500 miles
Of the following activities to acquire fresh produce, which one typically uses the most energy per item?
• The trip to and from the grocery store
• Energy required to get produce from the farmer to the grocery store
• Energy used to grow fresh produce at home
The most energy-intensive part of a typical home landscape is:
• A vegetable garden
• Annual and perennial borders
• The lawn
• The trees
Produce flown by air consumes how much more energy than
shipping by sea?
• 14%
• 24%
• 44%
• 144%
Effects of Possible Climate Changes in Western Oregon
Warmer average
temperatures
Different plants may be locally adaptive
More turbulent weather, possibly more extremes
More wind damage, maybe frost & heat damage
Higher winter rainfall in western Oregon
More water damage, water and chemical runoff, flooding & vegetation changes
Effect Consequence
What gardeners can do!
• Reduce use of fossil fuels• Recycle and compost• Limit consumption• Use common sense• Protect the soil• Reduce water use• Work with nature• Create communities of gardeners
Some General Rules for Gardens and Landscapes
An energy-intensive landscape
A low-energy-use landscape
If your practices and purchases use fossil fuels, consider using alternative
methods
Transportation
Manufacture
Materials
Lifetime of Use
Direct Fuel Use
Use the Power of the SunPlant trees—they provide shade and moderate temperatures
Deciduous trees on the south and west sides of house provide cooling influence in summer and let heat through in winter
Use solar lighting if practical
Shrubs, lawns, and other vegetation also cools, shades, and protects from wind
Go WaterWiseSaves water for drinking, agriculture, or wildlife
Creates beautiful landscapes
Uses fewer chemicals because plants are better adapted
Less water means less expended energy for water storage, delivery, and infrastructure
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening
penstemon
• Plants from Mediterranean regions of the world, including California
• US prairie natives like sunflower
• Pacific Northwest native plants
sunflower
Grevillia rosemarifolia
California fuchsia
Cistus
For WaterWise Plants, Choose:
Use Native Plants
• Native plants are already adapted to our climate
• Many different choices are available
• Most support local birds, butterflies and other wildlife
Wild strawberrry
Ceanothus
Mock orange
Build a Rain Garden
Photo: Rob Emanuel, OSU Extension
Think Local
Plants & seeds grown locally
Native plants grown locally
Local products, local sources
Nurture native wildlife
Control invasive plants and animals in the garden
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/controlling-invasive-plants
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening/native-plant-gardening
Iris tenax, a local native plant
Think Local, Think Wildlife
Plant a Native Plant Garden--Reduce erosion, conserve water, encourage wildlife, lower maintenance
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle . . . .
Buy used and/or buy sturdy, organize swaps or trades
Save seeds
Share resources with neighbors
Compost at home or use leaves as mulch
Use manual methods when you can
Learn from Nature
• In a natural forest, no one rakes up the leaves, and plants still grow and flourish
• Mimic nature by “composting in place”
• This practice reduces the need for adding fertilizers and mulch, saving money and energy
Grow Your Own
Know your food
Save transportation costs
Create family and community activities
Live with the seasons
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/
Work Together for Greater Impact
Save resources through sharing tools, equipment, plants, and garden space
Create a community garden
Help each other understand how our actions affect the world’s ecosystems and climate
Create a new “look” for your community, maybe not so “tidy”
A Special Word About LawnsLeave grass clippings on the lawn to reduce or eliminate fertilizer – “Grasscycling”
Use manual equipment when this is practical, with electric-powered being the next choice
Once established, let the lawn evolve on its own –perfect turf in Oregon and Washington is a rarity
Limit chemical use and seek alternatives to chemicals
Turf Replacement Strategies
• Plants
• Permeable surfaces
Be Creative: Use your garden to reduce overall energy use
• Use a clothes line
• Build arbors and pergolas for additional shade & wind breaks
• Create wind breaks with evergreen shrubs
Go Easy on the Chemical Inputs
If needed, consider using natural fertilizers like cottonseed meal or fish emulsion fertilizer
Use alternatives to herbicides such as hand weeding
Stop and Think: Is there a better way?
Nurture Your Soil—it will reward you in return
Be tolerant of imperfection and respect natural processes
Support Pollinators & Other Beneficial Creatures
Beneficial organisms include bees, butterflies, birds, insects, reptiles & amphibians
Encourage garden
biodiversity through care of the soil and limiting chemical inputs
Landscape Sustainability Checkup
Landscape Sustainability Checkup
Is your yard ready to be an
“Oregon Sustainable Landscape”?
• Score at least 50 on the checklist to find out.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/douglas/sites/default/files/documents/hort/lscheckup.pdf
Sustainability Checkup
• Water Efficiency, Water Runoff• Mulch, Fertilizer• Recycle• Wildlife• Yard Pest Control• Right Plant Right Place • Presence/Control of Invasives• Streams – Special Care
Recognize and Create Sustainable Landscapes
A mix of plants and plant communities encourages a diversity of plants and animals in a typical landscape
What we do in our gardens affects people and ecosystems elsewhere, from our energy use, to what runs off with rainwater or escapes in the air. We cannot draw a bubble around our homes and gardens and live in isolation—it just doesn’t work that way.
Thank [email protected]
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening