Green Lawn Care for Wild Benefit

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Click for tips on designing pet-friendly yards

Credit: Mr. Tree and Lawn Service, LLC.

The Autumn season marks the start, in many four-season areas of our country, of a time during which yard work becomes crucial.  Often overlooked and neglected, lawn care in the fall can easily improve the condition of the grass and shrubbery, not only for the present season but for the future spring season.  So while you’re all gearing up to treat your grass and landscaping, please do try to keep in mind those four legged friends that occasionally graze the yard, both wild and domesticated.  And if you have children roaming the yards, working to improve your treatment methods is a no-brainer.

There are better options than automatically resorting to chemical fertilizers and other harmful practices. Read More →

Celebration of National Honey Bee Day

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Today, August 16th, marks the annual celebration of National Honey Bee Day, and we here at LGBG are proud to be a part of this observance.  This year’s theme, “sustainable gardening begins with honey bees,” is very appropriate because overall beekeeping is a backyard industry.  Most beekeeping activities occur in municipalities, towns and suburban areas, rather than traditional farms.[1]

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The growing popularity of backyard gardening and sustainable gardening has ushered in a greater concern for honeybees by advocates of green living.  More than ever, environmentally consciousness citizens are getting involved in the effort to save honey bees.  As we learn and practice sustainable gardening techniques, we better understand and appreciate the important role that honey bees play as garden pollinators.  Thanks to the political actions of local gardening enthusiasts, several municipalities and townships have removed anti-beekeeping ordinances and restrictive codes.

Read More →

Spring Forward To Sustainability

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Spring garden

Spring garden

Spring has finally arrived, signaling great opportunity to spring forward to a new commitment to sustainability.  It is time to shed the winter doldrums and complacent attitude, clean out our living spaces and our heads and enjoy and get engaged in Nature’s annual rebirth.

We here at LGBG hope that our readers and supporters will commit or recommit to living a green and sustainable life.

The first step to achieving a sustainable lifestyle lies in the adoption of a mindset of sustainability.  We all need to recognize that since the industrial revolution, people in western societies have erroneously held the belief that we could keep using the Earth’s resources for goods and services without concern for the environmental or social impact of these activities.[1]  Now it is important for each of us to understand that we must use the Earth’s natural resources responsibly with the understanding that they are a loan and must be returned to the earth through a circular process that permits life on Earth to continue.  In fact, we should aim to ensure that our life cycles cause no harm to the environment and actually improve it. Read More →

Engage In Green!!

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School is out and warm weather is here.  This is an opportune time to get involved with the green movement.  Teachable moments are everywhere.  For older children who want to earn extra money doing lawn care, parents can give instructions on the use of green products to care for the lawn that do not pollute or produce runoff to streams and lakes.  Younger children can learn how to grow flowers or vegetables using organic plant and vegetable food that is not harmful to the environment.  There are few restraints here.  Projects can be as large as outdoor land or as small as houseplants or patio gardens.

Planting an outside garden provides a great opportunity to enjoy the weather outside and is a great alternative to watching television or playing video games. Developing a schedule for gardening activities teaches children to adhere to routines and to commit to projects.  These characteristics are key to success in both education and work.   Researching green gardening, implementing a plan and then carrying it out fosters teamwork and promotes wholesome family time.  The final product, whether it is a crop of tomatoes or other vegetables or a garden of beautiful flowers that were grown by an organic process that contributed to the health of the environment will be a source of pride for any family and most likely the highlight of the summer vacation.

Green gardening is a wonderful activity and learning opportunity that stimulates and teaches valuable lessons to children without mimicking the feel of the classroom, thereby providing a rewarding and unique adventure for both parents and children.  Let’s use this natural classroom to go green this summer.