The lawn is iconic of property ownership in America, and it almost single handedly defines what we call sub-urban living. However, as time has gone by the mainstay lawn has become a huge industry. Not to mention a drain on our financial resources, and is one of the single largest sources of chemicals polluting our water, and carbon emissions.
Did you know? When counted together, residential lawns in the United States cover an area larger than the entire state of Georgia, approximately 60,000 square miles (or 40 million acres).
Choosing to transform even a portion of your lawn into a native habitat is one of the most effective and immediate ways to reduce our carbon footprint and create a food source for the entire ecosystem!
According to a study by Princeton titled “Lawn Maintenance and Climate Change” (May 2020).
Lawn maintenance in the US consumes 800 million gallons of gasoline annually. With an additional 17 million gallons being spilled onto the ground during the course of work.
Leaf blowers and lawn mowers alone in the US produce more carbon emissions than all of the vehicles driven in the state of California every year. (California has the second highest emissions of any US State)
Ask us about “no-mow” grasses and low maintenance wildflower meadow lawns today!
The understory of a forest is one of the most important pieces of habitat for native species. Small animals, amphibians, insects, and ground nesting birds all rely on these cool, damp, and quiet places to thrive. Fortunately for us, many native understory plants are very atmospheric, soothing, and offer a way to turn a boggy area where nothing else will grow into a beautiful resource!
Did you know? Forests are the number one biome for biodiversity on the planet. Yet, most life and carbon contained in a forest is within the first three feet of the forest floor. A shade garden consisting of native species adds to soil stability and will invite in a plethora of life and activity to your neck of the woods.
Gardening is a great way to grow food and make your land into something useful, however many of us know that growing traditional food crops takes time and hard work, not to mention that not all land is suited for the foods we’re used to.
A Wild Edibles garden is a great way to remove the burden of upkeep while providing great abundance year after year!
Few people are aware that our region of the country has some of the largest variety of edible plants found anywhere in the world. Much more than just berries. Flowers for tea, nutritious greens, nuts, mushrooms, and tubers are all around us. We just need to invite them in!
Foraging, even at home, is hugely rewarding and delicious work, but we at Re-Grow always recommend consulting experts before sampling any new wild food sources. Fortunately, we know some passionate pros you can talk to!
When most people consider the problem of habitat loss, our mind is drawn to coral reefs and steamy jungles far away. However, habitat here in our own back yards is just as critical, and arguably more so than those exotic locations from documentaries because we so often ignore things we see every day.
Many species, both plants and animals exist in very small habitats, some species such as the Box Turtle (critically threatened) or Bog Turtle (endangered) may never move more than a hundred yards in their entire lives and they must get all of their food, shelter, and nesting areas in these spaces. Animals , just like we humans are fairly choosey about where they live, and when their home is gone, they simply cannot move and often perish.
One small marshy area in your yard may be the only home for miles around for large numbers of amphibians, reptiles, specialized plants and an important food source for many other species. If it is lost, so are they.
Whether we like it or not, roads and the land around them define a huge portion of our daily lives, not to mention the lives of so many birds, bees, and other crucial creatures.
Our governments, federal, state and local, spend huge amounts of their budgets on maintenance of grass medians and roadsides.
For example: the New York State DOT spends billions of dollars and millions of gallons (yes millions of gallons) of gasoline annually just to maintain non-native, high maintenance grass along our highways.
If we can begin turning our highways into habitats it will lower the maintenance costs dramatically, massively reduce fuel consumption, and provide food for native species!
Please reach out to your neighbors, HOA, municipality, or state government to ask about turning a roadside or median into a low maintenance, low cost native habitat!