Eat organic if you can afford it. If not just eat more vegetables. Fresh ones - not boiled to death!
Grow some of your own vegetables - no food miles (see previous post) needed to bring it to your door and they are fresh.
Buy locally grown foods - keeps local economies healthy.
Find a local community supported farm and support it.
Ride your bicycle or take a bus/train sometimes - public transport can be amusing at times.
Plant trees for shade - helps to reduce the heat island effects of paving and bituminsed roads. Deciduous trees or vined pergola on the north side of your house will keep your house cooler in summer, reducing the need for earth-unfriendly air-conditioners.
Plant local plant species to support local reptile, bird and insect populations and keep biodiversity in the suburbs.
Get stuff from op-shops or at roadside chuck outs. Reuse something someone doesn't want anymore. It saves the energy needed to produce another one.
Write letters to politicians. Hassle them with the knowledge that we are informed and want real action on climate change.
to be continued...
Showing posts with label revegetation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label revegetation. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Swales and terraces.
While it's raining is obviously the best time to see if there are any areas of your garden that have run-off areas, which may result in erosion.
Depending how much space you have you can make some swales or terrace type arrangements to catch that water and send it sideways, so it can percolate into the soil better.
Best suited to large open spaces on slopes, the swale is a trench across the slope, with the soil from the trench placed on the low side to make a mound.
Plants are grown on the high parts or in between swales on the slope, to make maximum use of the gathered rain and organic material that gets washed down into the trenches.
On a much smaller scale, simple use of small berms or bowls around newly planted plants can aid immensely in gathering water to soak in around the root zone. When you give it water it all soaks straight down, rather than washing away.
Tree bags are often used for revegetation projects, where they are placed around young plants to collect water for the seedling. They catch extra rain, but also gather dew in the mornings, and help protect against evaporation in the immediate area. A tree bag with a small berm around the seedling or young plant gives it a much better chance of survival in a tough environment. Some lucky plants even get a pulped cardboard mulch mat to keep the weeds at bay. These too reduce evaporation.
It all depends on the scale and number of willing people there is to carry out the work.
Depending how much space you have you can make some swales or terrace type arrangements to catch that water and send it sideways, so it can percolate into the soil better.
Best suited to large open spaces on slopes, the swale is a trench across the slope, with the soil from the trench placed on the low side to make a mound.
Plants are grown on the high parts or in between swales on the slope, to make maximum use of the gathered rain and organic material that gets washed down into the trenches.
On a much smaller scale, simple use of small berms or bowls around newly planted plants can aid immensely in gathering water to soak in around the root zone. When you give it water it all soaks straight down, rather than washing away.
Tree bags are often used for revegetation projects, where they are placed around young plants to collect water for the seedling. They catch extra rain, but also gather dew in the mornings, and help protect against evaporation in the immediate area. A tree bag with a small berm around the seedling or young plant gives it a much better chance of survival in a tough environment. Some lucky plants even get a pulped cardboard mulch mat to keep the weeds at bay. These too reduce evaporation.
It all depends on the scale and number of willing people there is to carry out the work.
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