Climate Change belongs to all of us

This post is my contribution to help get the conversation going on Climate Change, which is this year's topic at Blog Action Day 2009, powered by Change.org. Even if you don't believe that Climate Change is man-made, or that it even exists, we as human beings can still work together to help stop or reverse it.

Many people think that Climate Change is such a big issue that they can't make a difference. Well, even changing a few small things you do in the gardens can help to be kinder to the Earth and Mother Nature. There are millions, maybe even billions of people who call themselves "gardeners" here on earth. If each and every one of those people changed just one thing in how they garden, think of the profound effect it would make on helping to reduce global warming and environmental damage.  

That doesn't mean changing all of our gardening habits, just one each would be great. What would some of those things be? Things as simple as:

• composting yard waste instead of putting it out to the trash,
• watering your gardens and landscapes one less day per week or month,
• watering only when and where your plants need it,
• using soaker hoses or drip irrigation instead of sprinklers,
• growing your own food (even a little) instead of buying it at the store,
• leaving your grass clippings on the lawn instead of bagging them and putting them in the trash,
• accepting that the perfect lawn, flower or garden does not need herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizers,
• using the rain that falls naturally from the sky to water your gardens instead of sending it down the sewers and into the streets, 
• planting flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees that provide nectar for the pollinators of the planet,
• most of all, remembering to reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose

So, what if you already do all of these things? Well, be proud of yourself, as you are being a good steward of the earth. And the most important thing you could do next would be to convince just one other person to garden as you do.  After all, gardeners help many things, including people, to grow.

If you would like to see the 1000s of bloggers who are participating in this year's Blog Action Day, you can go to the main website where there will be a live stream of all blog posts.