Ecogardening to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Ecogardening: Reduce Your

Carbon Footprint

Linda R McMahanOregon State University Extension Horticulturist & Botanistlinda.mcmahan@oregonstate.edu

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 You!!linda.mcmahan@oregonstate.edu

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening