HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE EARTH THIS EARTH DAY

At a time when it feels as if the world is on its head, Earth Day presents itself again. At this most opportune time, where the earth actually has a chance to breathe and heal while the world is in lockdown, you might be wondering how you can do your bit to save our planet.

“We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concept of climate change and inspired by environmental education to act in defense of the planet.”
— Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers.

There are actually so many amazing initiatives on the go, as large companies and big organizations embark on ambitious projects which are hugely admirable. Unfortunately, these are not always easily accessible to us. The wonderful news is that one of the best ways to participate in Earth Day and contribute meaningfully to saving the earth is by starting in your own back yard! That’s right, in your garden! We share some top tips on how to do this:

Create a Biodiversity

The definition of biodiversity is “the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.”

In your garden, it’s important to plant as many different varieties of flowering and fruiting plants as you can to achieve this biodiversity, which helps to provide many choices of food sources and habitat for different animals, insects, butterflies, bees and birds. Offering large sweeps of the same plant in your garden only provided one type of food and shelter. Because land development is one of the major causes of extinction of certain creatures, the more creatures we can feed and provide homes to, the more we can help the earth, and the livelier our gardens will be. We’d suggest having at least 50 different varieties of plants in your garden. Take a look at this blog post for indigenous plant choices for your garden.

Conserve & Harvest Rainwater

Hundreds of hours of energy are needed from humans, machinery, systems, and chemicals to provide potable water to your home. Instead of draining our natural resources, you could instead be harvesting rainwater that falls straight from the sky and then using the harvested rainwater in your garden. In fact, our plants prefer this organic, mineral-rich water! Another way of conserving rainwater is to facilitate the absorption of as much of it as possible that falls into your garden. Instead of letting it run off into the municipal roads and stormwater systems , channel rainwater to remain in your garden.

Topsoil Maintenance & Prevention of Loss

Good, nutritious topsoil is a vital element to a healthy garden, which in turn plays a vital element in a healthy earth. Preventing topsoil loss due to soil erosion during rainstorms is a top priority. The trick in both cultivating nutritious topsoil as well as preventing its loss is to cultivating soil resilience. We share some top tips on how to cultivate soil resilience on this link

Recycling and composting

There are so many benefits to recycling when it comes to caring for our Earth. We waste less, which means there is less need for something new and a reduction in energy and raw materials used. When it comes to recycling at home, why not recycle all your plastics and send them to your local recycling base? Keep your garden refuse and your leftover fruit and veggie scraps from your kitchen and create a little compost heap? Instead of throwing these away, you can use them to help your garden grow! One of the fabulous composting methods is called Bokashi, “an ancient Japanese technology based around the use of fermentative probiotic microbes” ~ Tanya Visser. In Bokashi, food waste from your kitchen and the refuse from your garden is turned into the most valuable compost for your garden. We also share more of this on our social media pages.

Make Your Garden Visitor-Friendly

Having a garden that invites creatures in, is great. According to the official Earth Day website, “Pollinator gardens are made up of native plants that provide a source of food and shelter to other local species”. Over and above having these native plants for the insects, you could do things like having water bowls for mongooses, birdbaths for our feathered friends, bat boxes, bird boxes and anything else you can think of to welcome the wonderful wildlife we share this Earth with! By welcoming wildlife, we encourage the “circle of life” in nature, and offer protection to those that best look after our earth.

You can download the Earth Day Pollinator Toolkit by clicking HERE.

We’re super keen to see the world participate in Earth Day celebrations. To encourage you along, we’ve created a competition! Send us photos or videos of what you’re doing on Earth Day to HELP SAVE THE PLANET, and you could win a fabulous Herb Planter Box. Send via Whatsapp to 0727232792 or email info@ecobalance.co.za

For more eco-friendly gardening tips or assistance with your garden, be sure to contact our team at Eco Balance Landscaping!