North America has lost more than one in four birds in the last 50 years, according to the Audubon Society.
Courtesy photo
PICKENS COUNTY — “Think globally, act locally” is a motto that everyone should take to heart. It emphasizes the importance of real actions you can take at home and in your community, while stressing the fact that every creature on planet Earth is connected.
With that in mind, here are three great ways to save the planet in your very own backyard this fall:
Save the lives of birds
Bird populations are in decline due to a range of threats, including habitat loss and climate change. In fact, North America has lost more than one in four birds in the last 50 years, according to the Audubon Society. Amid this alarming trend, you can make the skies safer for birds by mitigating the chance of window strikes, one of the more common threats birds face. In the United States each year, 350 million or more wild birds are killed when striking windows. Research shows that applying decals that reflect ultraviolent sunlight to your home’s windows can substantially reduce the likelihood of this occurring.
Start a compost bin
Composting food scraps and yard waste is one action you can take with multiple benefits. It’s not just an excellent way to reduce the amount of trash you send to the landfill, your finished compost can be added to your lawn and garden to help plants thrive without chemical fertilizers. While it sounds simple since time does most of the work, there are some important composting do’s and don’ts to consider. Be sure to read up on best practices before you get started so that you only toss compostable items into the mix, and so you strike the right balance between nitrogen and carbon. This will speed up the process and yield higher-quality compost.
Go low maintenance
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans consume nearly 3 trillion gallons of water, 200 million gallons of gas, and 70 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns each year. You can reduce your contribution to the problem by swapping out your conventional lawn for a meadow (which is comprised of native plants already adapted to thrive in your region), xeriscaping (a drought-resistant option requiring no mowing and little to no irrigation) or by simply letting your grass grow wild and free. Talk to your neighbors about your decision and encourage them to do the same.
By making your little patch of land a safe haven for animals and by conserving natural resources, you can help make a difference at home this fall.