Did you know that each year, Earth Day has a theme? This year, the theme is Protect Our Species. If you're like me a year ago, you know that polar bears and orangutans are struggling in the wild, but you probably don't know the full extent of the damage: scientists now estimate that dozens of species are going extinct every day.
This is one of those global-scale problems that seems insurmountable for individuals to tackle, and it's tempting to simply look away. However, thinking about biodiversity— the number and distribution of living organisms in an ecosystem— is a great place to start considering how to live a greener year.
We need to appreciate the incredible tapestry of life before we can learn how to save it. We need to understand that all life is connected, that we are intricately bound up in our environments and ecosystems, and that taking care of the earth means taking care of ourselves.
You don't have to save the world— remember, we need thousands of people making imperfect steps, not just a few doing things "perfectly." Just start with one tiny step, at home. Here are some ideas to get you started.
BEGINNER:
Learn about the species in your area. Can you name any of the birds, bugs, trees, or plants in your neighborhood? Learning about them is a great place to start understanding what they need and how you can help! Check out a field guide, ask a knowledgeable friend, or just do Internet searches (“black bird with orange stomach in my state”) to help you get acquainted.
Plant some flowers. Bees, butterflies, and other bugs thrive when they have a diverse array of flowers to drink from. Be sure that the flowers haven’t been sprayed with any pesticides. If you don’t have a yard or patio, see if you can plant in a friend’s yard, or throw a seed bomb into the nearest abandoned lot.
Don’t use pesticides. When working in your yard, avoid pesticides (and herbicides, while you’re at it). These are especially poisonous for native bees or anything else that nests in the ground, and we depend on these insects to pollinate our crops and flowers.
Think about where your food came from. Before it was in the grocery store, where was your food grown? Do you know in which state, country, or region it was farmed? What kind of ecosystems, places, and people might've been impacted along the way? What kind of labels does it have— Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Fair Trade, Shade Grown— and what do these labels mean? Pick two or three foods you eat most commonly and figure out how they're grown (the Internet is your friend with this kind of research). You don't have to change any of your eating habits yet; just focus on educating yourself.
INTERMEDIATE:
Learn about threatened species in your area. No matter where you live, there is probably a native species of plant, amphibian, insect, or other critter that needs help. In Missouri for instance, monarch butterflies are the most prominent icon of species in danger, but there are over two dozen species of native plants and animals considered to be threatened. Your state conservation department (here's Missouri's) is a great place to learn if there's anything you can do to help preserve biodiversity in your own region.
Focus on making your yard nature-friendly. If you own a yard, you have a wonderful chance to create a haven for local wildlife. Think about animals’ needs: water, food, forage, cover. Again, aim for diversity: a circle of flowering shrubs, creeping vines and herbaceous ground cover is much more conducive to diversity than a neat bed of a single kind of flower.
Read more about species protection. EarthDay.org has a wealth of resources here: https://160g7a3snajg2i1r662yjd5r-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/protectourspeciesprimerandactiontoolkit.pdf
ADVANCED:
If you own a lawn, murder it. Here's how. If you want a low-maintenance yard, pave over the lawn with perennial plants (both native and exotics that do well in your region), but if you don't mind a bit more work, consider planting fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, and/or vegetables along with the flowers.
Eat only local food for a few days. Again, one of the best ways to promote biodiversity is to decrease your reliance on far-flung food sources, so challenge yourself to a three-day (or week-long, or month-long) local-food-only challenge. What kinds of foods can you source from your backyard, the surrounding area, and local farms? What is missing? What did people traditionally eat in your bioregion? How can you rearrange your habits to rely more on the foods that are readily available in your immediate surroundings?
Get involved in an organization that supports biodiversity. If you find yourself coming back again and again to the problem of biodiversity, it's a sign that you're ready to make it your "pet cause." Consider how you can become part of an organization dedicated to the protection of our precious species— whether on a local, national, or global scale. Give your time and money to the cause, and spread the word.
Start an initiative to promote biodiversity. Perhaps you want to convince your city to stop using pesticides in its parks or to protect the wetlands along the river. Maybe you want to tackle a HOA ordinance against growing vegetables in the front yard or keeping chickens. Or you're interested in getting more people to plant wildflower gardens, or to come together as a community to pick up trash. If you have a cause that you want to champion, I encourage you to get started right away! Read about others who have tackled similar issues in their communities. If necessary, attend city council meetings and talk to your councilperson. Find allies in your community to help you out. Oftentimes, policy changes on a city level happen because just a few people come together to speak up about an issue that's important to them.
What are you going to try this month? What would you add to the list?
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