Today June 5th is the UN Environment Programme’s 50th World Environment Day. The theme is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.”. The website for World Environment Day has many great resources, including events you can listen to, actions for everyone from individuals to groups to businesses, and a playbook that is both education and action. Check it out.
When we think or talk about the environment, we are typically thinking about all of Earth and its many places. However, it can mean thinking about our own little space in this giant world. After reading about World Environment Day, it got me thinking about how we can make a difference in our own little environment. This led to thinking of my outside space, my little oasis in the city. It is a great patio to enjoy with family and friends, a dog park for our two energetic pups and both flower and edible gardens. All of this is found in a 20×30 foot front yard and a 20×40 foot backyard.
The gardens we tend all summer are my happy place. I love the smell of the dirt. I love seeing the worms wriggling through the dirt. I love seeing what I can grow (tomatoes, raspberries, grapes and flowers to name my favorites) and seeing what I can’t grow (grass). Gardening not only provides food we eat, it also provides physical activity, a sense of calm, and a connection to the world and critters around us.
Another favorite activity during the summer is watching all the critters that pass through our yard. For this reason, we are very careful not to use many chemicals in our garden. Instead, I make it hospitable to animals and insects that will help control the pests. Birds, praying mantis, and spiders all reside in our yard and help control bothersome insects. Every summer we get to watch robins make a nest, tend their babies, and then watch the fledglings make it over our fence. Sometimes this is a nerve-wracking process as they take a bit of time to get up and over the fence.
I also love sitting on the front porch talking to neighbors. Enjoying a morning coffee on the patio while the dogs play is how most mornings are spent. Family dinners are shared around the back patio table making memories. Sharing tomatoes and raspberries we grow in our space with our granddaughter is priceless. This past fall and winter, our back patio was a Covid safe outside space to visit with friends and family because we have a little wood stove and two infrared heaters. Ending the day on the patio brings calm from crazy days. Spending this much time outside also reduces our electric use because we turn down (or off) the air conditioning unit while we are outside. We also like to grill meals outside to further enjoy the patio. Having a great outside space that fits our life is something we have grown to love and appreciate.
This understanding of how we treat and create in our little space gives information on how we deal with the spaces outside our own little oasis. We try to save energy in every way in our tiny environment to help our whole, huge environment. We try and purchase food from local farmers as much as possible, typically less chemicals are used and less travel from farm to my table. We are careful not to leave litter or other debris where it does not belong, some critters will eat or get tangled in items left on the ground. We try everyday to make this world a little better than before.
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