Kids can awaken their neighborhood to the need to act in the current environmental emergency by using organic gardening techniques and taking simple steps at home. Planting eco-friendly native plants and fruit trees instead of a lawn in the front yard and using a drip irrigation system, saves water and attracts pollinators. Refraining from the use of pesticides and herbicides protects wildlife and ecosystems and reduces harmful pollutants that wash into our waterways. Using environmental responsible equipment and tools that cut down on harmful emissions and noise pollution.
Just by watering early in the morning, instead of the heat of the day, nationally we could be saving billions of gallons of water each year. Families can learn to restore their backyards, invigorating the soil and existing native plants by designing an area to hold the water in the soil, grouping plant communities together, and creating a harmonious relationship with the natural environment. Kids can harvest the water from the roof and collect it in rain barrels or tanks. Kids can mulch all the landscape beds around the house to reduce water runoff, loss of soil, and erosion by as much as 80%.
Rather than use synthetic fertilizers, kids can create their own compost for the healthiest, richest soil. Using their compost to feed their plants will keep yard and kitchen scraps out of the landfill. Planting fruit trees and shade trees can reduce heating and cooling needs and their carbon emissions by as much as 40%.
Kids can start a veggie garden at their school and involve parents, teachers, and staff. An organic garden that attracts butterflies, includes a compost bin, and produces fruits and veggies for the kids to eat, can be funded by local grants and local sponsors and will develop kids that are ecologically responsible.
Cooking Magic for Kids 