People use the buzzword “Sixth Mass Extinction” not just because they want to make a quick buck from you to save tigers in Bangladesh, but because, in many ways, it’s profoundly true. One million species are currently at risk of extinction, and rates of biodiversity loss are comparable to the first five mass extinctions.
This crisis is not just a concern for the tree-huggers, but for every person who is interested in the future of humankind. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, bees are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat! Without them, humanity would starve. Trees provide us with oxygen, prevent erosion and catastrophic floods, and sequester immense amounts of carbon dioxide. It would be impossible for humanity to survive without a strong biosphere. So where do we start? How do we begin to fight against a problem that is so immense?
The future of nature will be determined by what we do with the expanses of turfgrass associated with prosperity, wealth, and success in nearly all of our front yards: the American lawn. According to Douglas Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope, 83% percent of the United States is privately owned, and 40 million acres of that land are occupied by lawnspace. (New York is only 30.2 million acres). Currently, eight billion gallons of water are wasted daily (over 30 extra gallons of water for every person in the United States) on lawn irrigation. By choosing to plant non-native turfgrasses that are poorly adapted to our climate in our front yards, we also provide very little to native species in terms of food and habitat. Though certain species may reside in or eat these non-native grasses, they provide them with significantly fewer nutrients. These lawns, in the words of environmentalist Douglas Tallamy, are “ecological dead spaces”.
To save nature, we can no longer banish it to parks and preserves. We must adopt a culture of coexistence. I propose we exchange turfgrass for milkweed, oak trees, and asters. According to Tallamy’s The Nature of Oaks, one oak tree supports over 2,000 different species! An oak tree provides crucial habitat for caterpillars; sustains deer, squirrels, and wood mice with its acorns; and supports myriads of fungi and microorganisms. If every lawn owner in the United States converted half of their lawn into pollinator gardens/ spaces comprised of native perennials, we could create a “national park” that spans the entire country. A park that includes every type of ecosystem, connects the fragments of forest across the country, and is greater in size than every national park in the United States combined. Who knew we had so much power? This proposition exists outside of politics, bureaucracy, the whims of world leaders, and intangible impacts. It is a solution that belongs to people and people alone.
We must create a “Culture of Conservation.” We need to create a world where planting native plants is commonplace, lawns are extinct instead of gray wolves, and everyone has a powerful love and personal responsibility to nature. I urge you, our wonderful Haldane community members, to reevaluate your yards. Use resources like homegrownnationalpark.org to find plants native to our area and the nurseries where you can purchase them. Start by throwing wildflower mixes in your lawns and replace ornamental plants from Europe and Asia with native trees. Push your imagination and envision the meccas of wildlife you could create in your front yard! Plant milkweed, beebalm, yarrow, and viburnum! Paint a world where black swallowtails, monarchs, warblers, chickadees, salamanders, bullfrogs, bees, and beavers are abundant! A world in which kids can fall in love with nature, as they grow up immersed in the migrations, little triumphs, failures, and subtle personalities of the wildlife in their front yard. I believe that nature can bring peace, contentment, and understanding to the people who live immersed in it. We owe it to nature and ourselves to put on our gardening gloves and change the world.
