May 22, 2008

Spring is typically a time when homeowners till the soils to prepare for bountiful summer vegetable and flower gardens, and a time when landscapers begin to manicure lawns into picture perfect landscapes. In preparation, Illinois Environmental Protection (Illinois EPA) Director Doug Scott encourages Illinoisans to adopt green gardening and landscaping practices that are not only beautiful, but that also keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

According to Director Scott, gardeners could help maintain the health of the planet and their pocketbooks by planting native species in their yards.

Native plants also adapt to their surroundings more easily, reducing labor and water usage.

Plants absorb from the atmosphere, then use sunlight and water to create carbon molecules like sugars and plant tissue. As plant roots die, the carbon molecules in the roots remain underground unless they are exposed to the air through tillage or other disturbance. Therefore, grasslands are an excellent storehouse of soil carbon. If managed properly, soil can remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more economically and quickly than any other method. Land management practices, such as planting prairie grasses and native vegetations increase soil carbon also restore the land, prevent erosion, improve biodiversity and increase productivity.

Conservation practices like planting hardwood trees is one of the best ways to control carbon from being released in the atmosphere. Trees require minimal maintenance and also play a big part in fighting against climate change. One tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide –a major greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming– in its lifetime.