Time for a charge
By Kim Lux
Landscape professionals like Wesley Hack are investing more and more into battery-powered equipment and aren’t turning back.
LANDSCAPING
SOURCE: www.perfectearthproject.org
CURRENT NEWS
Yards with less grass and more plants help fight climate change
By Tik Root Photo: Dreamstime / MCT
Summer is officially here. For many Americans, that means blankets of grassy green for kids to play in. There are an estimated 40 million to…
Ditching grass could help your backyard thrive
By Tik Root Photo: Michael Parkin , The Washington Post
Summer is officially here. For many Americans, that means blankets of grassy green for kids to play in, or families to picnic on.
Lawn care is going electric. And the revolution is here to stay
By Tik Root Photo: Cameron Carnes
It was a few minutes past 6 a.m., and the sun had already started to boil the muggy Alabama air. Matt Harrison, 38, watched as…
Why Eliminating Dirty Equipment Is an Important Environmental-Justice Measure
A teacher at a school in a prosperous part of Washington D.C., writing from his official school email account and saying that he was a…
The Next Electric Frontier Is Your Backyard
By Brooke Sutherland Photo: Three Lions/Getty Images
In the rush to swap gas for batteries on everything from cars and delivery trucks to boats and golf carts, lawn mowers don’t get much attention. But the traditional gas-powered…
Support pollinators this spring with flower ‘billboards’
We at The Optimist Daily are always looking for ways to help our pollinator friends. If you are looking to plant a pollinator-friendly garden this spring,…
Interested In Eco-Friendly Gardening? Here’s What You Should Know
By Lisa Mullins and Hannah Chanatry Photo: Jesse Costa
Environmentally-friendly gardening, once considered on the fringe, has surged in interest in the pandemic, according to Mark Richardson, director of horticulture for the Tower Hill…
How to prepare your coastal property for sea-level rise and weather extremes
By Jan Ellen Spiegel Photo: Ann Tihansky , USGS
People who live along the Atlantic seaboard are accustomed to dealing with environmental extremes: salt spray that can kill just about anything green; relentless wind…
Central Park May Soon Be Free of Pesticides
By Mary Jo DiLonardo Photo: Johner Images / Getty Images
Kids and pets will soon be able to play in the grass at some of the country’s largest parks without being exposed to pesticides. Yogurt…
Planting Ideas for Garden Paths and Walkways
By Elizabeth Waddington Photo: Johner Images / Getty Images
Those who are interested in permaculture and regenerative gardening may be well aware of the benefits — both local and global — of maximizing photosynthesis…
Why We Should Embrace Regenerative Gardening
By Elizabeth Waddington Photo: ViktorCap / Getty Images
Over the last decade or so, you may have heard a lot about regenerative farming or regenerative agriculture. But you may not realize you can…
Insects are vanishing at an alarming rate—but we can save them
By Christine Peterson Photo: David Liittschwager/National Geographic
Insects aren’t just pests. They’re crucial for the planet and our food supply, and scientists say we can all pitch in to help.
KEY RESOURCES
Your Yard Is a Stealthy Fossil Fuel Guzzler — Give It a Climate Makeover
Your Yard Is a Stealthy Fossil Fuel Guzzler — Give It a Climate Makeover
Want a climate-friendly home? Your yard is a good place to start. This is the first in a five-part series of guides on how to manage your outdoor turf to reduce your carbon footprint, all…
Smart Policies for a Changing Climate (Adaptation, Mitigation, and Resilient Design)
Smart Policies for a Changing Climate (Adaptation, Mitigation, and Resilient Design)
Climate change is a threat to people and the ecosystem services on which we depend. Extreme weather events are on the rise. Flooding, drought, and wildfires are more frequent and more severe.
Gardening in a Warming World
Gardening in a Warming World
Gardeners are keen observers of what is required to grow healthy plants of all types and sizes. New strategies and solutions to the problems presented by cultivating living things are often contemplative acts.
MORE NEWS
Cities give green light for pesticide-free parks
Cities give green light for pesticide-free parks
By Scott Luxor Photo by Scott Luxor 7/16/20
Gary Petonke and the Wilton Manors-based Equality Garden Club have a vision for greening public lands in Broward County cities. It’s called the Green Initiative Project. The EGC, started in 2010 by five devoted gardeners,…
Tropical Gardening: Healing gardens to create peace of mind
Tropical Gardening: Healing gardens to create peace of mind
By Norman Bezona 7/11/20
Last year, folks were complaining about wet weather in West Hawaii and too little rain in East Hawaii. Now, West Hawaii is getting much more rain than usual. Even the haole koa and kiawe are…
Sacramento Region Plans To Store Water Underground As A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
Sacramento Region Plans To Store Water Underground As A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
By Ezra David Romero Photo by Kari Bluff 7/7/20
The Sacramento region is preparing for the long term impacts of the climate crisis when it comes to water supply. Central to the plan is a groundwater storage program with two to three times the…
Plant-wrapped towers, botanical gardens anchor Foster + Partners’ One Beverly Hills
Plant-wrapped towers, botanical gardens anchor Foster + Partners’ One Beverly Hills
By Matt Hickman 7/7/20
Alagem Capital Group, in partnership with London-based real estate investor Cain International, has revealed the Foster + Partners-designed master plan for a 17.5-acre mixed-use development that will pack a massive amount of landscaping into the…
Meet the Hamptons Landscape Designer Detoxing Lawns and Gardens
Meet the Hamptons Landscape Designer Detoxing Lawns and Gardens
By Nancy Kane Photo by Allan Pollok-Morris 5/26/20
When a landscape designer on a mission to save the Earth met a pair of local filmmakers who shared her vision, it was a match made in compost. East Hampton–based landscape designer Edwina von Gal…
America’s Killer Lawns
America’s Killer Lawns
By Margaret Renkl Photo by William DeShazer 5/18/20
One day last fall, deep in the middle of a devastating drought, I was walking the dog when a van bearing the logo of a mosquito-control company blew past me and parked in front of…
Environmental Benefits of Organic Lawns
Environmental Benefits of Organic Lawns
By Mary Travaglini Photo by Georgiev Deyan 3/16/20
Sometimes people ask, “Aren’t lawns bad for the environment?” Turns out that’s not true, especially if the lawns are organic and have healthy soils. Here are some of the benefits of an organic lawn with healthy…
In age of climate change, can our lawns be more than landscaping?
In age of climate change, can our lawns be more than landscaping?
By Patrick Sisson Photo by Getty Images 5/1/19
If Americans want to reduce their environmental footprints, one of the first steps may be reexamining what’s in their backyards. The lawn-industrial complex, and our country’s obsession over manicured carpets of green, has birthed a…