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Celebrate Earth Day every day with Earth-friendly Gardening

  • Julie McMillan

  • Protect Marin's precious watershed by avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Photo: Karen Gideon
    Protect Marin's precious watershed by avoiding pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Photo: Karen Gideon
    Earth Day is April 22, and more than 1 billion people in almost 200 countries will celebrate with events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org. What can you do to celebrate Earth Day every day? Start in your own garden by following easy and simple Earth-friendly Gardening principles.

    Earth Day began 53 years ago in 1970, shortly after the massive Santa Barbara oil spill. At that time, this spill was the largest in US history (until the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill). It created a 35-mile-long oil slick, killing thousands of birds, fish, and sea mammals and polluting pristine beaches from Santa Barbara to Ventura. 

    The first Earth Day, founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, heightened awareness about our planet's fragility. It also led to the passage of many environmental regulations, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, along with California's Environmental Quality Act, and the establishment of the Coastal Commission. 

    Growing native plants extends Marin's natural beauty into your garden while protecting our unique biodiversity. Photo: Las Pilitas
    Growing native plants extends Marin's natural beauty into your garden while protecting our unique biodiversity. Photo: Las Pilitas
    Today the Earth needs our help more than ever. The extreme weather caused by climate change is affecting our entire ecosystem. According to Rod Kerr, former Co-President, of UC Marin Master Gardeners, "Climate change can be so formidable that the idea of combatting it can seem overwhelming." But everyone's small actions matter and add up. 

    Start in your own backyard! Your garden is your private space and part of the wider world. Consistently using techniques in harmony with the natural environment, Earth-friendly Gardeners protect natural resources and boost biodiversity while minimizing waste and pollutants. Relying on these methods results in beautiful, healthier landscapes and encourages sustainability, allowing you to meet your gardening needs today while ensuring future generations can meet theirs, too.

    Celebrate Earth Day every day following easy and simple Earth-friendly Gardening principles.

    Healthy soil contains millions of living organisms that provide the nutrients that plants need to thrive. Photo: Ellefson, unsplash
    Healthy soil contains millions of living organisms that provide the nutrients that plants need to thrive. Photo: Ellefson, unsplash
    Nurture and protect your soil: 

    • Develop healthy soil and protect the life in it.

    • Add compost to improve soil texture and "feed" the soil. 

    • Mulch to keep the soil covered, conserve moisture, and reduce weeds (avoid gorilla hair mulch which is highly flammable). 

    • Protect soil from disturbance, compaction, and erosion.  

    • Sequester carbon by maintaining healthy levels of organic material in the soil.

    Choose your plants with care:

    • Understand and adapt your garden to our Marin climate and your microclimate. 

    • Grow California native plants to protect and enhance Marin's unique biodiversity.

    • Use low-water plants native to other Mediterranean climate regions that also welcome pollinators and natural enemies.  

    • Remove invasive plants that overrun native species and cause other environmental problems. 

    Conserve water and energy:

    • Incorporate permeable surfaces and other rainwater retention strategies to minimize supplemental water use and allow rainwater to slow, sink, and spread into your soil instead of running off.

    • Irrigate carefully and according to plant needs.

    • Help mitigate climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuel: switch to manual or electric tools, shop locally, and recycle and reuse containers and other materials where possible.

    • Grow your own food to reduce transportation costs.

    • Compost garden and food waste to keep it out of landfills by filling your green can or making a compost pile. 

    Protect wildlife and the environment:

    • Provide habitat for insects, birds, and other animals.  

    • Practice responsible pest management to solve garden problems while minimizing risks to people and the environment. 

    • Reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers.

    • Avoid purchasing plants that contain neonicotinoids, which harm bees and other pollinators. 

    • Use organic methods and materials whenever possible.

    • Keep Marin's watershed healthy by conserving water and preventing toxins from entering it.

    • Follow fire-smart landscaping to design and maintain your garden, helping protect the landscape and surrounding areas.

    As Jane Goodall wisely noted, "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.". Now is the time to start!

    For more information about Earth-friendly gardening, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChLffQ3Subs&t=395s; https://marinmg.ucanr.edu/BASICS/EARTHFRIENDLY/