Make the whole world a healthier habitat for wildlife ... and for people!

One way you can take action beyond your own backyard is to help create backyard habitats in other community locations. Another way to take action is to encourage your town or city to become healthier places both for wildlife and for people. 

Of course, one of the best ways to increase healthy habitat in the world is to show your enthusiasm about your backyard with others. Invite people in and show them what an exciting place a backyard can be when it's full of life!

Community Backyard Habitats

Create a backyard habitat at your school: Creating a backyard habitat at a school could become a focus for many subject matter lessons, besides creating pride and interest in one's school. This could be a place some kids who are less successful academically could shine. Everyone could develop a better appreciation for nature and learn a lot about environmental issues. And while you're at it, why not include a worm composting (called vermicomposting) project? Some schools have large-scale vermicomposting projects.

Create a backyard habitat at your workplace: Creating a backyard habitat at the workplace could be a great team-building experience. And a great place to relieve workplace stress!

Make your whole community an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat: Not for the faint of heart, but this multi-year project is exciting and worthwhile. There have been three communities certified so far - will yours be the fourth?

Habitat for Humanity: Consider the landscaping when you build a Habitat for Humanity house! Use native plants, minimize the labor-intensive lawn, and consider the energy savings possible when you landscape. Here's one example of a project in the south. Here's some info on the energy savings possible by the careful placement of landscaping from the Department of Energy.

Create a backyard habitat in an  Assisted Living Center or a Ronald McDonald House: You can create a garden that allows residents to enjoy the beauty and therapeutic benefits of nature while you're also providing more habitat. You can imagine how life-affirming a "backyard" full of living things could be for people who are in a difficult time of their life, especially for those who may have been avid gardeners at other times in their lives.

Create a backyard habitat on your congregation's property: Even with a small pocket of land, your congregation can role model stewardship of your church's piece of Earth, however small, by creating a backyard habitat. It will surely inspire some members of your congregation to create similar habitats in their own backyards. This visible sign of a congregation's stewardship of God's creation can also become a beautiful place for meditation. Synergize! Combine the concept of a Backyard Wildlife Habitat with the Quiet Garden concept to maximize the benefits for people as well as wildlife. At the very least, reduce or eliminate your use of the 'cides. Should a faith institution be putting poisons on God's creation??

Healthier Communities

Contact your public officials. Request that your town, city, or village stop using harmful pesticides and herbicides. Ask them to use native plantings. Even better, show them the economic advantages of natural landscaping. Provide references to some of the resources available, such as the EPA's Natural Landscaping for Public Officials to learn more about these issues.

The Wild Ones also has a very good document (almost a small book) on using natural landscaping in communities right on their website. It's called When Cities Grow Wild - Natural Landscaping from an Urban Planning Perspective.

Let your public officials know about these resources!