“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way.” ~William Blake
Trees are known as the lungs of the our planet. As well as mitigating climate change, they provide shelter for wildlife, shade our homes and public spaces, provide us with enlightenment and inspiration, and are even a great place to perch a house.
Here’s an article from Natural Life Magazine’s archives with more about “The Wonderful World of Trees and Treehugging.”
Over one-third of all known plants face extinction. Humans are the main cause of extinction and the principle threat to species at risk. Habitat loss is the leading threat, along with introduction of alien species (this can happen deliberately in the search for pretty plants for our gardens, or unintentionally by organisms “hitch-hiking” in containers, ships, cars, or soil), over-exploitation, pollution and disease, and human-induced climate change (which has many effects, from altering migratory species patterns to causing coral bleaching).
Our youngest daughter Melanie is the conservation horticulturalist in charge of the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Through her work with native plants, I have learned about the great work done internationally on reversing this trend by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).
BGCI represents over 700 members – mostly botanic gardens – in 118 countries. It supports and is involved in the development and implementation of global policy around plant conservation – specifically the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which it is lobbying all levels of government around the world to write into law. Individuals, businesses and non-profits can pledge their support for the GSPC by signing on at the Plants for the Planet website.
BGCI also maintains a unique PlantSearch database that allows you to search for and locate rare and threatened plant species in cultivation around the world. The database is compiled from lists of living collections submitted to BGCI by the world’s botanic gardens and includes over 575,000 records.
This is the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity, so now is a great time to learn more about the importance of plants and the ecosystem services they provide for all life on earth, and to ensure their conservation.
Natural Life Magazine has published a number of articles in the past about plant conservation and biodiversity. You can find links to some of them at our Organic Gardening article archive index. And you can read every issue as far back as 2003 by taking out a digital subscription.
Ah, summer. It’s here in the Northern Hemisphere. The chance to lie on the dock listening to the murmur of water, or on the grass watching the clouds float across the sky. Summer vacation is our chance to do all those things we have put on hold during the routines of the rest of the year. No matter what our age or life stage, summer is full of expectations. We might dream of doing nothing, of having a grand adventure – even some romance – or just communing with Nature. Unfortunately, those lazy, hazy days of summer can prove to be more complicated than we’d like…and even downright harmful. That dock may be off-limits as the beach is closed due to bacterial pollution. Smog often blocks out any glimpse of the clouds. Hiking may be abandoned because mosquito bites can bring much more than the odd itchy bump or because we fear forest fires. Gardening is frustrating because drought conditions make you feel guilty if you water but the plants dry up if you don’t. You think twice about embarking on that family car trip because of the high cost of gasoline and the amount of air pollution it will generate. And the older you get, the hotter and stickier summer seems. Besides, once you have everybody slathered up with sun screen (and that’s after you tried to figure out which brand is most effective and still safe), outfitted with their bug suits, sunhats and sunglasses, you’re too tired to go anywhere anyway! Maybe you should just stay home and pick the dandelions that seem to be multiplying by the minute now that everybody in town has stopped using herbicides.
But wait! It doesn’t have to be like that. Summertime can be simple and fun without exploiting Nature, damaging the environment, worrying about your family’s health and stressing you out. Whether you’re staying home this summer, hiking in the wild, visiting the lake or a big city, our archives is full of ideas and inspiration for having a healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly summer. So pull up the hammock, pour yourself a glass of iced tea, settle back and explore the possibilities.
There are lots more articles about enjoying your summer in a healthy, natural way in back issues of Natural Life Magazine. You can access them all with an inexpensive subscription to our digital edition.