Environmentalist Wanna Be

My recent affiliation with Organic Bouquet and Blumebox has taken me on an unexpected cyber whirlwind through the green industry. My desire to find a "local" group to network with is what brought me to this blog, and I was thrilled to be asked to share my experiences with you. Although my main objective is to learn from the strong network that has been started here at BG Green. But let me back up a little and make a little confession. I am an environmentalist wanna be. I have long been a nature lover and thought of myself as an "environmentally friendly" person. I put plastic and alluminum in recycling containers, purchase recycleable materials and would never litter. I spent several years in the landscape industry and half of our job was picking up the litter others threw out their windows. But I have recently felt very convicted to take an inventory of my habits and lifestyle choices that effect the environment. I am doing this within my home and business. There are a lot of things I am doing right, many changes I have already made, several changes I am going to make and a few that I am praying to have the willpower and courage to change.

I am first a mother (Carter, 3 and Elizabeth, 1) and wife and second a horticulturist. My current focus is floral design and while you would think that the this would be a very "green" industry, it's not. But there are many efforts to improve this industry and I have luckily partnered with many of them. Stay tuned for updates on "the greening of the green industry" in future posts. My emphasis will continue to be creating beautiful, elegant designs from products that are grown and harvested using practices that improve the quality of farm working conditions, minimize damage to ecosystem, and enhance the environment for future generations.

Water Conservation Tips

With water restrictions now in place here in BG, I’m sure many are like me, and don’t want to see all our hard work in our yards and gardens go down the tubes simply due to lack of water. Here’s some easy ways to conserve and recycle water so we can keep our plants and veggies happy and healthy!

Mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulch will help retain moisture longer, and will also control weeds.

Recycle your air conditioning water: It’s easy - just look for the condensation drain line, then route it into a bucket, or in my case, a 20 gallon galvanized garbage can with lid (you may have to add more tubing if the line is too short to reach your bucket). The beauty of this system is when it’s really hot outside, which is when plants need the water most, you’re a/c is the busiest as well. Although I keep my house very warm, in one day the condensation from my a/c fills my garbage can over halfway full!

Keep your indoor watering can next to the kitchen sink: If you have water to discard, throw it in the watering can. If you are running water to get it hot, run it into the watering can while waiting. When cleaning out the pet’s water bowl, toss the old water in the watering can... get the idea?

Never keep the water running when washing dishes, brushing teeth, etc...: Simply a waste of water.

If you don’t have a new toilet, add some bottles to the tank. Fill some jars or bottles with something heavy, then set in the toilet tank. This will lessen the amount of water used when flushing.

And speaking of flushing, if you live alone, conserve here as well. Flush only when necessary! (And you may be able to work out the same deal with roomies and partners!)

Buy a shower head with a cutoff button: There are quite a few inexpensive models, and you can temporarily shut the water off at the shower head when soaping up, washing your hair, etc...

Have some more ideas and suggestions? Please share with us!

My Backyard Garden

So, I’m a city girl through and through. When I haven’t lived in the midst of the hustle and bustle of some busy urban heat island, I have been a resident of the ever-popular suburban scene. There’s not much about the country that has ever appealed to me as a matter of fact. I am rather fond of pizza delivery, wireless Internet, and my three minute commute to work. In the last couple of years I have even taken my role as an environmentally conscious liberal seriously enough to ride my $400 Trek bicycle to the store (Nalgene bottle strapped to the frame, of course) to my buy my organic groceries imported from the four corners of the world. I bought my organic papayas in January, my organic broccoli in February, my organic spaghetti squash in March, my organic imported rice anytime I want it, and my Belgian beer at my favorite restaurant on Fridays. Oh, and did I mention that a practice yoga at least twice a week? Sound familiar?

My involvement in the start up of BG Green this last year made me realize that I was not as truly in touch with what it means to support local sustainability as I thought I was. I had no idea when the first or last frost tends to occur in this area. I was not even quite sure what vegetables are in season in May as opposed to September in the southern region of Kentucky. And, I was not really certain what fruits and vegetables would even thrive in my backyard; my guess, however, was it is not papayas! Armed with only my tenacious ambition and lack of knowledge, I decided to expand my little annual herb garden to include a healthy bounty of assorted produce this summer. So, I was off to my local Wal-Mart to buy plants to set in my little garden. After a recent conversation with our Mayor, who started her plants from seeds this year, I realized that probably buying the half-grown plants from Wal-Mart was yet another blunder in my grand attempt to be a true activist. Alas, there is always next year!

My little backyard garden is doing well. I have picked green beans everyday for a week, shared my jalapenos with friends, and fried some green tomatoes. There is a certain satisfaction is growing your food. It is a bit time consuming but I think it’s worth the reruns of Grey Anatomy and 24 I skipped to hoe weeds and and prune my carrots.

Molly Kerby, June 2007