Greenhouse Gas Emissions are a cause for global concern due to the damage they are causing in the Earth’s ozone layer. Much of the ozone depletion, and subsequent climate change, is being caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fueled vehicles.

Methane is a far worse offender; twenty-three times more warming than CO2. Methane is responsible for about half of the global warming that is caused by human pursuits. Animal agriculture, raising animals for meat, is responsible for producing approximately 100 million tons of methane annually, 85% of which is created by the digestion process of cattle.

No Shortcuts To Saving The Planet

While CO2 lingers for generations, methane cycles out of the atmosphere in only 8 years. Eliminating the use of fossil fuels would improve conditions a century from now, but drastically reducing the quantities of methane being released into the atmosphere would create notable results within the decade.

The most direct route to eliminating methane production would be the removal of cultivated meat from our diets. If everyone became vegan, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from human based sources would be reduced by approximately half.

This is a thought worthy of consideration, but the reality of humanity is that we are genetically designed to be omnivores, and the human condition is not so easily undone, nor are those of the human’s pets. Animal agriculture will remain to provide dietary staples for the majority of people, as long as the market demand remains. Other methods of mitigating climate change must be pursued.

Grass Lawns vs. Vegetable Gardens

Traditional landscaping often consists of a grass lawn, perhaps a few trees, some decorative shrubs, flowers, or ornamental grasses. These plants, while lovely, are often not native to the area and require special fertilizers and extra water in order to thrive. Some landscapes incorporate native plants that use fewer resources, but tend toward decorative rather than sustainable.

Recent lifecycle analyses of Dynamic Global Vegetation Models regarding the effect of home vegetable gardens, as opposed to traditional landscaping, have revealed that one of the most effective weapons the average citizen can use against greenhouse gas emissions and climate change is a vegetable garden.

The trickle-down economics of a home vegetable garden will reduce overall emissions significantly on a variety of levels. Replacing the lawn with vegetables reduces the quantity of water required to keep it green. The garden can be watered with grey water (water that has been reclaimed from bathing, laundry or even your bathroom sink), which does not drain off into public waterways to be processed, or into natural waterways, causing pollution. In a matter of weeks, you can enjoy a variety of healthy and delicious organic produce- or you could graze on a patch of grass.

Home Grown Solutions To A Planetary Problem

Gardening is a wonderful life experience. It puts you in touch with your roots, in the most literal sense. By raising your own food, you are providing healthy sustenance for you and your family, mitigating climate change, and creating a feeling of self sufficiency, empowerment, and pride.

Many common vegetables can be grown in minimal space, with proper planning. Using raised beds of manageable sizes and companion planting to maximize growing conditions will make cultivation simple. Many classes, books, and websites are available to provide information on Green Gardening. Your local garden center can help you get started.

Among the easiest, healthiest, and most environmentally friendly vegetables to grow are beans and peas. They come in bush or vine varieties to provide a vast assortment with or without edible pods.

Lettuce requires a substantial amount of water, but in moister climates, will grow quite well, very quickly. There are many varieties of leaf and head lettuce that may be planted in a salad garden with radishes or green onions.

Carrots like a deep soft soil to sink down into, but may be planted fairly closely, in narrow rows, utilizing the growing space efficiently. Some companies provide seed tape, with the tiny seeds perfectly spaced, that is simply buried in a small trench, no green thumb required.

Squashes of winter and summer varieties that grow on vines or bushes do well in most climates. Some do very well. Keep in mind that there are many recipes using squash in just about any capacity you can imagine. You might need them later.

Growing fruits, such as strawberries and tomatoes, are thirsty endeavors. If greywater is readily available, they will not only provide a tasty treat, but reduce the environmental impact that commercially producing these delicate fruits causes.

Growing fruit trees is a more lofty goal, but they can provide a shade canopy, keeping the environment cooler, as well as offering healthful organic produce for years to come.

Giving Back To Earth

Compost is a gardeners best friend. Done properly, it is a fast, easy way to create natural soil amendment to provide the ideal growing medium. Leftover kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and other organic waste can be composted into natural fertilizer. Composting pots, bins, barrels, and boxes are available for the do-it-yourselfer. In colder climates or during the wet season, compost will break down much more slowly and be subject to rot or mold. In urban areas, it is not always feasible to maintain a home compost pile. Some areas offer composting services that can haul away your materials and provide you with a finished product upon request.

Because your homegrown vegetables are not commercially farmed, processed, transported, and displayed, they are not part of the ongoing emission producing/ resource depleting cycle. In a cradle-to-grave lifecycle assessment performed in Santa Barbara County, California, the overall environmental cost associated with producing the homegrown vegetables is less than half of vegetables purchased at a grocery store.

If everyone grew a vegetable garden, the carbon/ methane footprint would be reduced significantly. It could be our best line of defense against climate change.

Craig Scott is the editor at Green & Growing. He loves to spend all the time he can outdoors and find every excuse to leave his house. He writes about everything from backyard DIY projects to what solar panel is most efficient. If you can’t get a hold of him, he’s probably on a trail or a boat. You can check out Green & Growing on Facebook.

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