Today, I’ve got some thoughts on what we can do outside of our regular sustainable practices.  At home, I like to grow my own veggies and berries, but this often feels like I grow them for the novelty of it all.  I also like to collect my rain water for future use, but then lots of people do.  Here are a couple of other options for us all:

In an effort to reduce the need to transport fruits and vegetables into our neighborhood, thus preventing our air from getting any more gross than it has to be, what think we of planting more fruit trees? I know, you’re thinking, “I get bored with apples” or “Cherries are such a pain to pick”. Well hey, there are more options out there than just those.  Here’s a great note about what we could be planting to keep life and lunch interesting: 10 Easy Fruit-Bearing Trees.   Check it out.

Since we’re talking about being sustainable and breaking free from the standard things we might do, let’s throw another idea out there:  a rain garden.  What’s this?  It isn’t a garden of cans and rain barrels.  It is a garden of flowers, shrubs, bushes or trees that help to slow rain water, preventing erosion and over-burdening of the sewer systems.  Another benefit is that the water that flows through the rain garden is purified and made fresh before re-entering the water table or joining the surrounding drainage systems.  This sometimes involves pipe and guiding the excess water, and sometimes involves just plants and soil doing their natural jobs. 

Here is a great source for rain garden information.  If you’re interested in learning more or contacting somebody locally, check out Seattle Rain Garden.

Happy gardening!