Blue Snow Garden

Think of recycling. Consider reusing. Use less, throw away less.

S a v e   t h i s   P l a n e t !

There’s a new search engine out there that plants 2 trees for every search you make.

It’s called Ecocho.com.

Now I feel a lot better searching knowing they’ll plant some trees…

So should we all stop using the other search engines?

There’s an easy way to count or calculate your ecological footprint online… with the help of WWF’s Ecological Footprint Calculator.

See how much damage I am doing in one year:

I'm a bad person!

See who else might beat you in this competition:

Oh, so I'm not a European but I live like one?

And what’s the real sustainable standard:

Yikes! I'm far behind Mother Nature's sustainable standards!

And after a few pledges (like not using air-conditioner in the car, closing the lids while cooking, etc), I would be saving…

I am saving my planet!

Cool! But we all have a long way to go to be truly responsible to our planet….

There’s another version of the ecological footprint calculator at http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Ecological Footprint Calculator by WWF

Also found another version where you can create your own avatar throughout the quiz… http://www.wwf.org.au/footprint/calculator/

Neat...

Okay, enjoy and hope you are sustainable and work towards reducing your ecological or carbon footprint !

I think in many parts of the world, there are extreme heat waves, droughts and a declining snowpack that is caused by climate change or global warming. This could inadvertently cause a large reduction in our water resources. By reducing water consumption and water supplies for other uses is helpful for gardeners to deal with the drastic climate change happening at the moment.

Well, I can suggest a few things that gardeners can do to conserve water (probably, most of you already knew these):

1. Put mulch in your garden beds – this helps conserve water and moderates the temperatures in the soil. Mulch easily breaks down, and also provides nutrients to the soil, therefore reducing the need for fertilizers. Always try to use organic mulches made from leaves, grass or wood chips.

Wood Chips

2. Install some rain barrels – rain barrels can collect plenty of rainwater for use during the dry season. Other than saving up water, one obvious reason to collect rainwater is to save money.

A Rain Barrel

3. Adjust watering times or schedule – If you water your garden early in the morning or late in the evening, you can significantly reduce the amount of water that will evaporate away.

4. Use drip irrigation – This method has been proven effective. Installing a drip irrigation system or using soaker hoses are highly efficiently ways to water your garden compared to the normal sprinklers.

Drip Irrigation

5. Practice xeriscaping – this is a technique to landscaping that minimizes outdoor water usage while maintaining soil integrity through the use of native, drought-tolerant plants. Use of mulch is encouraged with this method.

The Desert Lavender can be a nice Xeriscape plant.

Hope you enjoyed my tips… and especially these lovely Lavenders.