I don’t have a yard, How can I help?

 

Georgia has 11 million people in the state and not of them have homes with a place to plant things. Some of them are renters and some of them – especially in more urban areas – have very small lots or none at all (e.g., townhomes and condos). The movement for using native plants, conserving habitat, and removing invasive species has never been stronger, but not having a yard doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to that movement.

People all over are inspired to make a positive impact on the environment. Opportunities include the following:

Volunteer – You can donate your time to help guide, to remove invasive plants, to be on a committee or even lead one for your chapter or state organization; there are volunteer tasks for people of all abilities.

Educate others – You can give talks to garden clubs, HOAs, school groups, Scouts. Many of these groups need a 20-30 minute basic discussion of why we should appreciate and use native plants; your efforts can help more people not take the native green for granted. (Hat tip to a DNR friend for that expression!)

Talking about native trees at Arbor Day school talk

Advocate for native plants – We should follow native plant and habitat issues and contact our elected legislators to support them. Recent examples: issues like the recent expansion for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Boundary or the proposed change to the State Flower (HB145). Share these issues with others and contact your legislators to let them know which issues are important to you.

Donate – You can help groups that educate people, manage nature centers, and seek out opportunities for land conservation by donating funds that they can use for staff and resources.

Georgia Piedmont Land Trust is one such group.

Plant – Get your hands in the dirt by planting native plants in pots for your patio, in school and church gardens, or in public spaces like libraries and neighborhood green spaces. Squeeze in native plants wherever you can! Seek out “Friends” groups for State Parks and county ones too.

Whether you plant in your yard or you convince/enable others to do it, it’s a win for the local ecosystem. Need some resources? Look to your native plant society for help. As an example, here is a link to education resources developed by the Georgia Native Plant Society.