Giving and Receiving
What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Dr. Jane Goodall, scientist and activist
Suppose you had this one life to make everything count. What would you want to be known for?
For me, it’s love and care for all of creation. The people and the planet. To be of service. To do little things that add up. And to hopefully leave things better than I found them.
One of the perks of small town-living is a close proximity to nature. Many local livelihoods rely on it. The great outdoors can be right out our front door or five minutes in any direction. With the ease of simpler living comes more time to be out in nature — puttering around the garden, exploring trails around the lake, enjoying a walk with a friend, or just finding a quiet, green place to sit.
Throughout the pandemic more and more people have happily discovered the restorative and replenishing aspects of nature. It’s been a healing balm for the body, mind, and soul.
However, like all gifts, it goes both ways with Mother Nature. Giving and receiving. And what we give to our planet, we receive back in that same moment.
Many of the smartest people walking the planet warn of its changing climate and the impacts it’s having on our lives and the world our children will inherit. It can feel like a big overwhelming challenge, one that maybe someone else should just handle. But there’s so much you can do to care for your own little corner of the world, plot of land, and sphere of influence.
Think about your ecological footprint beyond plastic bags and plastic straws.
Take the yard outside my home. With some friendly expert help, I’ve been working to create a natural habitat that can be an eco-friendly, earth-compassionate green space. Bev and Dwight Rutter are the owners of The Prairie Flower, a native plant and grass nursery sitting on 640 acres in Northwest Iowa (they are also all-around delightful people!). They’ve guided me through ecological landscaping choices and have provided native forb and grass solutions that, more or less, let nature do its thing.
The first step was to address the lawn. I didn’t want to be saddled with mowing. So Bev and Dwight planted “Eco” grass that doesn’t need to be fertilized or watered or mowed! It naturally grows to about eight-inches and then gently flops over, creating soft green billows across the front yard. Violets have started to fill-in along with native Solomon Seal, adding spontaneous contrast.
There’s a spot in the back, where run-off and drain pipes converge and water puddles form after a rain or snow melt. Bev installed wetland plants with extra deep roots; their job is to suck-up the moisture so water doesn’t pool. Next, butterfly milkweed with a beautiful orange flower will be added so that it also provides a butterfly habitat which is a separate but complementary intention.
Native wildflowers like ironweed, wild bergamot, yellow and pale purple coneflowers, and coreopsis create a colorful flowerbed. A long row of Big Blue Stem and Indian Grass grow six-feet tall across the back property line providing a lush green fence for privacy.
Putting down native plants is about making small choices that offer solutions and return nutrients to our land and soil. They sequester carbon by pulling it out of the air and back into the dirt, enriching it so it can continue to support and sustain life going forward.
Younger generations are very conscious of climate change and see it as the issue of their lifetimes. They are leading the way on climate activism, and readily engage in green practices like rain barrels and composting and recycling, responsible shopping for sustainable clothing and lifestyle purchases, and choosing organic and farmers markets for local food options.
Now that life has slowed down from the pandemic, people have more time to engage in rituals of simpler living that offer a more conscious way forward.
There are countless ways to have fun, enjoy natural surroundings, and lower your net carbon footprint while honoring the planet. Especially when you’re following your inspiration. Caring for my little spot in the world makes me happy and excited to do more to expand my intentions further from where I’m standing now. It’s how real and lasting change happens at the grassroots level (did you love that pun?!). Feel inside for the Oneness we share with the earth and know that any gift you give our planet, is one you will receive back again and again.
