Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet Whether you’re a beginning gardener or seasoned expert, this Climate Victory Gardening toolkit is for you. The toolkit begins with a bit of history and context. It also revisits the basic science of how your garden sequesters carbon to fight climate change. Knowledge is power, but practical advice is important too. In this toolkit, you’ll find 10 practices with tangible actions that you can implement in your own garden, to- day. You’ll also find a timeline with suggested steps to take before, during, and after the growing season. Ways to connect with other gardeners and resources for deeper dives into many topics also come at the end of this toolkit. You can find more information atour website. Or, feel free to contact us with questions at [email protected]. Contents Rooted in History Food as a Solution How it Works Carbon-Capturing Practices Growing a Climate Victory Garden Health Benefits Joining the Movement Resources Green America www.GreenAmerica.org Get connected with us: /GreenAmerica @GreenAmerica @iamagreenamerican Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet Rooted in History Food as a Solution URING THE VICTORY GARDEN move- UR GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM is a major player in climate change. It contributes up Dment of World Wars I and II, Oto 29% of greenhouse gas emissions. Americans planted gardens to feed and support both their local It doesn’t have to be like this. communities and troops overseas. These efforts were wildly successful. Food grown using regenerative methods can be part of the climate change solu- By 1944, nearly 20 million victory tion, rather than a major contributor to the problem. In fact, research from the gardens produced 8 million tons Rodale Institute shows that regenerative methods—widely adopted—could se- of food—around 40 percent of the quester more than 100% of current carbon dioxide emissions. fresh fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S. at the time. This incredible Climate change is already having devastating effects around the world. The most show of grassroots organizing and recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report makes clear that we community efforts are the inspiration only have 12 years to meaningfully address climate change. We need action at all for today’s Climate Victory Garden levels, from the largest institutions down to the community and individual level. movement. Green America’s Center for Sustainability Solutions is working with the supply chains of food companies—large and small—down to the farm level to institute The time has come when citizens regenerative practices over the next decade. Climate Victory Gardens give individ- can again use their gardens as a uals and communities the opportunity to fight climate change on the ground and force for good—this time to fight in their backyards, in the very soil beneath their feet—today. climate change. Garden movements empower and inspire action at the Throughout the U.S. we have 40 million acres of lawns. Lawns are water hogs, they individual and community level. These leach chemicals into freshwater sources, and they sequester very little carbon. Imagine if just half of these lawns were converted to Climate Victory Gardens. grassroots efforts chip away at much Climate Victory Gardening is tangible We’d sequester massive amounts of carbon and grow healthy food for millions of larger issues that otherwise may seem action against climate change! overwhelming and out of reach. And, if Americans. millions of people plant Climate Vic- tory Gardens, it will have a significant How? It’s all about soil health. impact on climate change. Both then and now, change is possible through the food system. When we grow food at home in a regenerative manner, we purchase less food that has traveled across the country, we have healthier food for our families, we keep more food scraps and yard wastes out of landfills, and—most importantly—we rebuild soil health, restoring its carbon sequestering potential. Green America www.GreenAmerica.org Get connected with us: /GreenAmerica @GreenAmerica @iamagreenamerican Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet How It Works LANTS USE THE SUNLIGHT’S ENERGY to turn carbon dioxide into the sugars it needs Pto grow. This may sound familiar—it’s a process called photosynthesis. All crops grow this way, and all crops pull carbon out of the air. Some of this carbon is used to form the basic building blocks of growing plants and their roots. Some is released underground through roots to feed the abundant soil commu- nities — earthworms, bacteria, fungi, and millions of other species. In turn, these organisms build healthy soil and provide nutrients for the crops. Carbon is important and necessary for growing healthy food. If all agriculture pulls carbon from the air, why do we need Climate Victory Gardening? It’s important that sequestered carbon stays underground, where it contributes to soil health rather than reentering the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Conventional farming and gardening practices often lead to soil depletion and low soil carbon levels, while Climate Victory Gardening uses methods that minimize soil disturbance and improve the soil’s ability to hold carbon. The healthier the soil, the better it is at keeping carbon underground (and growing food!). The Gangsta Gardener, Ron Finley, August 17-20 2018 photo: US Embassy August 17-20 2018 photo: Ron Finley, The Gangsta Gardener, Right now, there’s too much carbon in the atmosphere and not enough in the soil, leading to climate change and land degrada- tion. Climate Victory Gardens remove carbon from the air and store it underground where it belongs! Green America www.GreenAmerica.org Get connected with us: /GreenAmerica @GreenAmerica @iamagreenamerican Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet 10 Carbon-Capturing Practices Whether you’re an experienced horticulturalist or novice gardener, these simple practices can be integrated into any plot. Here’s what you can do to transform your garden into a Climate Victory Garden. While we understand that not all of these practices can be implemented everywhere by everyone, we encourage you to do your best and commit to incorporating as many into your garden as possible. And, over time, we hope that you will be able to adopt them all. Grow Edible Plants Keep Soils Covered Compost That’s right, grow food, not just grass Protecting soils is the first step to Organic materials combined with 1 and ornamentals. This decreases your 2 improving their health. Physically cov- 3 healthy microbes create a strong fertil- grocery bills, encourages seasonal eating, ering exposed ground in your garden izer. This reduces waste going to meth- and helps you and your family establish a decreases water needs, curbs erosion, ane-releasing landfills (greenhouse gas), closer relationship with your food. maintains topsoil, and protects soil increases your soil quality, and improves microbes. nutrition levels in the foods you grow. Actions: plant your favorite foods; share with your neighbors. Actions: apply mulch; leave plant Actions: compost kitchen and yard residues; plant cover crops; strategically wastes; apply compost as fertilizer; allow weeds. share with your neighbors. Encourage Biodiversity, Plant Perennials Above and Below Ground These crops reduce soil disturbance and 4 Diverse plants support diverse soil com- 5 save you time, because they do not need munities and make for beautiful gardens. to be replanted each year. Perennials Biodiversity helps your garden grow nu- protect your garden from the elements, tritious food, create habitat and balanced control weeds, and provide habitat. ecosystems, and keeps pests in check. Actions: plant trees; choose perennial Actions: grow many different types of grasses, shrubs, herbs, and food crops. plants; feed soil life with compost; plant pollinator habitats. Climate Benefits KEY Pulls carbon from the air, where it contributes to climate change as the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) Climate Victory Gardens sequester carbon, but they also benefit Increases the ability of soil to keep carbon underground that would otherwise be released in the air to form CO the climate by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food 2. transportation, landfills, and the production of chemical Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from various parts of fertilizers and pesticides. the food system—may include emissions from soils, landfills, transportation, and input production Green America www.GreenAmerica.org Get connected with us: /GreenAmerica @GreenAmerica @iamagreenamerican Climate Victory Gardening 101 A toolkit for growing healthy food for a healthy planet 10 Carbon-Capturing Practices continued Ditch the Chemicals One teaspoon of healthy soil Rotate Plants and Crops Synthetic chemicals like herbicides, pesti- contains more microorganisms It’s important to move crops around in cides, and fertilizers kill beneficial organ- your garden and plant new varieties each 6 than there are people on the 9 isms in the soil. Gardening chemical-free season. This confuses pests, ensures soil reduces your input costs, ensures safety planet! nutrients stay balanced, and reduces your for you and your family, and decreases need for chemical inputs. pollution—from factory production to run off. Actions: choose different crops and new locations each season; consider nitrogen Actions: fertilize with compost; plant fixing plants, keep records to help you companion crops; use integrated pest Use People Power, remember where to plant next year. management. Not Mechanization 8 Ditch the machines and use your hands! It’s hard work, but this helps reduce your dependency on fuel, decreases emissions, Integrate Crops and Animals and lessens your costs. It eliminates the Get to Know Your Garden Plants and animals evolved to coexist.