"Traditional gardening, landscaping and landscape maintenance practices are often driven by outdated aesthetic fashion and shortsighted economic interests, with little ethical consideration. As a result, our traditional practices are often quite harmful to our health and the environment in general." - from the EPA

What can you do to help protect our natural environment? This is a checklist or summary of the basic conservation landscape practices; see how many of these concepts you have tried to do. Keep score to see if you are an environmentalist:

1. Reduce or eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.-10 Pts.

2. Minimize the amount of lawn.-5 Pts.

3. Minimize the use of supplemental watering.-5 Pts.

4. Avoid the use of and remove and replace invasive plants. -5 Pts.

5. Use regionally native plants (13 Coastal Counties of Georgia) - 5 Pts.

6. Place plants in appropriate growing conditions. - 5 Pts.

7. Reduce the use of power landscape equipment. -5 Pts.

8. Utilize native trees to reduce heating and cooling needs. -5 Pts.

9. Compost to reduce yard waste and use it as a soil amendment. - 5 Pts.

10. Reduce the amount of impervious surface. -5 Pts.

11. Install rain gardens to recharge groundwater and reduce runoff. -5 Pts.

12. Protect existing natural areas and the watersheds "sense of place." - 5 Pts.

13. Mulch to conserve water, suppress weeds, improve soil structure, and to lessen erosion. - 5 Pts.

14. Reduce runoff and soil erosion and stabilize slopes by planting native trees, shrubs, and perennial ground covers in swales and on terraces, in addition to level and raised areas.-5 Pts.

15. Purify the air and water by planting native trees, shrubs, and perennials. -5 Pts.

16. Provide wildlife habitat by planting native species. -5 Pts.

17. Maintain native plant gardens and plan for long term. - 5 Pts.

18. Learn to appreciate nature and tolerate some imperfections in the garden. -10 Pts.

What is your score? If you have scored 50 or less I would say you are a very good environmental steward. Between 50 and 75 you are at least trying. Seventy-five-plus you are in my league - but we can change. The higher the score the more damage we are doing to our environment. And to be honest with you, my score was terrible.

I hope in the next few articles I will be able to address each concept of the checklist and try to give alternatives or tips to help us change our landscaping habitats.