By Darren Clarke, Capability Clarke
Global Crisis
The ink is still drying on the COP 26 statement, Nations have committed to improving the environ-ment by trying to limit global temperature rise. Soon we will be switching away from coal and gas and utilising renewable energy. We need to em-brace this change for the better. Sir David Attenborough has, for many years high-lighted the plight of the natural world – mesmeris-ing us as he warns us time and again. It can be hard to contemplate the scale of the problem with Arctic ice sheets falling into the ocean, or wildfires in Australia annihilating koalas. It seems totally incredible to me now that everyone spent that time as though it were just like any other. What can we do? Our climate is changing, and fast. The devastating 2014 floods affected local communities terribly; weather really is getting hotter, and wetter. UK temperature records seem to be broken every other year and our local communities always seem to come out top among the hottest places to live in Europe. Are we somehow responsible for this? and is there anything we can do about it?
Local Solution
Well, the answer to these questions has to be “Yes, and Yes”. We are responsible, and at some level we all know we are guilty. Guilty of driving too much, or flying too much, or having too much stuff, or pouring too much concrete. Guilty of binge shopping, binge watching and binge eating. And guilty of removing Nature from our gardens, which is the crux of my article. Imagine if we re-versed the current pervasive trend of paving our front gardens wall to wall. Imagine if your car that is parked in your front garden was parked on grass or a thin strip of gravel. Imagine if your front gar-den was a reflection of you, and your personality, and when people passed they looked at your home as an oasis of Nature, a place where people care. An environment in which insects, butterflies and birds can live and thrive. Perhaps a tree could be afforded a place… prune it every few years and it will look beautiful and will give a 3rd dimension canopy. A hedge can help reduce ambient noise and can filter the air you breathe. If you think of your garden from a bird’s perspective would you want to live there, or rather see it as a legacy where future generations will thank you for keeping that tree.
Create Your Paradise
So why would you do this? A well planned natural front garden is cheaper to install than a paved over area. It will also improve with age, and will in-crease birds’ habitats, which is great for reducing stress and anxiety. We need to change our minds about what a good front garden looks like. When homeowners are thinking of improving their kerb appeal, let’s make more space for nature. Estate Agents also have a moral responsibility when mar-keting a home; they should at least mention how environmentally friendly it is. Developers need to stop destroying habitat for profits, e.g. replacing shrubs with artificial grass. So what will this do? If we can re-wild our front gardens there will be less storm water in the rivers, which will reduce flooding; there will be more room for Nature which will increase bio-diversity. Tree canopies absorb heat so it will feel cooler, and you will be locking in carbon from the atmosphere. If you are planning to revamp your front garden, please, please, please make it a good place.