Wildlife-Friendly DMV connects wildlife enthusiasts in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to local wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation. I will share with you the wildlife and nature where I “roam,” and bring to life the stories of people around our region who speak up for wildlife.

Balcony before its makeover.

…Till now.

I was told by Urban Organic Gardening expert Mike Lieberman that in gardening, “you don’t need a green thumb, just two opposable ones.”  His words struck a chord with me, and they were the only encouragement I needed to face my fears and (attempt) to build an urban garden.

Step 1: Evaluate

The first step is evaluating– what kind of space do you have (either inside or outside) and what kind of sunlight does your space get (or will you use an indoor lamp)?  I have a great outdoor balcony that gets 6-7 hours of morning sunlight.

I decided to plant jalapeños, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and mint, along with onions (bulbs) and flowers.

Step 2: Plan

The second step is planning.  What kind of plants and veggies do you want to grow? A smart question to ask yourself to answer this is, “What are the vegetables that you eat most often?”  Based on this, I’m going to grow cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, mint and green peppers, and onions.  I’m also going to grow flowers and a money tree (the tree is an indoor plant but can also be put outside in warm weather).

The other half of planning is deciding what tools you’ll need, and that requires a shopping list.

My items: seeds, soil, small shovel and planters. 

Additional items for indoor planting: an indoor lamp

Balcony after the makeover: will also include two additonal large planters (and the hanging baskets will have soil/flowers in them after the last frost). The lamp is solar powered.

Step 3: Shop

“Shop till you drop” as the saying goes, and with my shopping list in hand, I did just that at the local Home Depot.  While shopping for my supplies, I learned that all the vegetables that I wanted to grow (except for the onions because I got bulbs), needed to germinate.  Because of this, I also picked up biodegradable cowpots to germinate my seeds in. 

Step 4: Plant

1) For the seeds that need to germinate: I set up my station of seeds, cowpots, soil and shovel.  I then filled each cowpot w­ith soil and then placed 2-3 seeds in each one (if more than one sprout comes up, that’s okay—you can transplant them into a new container). Water is the next step, and over the next 6-8 weeks, the mint, bell peppers, jalapenos and cherry tomatoes will germinate. 

What the seeds need most: warmth and moisture. I have to make sure they are watered regularly, and remain warm (though that doesn’t mean they need lots of sunlight, as that can actually dry them out).  I used plastic bags to make a greenhouse effect.

2) For the flowers that don’t need to germinate: I will plant those AFTER the fear of a late frost has passed; I bought California poppies and Dianthus to plant, along with onions.

Step 5: Wait

Homemade labels: old corks, Q-tips and paper. Make a slit in the cork on one side. Punch a whole in cork on the other side. Cut one end of the Q-tip off; put into hole. Tape paper onto Q-tip like a flag & write name on paper.

So on this Leap Day, I too challenge YOU to take a “leap” into the dirt, seeds and sunshine, by becoming an urban gardener—the environment (and your belly) will love you for it.

Think you have what it takes to become an urban gardener AND create a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat? Take the challenge and email blevinsm@nwf.org with your story and pictures to be featured in an upcoming Wildlife-Friendly DMV post.

The 1.5.0 cafe at the University of North Carolina serves food sourced locally, including grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, organic produce and sustainably-harvested seafood. (UNC)

Sometimes, the grass is really greener in your own backyard. Since Campus Ecology ran its first case studies on local and sustainable food back in 2003 (see St. Bonaventure and Warren Wilson College), the phenomenon has blossomed, due to increased awareness and the popularity of fresh, local food among students.

In fall 2003, Western Washington University (WWU) began to explore opportunities to purchase foods locally by partnering with Bellwood Acres Apples. Located in the same county, Bellwood affords WWU the opportunity to sell apples and fresh pressed apple cider during apple season from early fall through early winter. According to director of business development, Lisa Philbrook, “Over the last two to three school years we’ve made local purchasing a focused effort with everything from liquid dairy and ice cream, to donuts, to a wide range of vegetables, to sushi, to packaged cookies, and more.”

There is no standardized definition for what counts as “local,” but the school attempts to purchase from the closest supplier available, whether that be within their own Whatcom County, their neighboring Skagit County, within the state of Washington, or neighboring states when necessary.

However, the bigger issue is that colleges and universities require large quantities of foods to accommodate their students and dining locations. “In order to serve items in our dining locations on campus, we generally need a very large volume of any given item,” Philbrook says. “Some small farmers or producers may not immediately be able to meet our volume needs -so we are working to plan ahead with them to meet our needs as they are able.”

Philbrook also mentions insurance policies can prove challenging for small farmers who may be willing to sell produce. “The University has insurance requirements to protect the safety of the campus community, so some small growers and producers may not be able to meet this requirement on their own. That’s where working with a distributor or a cooperative of some sort can be of benefit.”  She explains that since all vendors must have liability insurance, some farmers have joined larger groups such as Grow Washington, a worker-managed cooperative organization which is able to arrange for insurance coverage and makes smaller farms viable food sources for WWU.

WWU accredits its success largely to striving to build strong relationships with local farmers and co-ops and dedicating acreage for upcoming growing seasons. Philbrook also notes that “Communicating to our ‘customers’ on campus which items are coming from local vendors through a wide range of types of signage and marketing communication efforts,” has been instrumental. 

“Year by year we’ve tried to grow our program with local vendors; it’s a progressive effort. Take it one step at a time,” Philbrook advises. “We’ve been able to make progress and we’re really excited about that.”

On the east coast, UNC Chapel Hill shines as a leader in the movement toward local purchasing. The university has been increasingly involved in sustainable practices in past years, including programs to compost, reduce water wastage, and go trayless in dining halls. More recently, UNC began to focus on purchasing products locally. In 2009, approximately 20.7 percent of foods purchased at UNC were locally grown, raised, or processed.

“It’s our goal to purchase locally whenever possible,” says R.J. LaPorte, marketing coordinator of Dining Services. In the event an item cannot be purchased locally, the university tries to purchase organic, fair trade, or otherwise environmentally-conscientious products. UNC’s latest initiative is a retail endeavor known as 1.5.0.- a campus eatery that features locally-sourced food including grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, organic produce and sustainably-harvested seafood. The name stands for the Carolina Dining Services’ definition of “local purchasing,” which includes items purchased within a 150 mile radius.

Before implementing their own local foods program, however, colleges and universities should be aware of other logistical challenges including delivery, price, and community support of local foods. Since local foods potentially come from a variety of sources rather than from one distributor, communication and coordination of deliveries can be challenging. Additionally, while local foods are not necessarily more expensive than other foods, organics can cost 20 to 30 percent more and grass-fed beef can cost around 75 percent more than regular products, according to Scott Myers, director of Food and Vending. This may prove another challenge for facilities hoping to incorporate these types of foods.

UNC is lucky to be amidst a community of what Myers terms “sustainably-minded” people who support local food purchasing, making the implementation of such endeavors as 1.5.0. easier. LaPorte and Myers also attribute some of the programs’ success to free advertising through listservs of environmental student groups and networks, and several student articles highlighting local food purchasing in UNC’s newspaper. Additionally, UNC’s dining facilities label foods that are purchased locally and offer farmers markets and “green specials,” where meals are produced from locally-purchased products. These efforts in dining halls serve to spread awareness about local foods and help students make a connection between locally-purchased products and great quality and taste.

LaPorte and Myers advise other schools interested in initiating local foods programs to arrange a meeting with a group of administrators and other key faculty, staff, and students to plan and set clear goals for the program. They suggest starting small-not with a retail endeavor such as 1.5.0., but by offering local foods in salad bars at the diner to begin to increase awareness and support, and to take small steps from there. 

According to LaPorte, “Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  They are happy to see a fresh, local, and chef produced food option located in an in-line retail dining location.”

If you’re like me and value the beauty of public lands, the wildlife they support and recreation opportunities they provide, you may sometimes wonder what you can do to help protect these special places. While calling and sending letters to your political leaders is always a good idea, the National Wildlife Federation is giving us another way to support public lands.

They just finished designing and printing all organic, public lands T-shirts. Their goal is to spread the word  about public lands by having people all over the country wear these shirts in support of public lands. All proceeds from the shirts will go to support the public lands work of the National Wildlife Federation.

There’s a shirt for everyone! See the entire collection of shirts and colors…

Many people don’t know about National Wildlife Federation’s public lands program, which is based in the Rocky Mountain Regional Center in Boulder, Colorado. Lately, a majority of the work has been focused around the recent energy boom in the West and helping to ensure we balance energy extraction with wildlife protection.

Recently, public lands won a huge victory when a court ruled that plans to drill for oil and gas development on New Mexico’s Otero Mesa ignored the protection of key wildlife habitat and groundwater. Otero Mesa is one of most biologically rich and diverse desert ecosystems in the world and was at significant risk from drilling.

The National Wildlife Federation was a key player in this effort to protect the wildlife habitat and water of Otero Mesa. With your support we can all continue to protect these special places for generations to come.

I have never had a green thumb (though the rest of me is green, I swear!), but I’m very interested in taking up gardening in my spare time. To get my start, I of course turn to online, where I stumbled across these wonderful tips for how to maintain an organic garden.

I quickly learned the two important steps for organic gardening are eliminating pesticides and fertilizers.

The full list can be found here, but here’s an overview.

How to Eliminate Pesticides

• Select and maintain pest-resistant plants adapted to your area – native plants generally have few pest problems.
• Use organic gardening techniques – healthy soil building techniques, companion planting, herbal pest sprays, and crop rotation.
• Learn to recognize and care for natural pest controls, such as ladybird beetles, beneficial wasps of many sizes, birds, toads, parasitic and predatory flies, and many others.
• If you must use pesticides at all, use them with proper handling and safe disposal methods. Start with the least toxic type, such as an insecticidal soap. Steer clear of broad spectrum insecticides, such as SEVIN or DIAZINON. Contact with these chemicals will kill virtually any invertebrate.
• Control weeds through appropriate fertilization and liming, adjusting mowing height, and mulching.
• When you pitch your pesticides, dispose of them properly through a municipal or county toxics disposal program.

How to Eliminate Fertilizers

• You can reduce fertilizer potency and application rates and still improve plant health. “Natural” fertilizers, such as composts and pasteurized manures, are preferable, as they release a much greater variety of nutrients more slowly.
• Make and use compost in the landscape and save landfill space.
• Plant cover crops like buckwheat and clovers. These plants add or “pump up” nutrients to the root zone and physically improve the soil.
• Grow native plants. Many native plants will grow very well with only an annual application of leaf mulch or with an annual cultural practice, such as mowing or burning.

Preventing Pests

• Talk with your neighbors about not using chemical pesticides.
• Plant native plants which can hold their own against native pests.
• Build healthy soil to have strong healthy plants – compost.
• Gradually eliminate plants that always get sick – they are probably not native.
• For aphids, do not over fertilize with nitrogen because they seek fresh plant growth.
• Attract birds to your yard by planting appropriate plants.
• Prune and destroy infested wood.
• Remove garden debris like old boards so slugs don’t have a wet spot to live.
• Get to know your beneficial bugs and don’t hurt them!
• To reduce ants indoors, the cat food bowl can be smeared with a thin band of petroleum jelly at its base to keep ants from gaining access to it. NEVER feed pets outside.
• Spray plants with a strong stream of water to knock aphids off.
• To reduce ants on trees and plants, put a sticky barrier such as teflon tape. (Ants are usually protecting the aphids because they like to eat something called “honeydew” which the aphids produce.)
• Slug traps: covered plastic containers such as yogurt or margarine tubs baited with fresh beer sunk in ground, leaving one inch of rim exposed; renew every three to four days.
• In vegetable gardens, weed and turn your soil. Some weeds serve as a reservoir for insects such as flea beetles, spinach leafminers and aphids that may later move to garden plants. Regular cultivation will expose soil insects to predators, parasites, and weather. Plow or spade gardens in the fall to incorporate compost into the soil and expose soil pests. For regular habitat gardening, it is often not a good idea to turn the soil as disturbed soil is a haven for non-native plants.

Everyday the headlines reflect a change in the way Americans relate to the environment and the way they live their lives. This holiday season, green is all the rage and now is the time to show your audience exciting ways to spread holiday cheer and do something good for the planet too.

Nature Friendly Gift Ideas:

1. Bird Houses and Feeders: These inexpensive gifts add personality to any yard and give wildlife a place to call home. Or how about a “do-it-yourself” family project like homemade edible ornaments that will make your yard look festive and feed the birds at the same time?
2. Organic, Sustainable and Fair Trade Products: From coffee and wine to wreaths and flowers, many programs deliver “green” and environmentally friendly products to homes that will be a tasty or beautiful reminder of your holiday spirit.
3. Magazine Subscriptions for Kids: Get the kids away from the video games with engaging magazines like NWF’s classic, award winning Ranger Rick. It’s fun and interactive just like Wild Animal Baby and Your Big Backyard for the younger kids.
4. Experience Nature: Technology can help you experience nature. Take the new Identiflyer on a nature hike to identify the calls of 216 birds and frogs. For the less tech savvy, field guides are a traditional way to connect with nature. Both make great gifts!
5. Recycled Products: From fashions to tableware to yard art, there is new life from what was once headed to the landfill.

Green Holiday Tips:

1. Christmas Trees and Lights: Buy an organic, locally grown Christmas tree. Trees provide habitat for wildlife and absorb carbon dioxide while they are growing.  A better idea is buy a living tree in a pot, plant it and enjoy it for years.  New generations of affordable and stylish LED holiday lights are safe and use less energy than ever.
2. Save Paper: Holiday cards and wrapping paper are two paper-heavy holiday traditions. Green your holiday this year by using cards and wrapping paper made out of recycled materials. Get the kids to make your own wrapping paper or cards. Have some fun and use recycled paper decorated with colorful holiday stamps, stickers or freehand designs or a personal touch.
3. Entertaining: Make your holiday party earth-friendly by serving organic and locally produced foods.  Visit local farmer’s markets or natural grocery store for heritage breed turkeys, or really have an impact by going totally vegetarian for the holiday.
4. Holiday Decorating: Buy an ornament and a portion of the cost goes to wildlife conservation or to plant a tree.  That’s a simple way to “green” your tree. Don’t forget about the classics like popcorn, cranberries and ginger bread men to give your tree a nature friendly, homey and nostalgic look.

Have a Green Holiday!