The Keep Leicester Cool campaign aims to show how global warming will have a significant impact on our city if we don't take action now. The latest focus of the campaign is green gardening.
The campaign, run in partnership by Environ and Leicester City Council, encourages residents to take ten simple steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce every year.
The average family in our city could produce as much as 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide - the most significant greenhouse gas - every year.
This campaign supports The City of Leicester Climate Change Strategy, developed by Leicester Environment Partnership, which predicts that climate change could lead to the city's average temperature rising by 3.20C and rainfall increasing by eight per cent by 2080.
Gardening is the leading hobby in the UK with an estimated 27 million people – around 41% of the population – participate in some way.
Spring is the time to get back into the garden and the Keep Leicester Cool campaign is encouraging gardeners to keep their gardens green to help the environment.
Private gardens play an important role in the make-up of Leicester’s environment, comprising around a third of all green open space. They contribute significantly to the city’s ‘natural lung’, cleaning air, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
But as global warming intensifies, the English country garden as we know it today may soon be a thing of the past.
Increased temperatures are likely to lead to longer, drier summers and warmer but wetter winters. The changing climate will mean big changes for our gardens with negative impacts on lush green lawns and some plant species dying out altogether.
The problem of global warming can seem so huge that it’s hard to imagine how we can help but we can make an immediate and positive contribution to the health of the planet through the choices we make in our gardens.
For starters, we can reduce the amount of energy used, and therefore the amount of greenhouse gases produced, by using manual tools instead of power tools.
For instance, use a push mower and a rake instead of a power mower and leaf blower. Using an electric lawn mower for one hour releases the pollution equivalent of driving 563 km in a car!
Something else to consider when gardening is to keep it green! This means not covering the whole area in decking or concrete.
While they are easy to maintain, it’s important to keep some greenery to soak up carbon dioxide. Trees, plants and lawns soak up carbon dioxide which is one of the major greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change and global warming.
Furthermore, lawns and plants allow rain to soak away slowly rather than rushing off hard surfaces into the drains and causing flooding.
Of course, not everyone has a large enough garden for trees but you can still make a positive contribution by planting trees through The National Forest.
The National Forest is one of Britain's biggest, boldest long-term environmental initiatives – based in the Midlands, it is 200 square miles of forest in the making. One of it’s aims is to make a significant contribution to the UK's efforts to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide through planting trees.
6 million trees have already been planted and any individual or organisation can get involved through their Plant A Tree scheme. You can even buy gift vouchers for planting a tree – a unique present that will last a lifetime!
If you’re interested in the effects of climate change on your garden, you could keep an eye on things such as the first time you hear a cuckoo or see a blackthorn bloom!
Visit www.phenology.org.uk for more information.