Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about individual climate action.
Last month the AMS published the 35th annual climate report for the year 2024. The comprehensive report was put together by about 600 scientists worldwide and provides the latest update on land and ocean observations from ground and space, global climate indicators, and specific weather events. It covers regional and global climate.
The report, as well as previous ones, can be found at:
A summary can be found here:
Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org a blog about individual climate action. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife and foster biodiversity. I show the plants in a garden setting to dispel the myths depicting them as weedy and unsuitable for gardens.
In this post I want to talk about a stunning perennial, ideal for a variety of soil conditions: Filipendula rubra. The plant is ideally a wetland species, but it will also grow in moist conditions. It spreads if it finds the right place, colonizing an area. This plant is ideal if you have a part of your garden that gets flooded when it rains.
Wildlife connection: The plant is visited by small insects such as small flies and beetles. It has no nectar but plenty of pollen. I don’t see much activity on the leaves, however the leaves provide nice shade for frogs.
I originally removed the lawn in an area where water used to accumulate after rain and planted 5 small plugs (along with other water loving species). After more than 10 years the 5 plugs have grown nicely, but not overwhelmingly, and so they haven’t reached the point where I need to pull them back. Queen of the prairie does well in rich soil. After the lawn is removed the soil is generally terrible and it takes time to bring it back to life. I leave all organic material from the previous year’s cuttings in place, together with leaves. All material gets quickly decomposed in spring and summer and with time the soil improves. In spring the large, attractive leaves form a nice ground cover before the stems develop to their full height.
In early summer the plant blooms with large feather-like flowers that remind me of cotton candy. The large inflorescence is made up of small flowers. The bloom lasts for a few weeks.
In fall the plant produces small reddish fruits that provide a nice fall accent.
Here is how to transform a soggy mess into a most attractive well-drained part of your yard without digging. The first step is to get rid of the lawn by covering it in fall with a few layers of cardboard covered with mulch (I use wood chips also). If you don’t have enough cardboard boxes you can use rolls of construction paper. In spring purchase some moist-loving native plants. Here are a few choices (there are many more):
Filipendula rubra (Queen of the prairie), Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle gentian), Liatris pycnostachyaI (Blazing star), Aster Novae Angliae (New England aster), Chelone glabra (White turtle head), Echinacea purpurea (Purple coneflower). You can add some grasses and sedges, however select them carefully because they may take over the place.
The deep roots of native plants help the water go in the soil quickly reducing standing water. In a few years you will have a beautiful pollinator haven. Plant dense or let the plants self-seed to reduce weeds.
Every native plant you add brings back a piece of ecosystem that is vital to biodiversity.
Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org
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Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about individual climate action.
According to a NASA report released in January 2025, the year 2024 was the warmest year on record. Although it is not expected for every year to be warmer than the previous one, temperature data show a clear trend.
If interested you can read more at:
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/temperatures-rising-nasa-confirms-2024-warmest-year-on-record
I thought I pass this along as there is a brief video and nice 3D visualization that shows monthly global temperature differences (since 1880) with respect to the average temperature for 1951-1980.
Empower yourself! Free yourself from meat dependency by switching to a diverse, plant-based diet. I propose here a delicious recipe based on tomatoes. This recipe is quick and perfect for a lunch and requires only a few ingredients.
Using organic tomatoes and bell peppers helps sustain agriculture that doesn’t use pesticides. However regular tomatoes also work as we peel them before cooking.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Enjoy!
Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about individual climate action.
The population of monarch butterflies is steadily declining. There is an opportunity to voice our support to include monarch butterflies in the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Read more about monarch butterflies and why they should be protected here:
You can then go to the National Wildlife Federation petition and add your name HERE
Below is the full link to the petition page:
Check out this previous post about planting milkweed in your backyard.
Conservation begins in our backyard! Convert your lawn to a diverse ecosystem, switch to native plants and become part of the conservation efforts!
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Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org a blog about individual climate action. In this post I talk about winter gardening in your native prairie. Have you given a thought about transitioning your gardening habits from an endless list of “getting rid of” to welcoming, sustaining, and restoring of lost habitat? Do you know that restoring a piece of native ecosystem in your backyard is one of the most effective ways you can fight soil degradation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity?
In this post I talk about winter activities that help biodiversity. Remember that wildlife, just like us, inhabits the land all year round, not just in summer, and needs food, water, and shelter all year, just like we do. The good news is that when it comes to winter gardening less is more. In fact, our obsession with fall cleaning deprives other species of their winter shelter and eliminates important sources of food for birds that don’t migrate. Let’s get started then with our fall and winter trash to treasure list.
Trash to us treasure to...Birds, insects, turtles, moths butterflies, fireflies, bumblebees, chipmunks, frogs and other amphibians…and the list goes on. Don’t trash the fallen leaves, gently push them out of the lawn area and collect them in a designated corner of your yard. They appear to be a lot, but after a couple of rainfalls they reduce to little. You can also divide them among the planted areas and around trees. I add to them all that is produced in the kitchen, mostly fruit and vegetable peels, and coffee grounds.
Trash to us treasure to...stem nesting bees, birds, rabbits, chipmunks. Perennials should be left as they are. Perennials in winter provide food and hiding places for birds and small animals. The stems of perennial plants that we are quick to remove because “dead” and “unsightly” provide nesting space for stem nesting bees in early spring. They should be left untouched until late February or March, then just shortened to about 1 foot. You can leave the cut ends on the ground as they quickly decompose during spring and summer and enrich the soil beneath. In early spring stem nesting bees lay their eggs into the hollow stems where the new larvae develop. Read more about stem nesting bees here:
https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-005_01_web-press.pdf
Beautiful perennials that provide good nesting for stem bees are: Elderberry, Joe Pye Weed, Goldenrods, Bee Balm, and Purple Coneflower.
Trash to us treasure to...Birds, bees, chipmunks, lizards, rabbits, squirrels. Our fall and winter cleaning often includes complete removal of fallen branches, twigs, and dead trees. Trees continue to live after they die. Hollow wood provides nesting places for wood nesting bees, birds, and small mammals. If you are lucky enough to have a wooded area in you backyard, you can leave dead trees (snags) properly shortened to avoid hazards, branches, and small piles of wood material. Dead trees at the edge of a backyard can also be kept and just cut back enough so that they are not hazardous. Fallen twigs and smaller branches can be piled up in a corner and left there to decompose. Here is a link to know more about wood nesting bees and nesting for pollinators:
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/nesting-resources
Wood mushrooms decompose the hard part of the wood releasing nutrients that enrich the soil. Keeping snags and branches as much as we can ensures that the full cycle of life takes place in our yard.
Trash to us treasure to...Ground nesting bees, bumblebees, chipmunks to name a few. Small holes in flowerbeds and lawns are likely due to wildlife trying to find a place to overwinter. Ground nesting bees can dig their own holes where the soil is soft, or they can also reuse holes dug by other wildlife. Extensive pesticide use on the lawn and obsession with lawn appearance are harmful to everybody and especially ground nesting bees. Read more here:
Finally, fall and winter gardening is a lot about observing, discovering, and planning for spring. Already in February we’ll be planning our cutting and sowing if we haven’t done it in late fall. Sustainable fall and winter activities ensure that life continues in your yard through the seasons and allow wildlife to survive harsh winters. HAPPY SOLSTICE DAY!
Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org
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Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org a blog about individual climate action. As usual, my October post is a reminder of the destructive properties of palm oil, a common ingredient in Halloween candies.
Palm oil is one of the most devastating commodities, driving deforestation, the extinction of countless species, and rampant human right abuses. Unfortunately it is found found in mass produced Halloween candies as well as other countless products. This Halloween take a few extra minutes and read the ingredients to avoid candies that contain palm oil.
Below is a link to a list of candies without palm oil. However it is always better to read the label to make sure ingredients haven’t changed.
The Orangutan alliance post linked below is a few year old, but it discusses the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification.
Don’t be fooled by RSPO certifications. The only way to stop deforestation is the “Palm oil free” label.
Industrial deforestation, driven by palm oil demand, is one of the largest contributor to climate change and the largest driver of loss of biodiversity and mass extinction on the planet. Don’t finance the suffering of countless species with your money, this Halloween go palm oil free.
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Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org a blog about individual climate action. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife and foster biodiversity. I show the plants in a garden setting to dispel the myths depicting them as weedy and unsuitable for gardens.
It is not Autumn without sunflowers. Around mid September, when I start thinking about the upcoming winter I look outside at my outrageous sunflowers and the gloomy feeling is instantly dispelled. They smile back at me, while leaning on top of other plants, unorganized, and excessively tall. Yes they are bold and difficult to constrain, but after all that is exactly the reason why I had chosen them, for their high wildlife value.
You guessed right, this post is about native sunflowers, specifically the Heliantus Grosseserratus (sawtooth sunflower) variety.
Wildlife connection: The entire plant from stems to leaves, from seeds to flowers is valuable to a variety of insects and birds. Rabbits like the emerging leaves in early spring. Caterpillars of dozens of butterflies and moths feed on the plant. Bees, including bumblebees, small flies, moths, and beetles visit the flowers. Birds, squirrels and small mammals eat the seeds through winter. Even my groundhog takes a shot at the small plants in spring.
I’ll start saying the this is the tallest sunflower in Illinois and it may not be suitable for small yards. It does spread but is actually not difficult to control because the roots are not too deep, so it is not difficult to remove occasional plants that may grow out of place. I mostly let it spread and remove it only when it starts encroaching on other plants.
The plant emerges in spring and develops during summer providing a beautiful deep green cover. The leaves are elongated and they have irregular edges that give the name to the plant. Multiple flowers generally branch out of the main stem in late summer.
Attractive flowers develop in early September lasting for several weeks. The flowers attract numerous visitors.
The usefulness and beauty of sunflowers doesn’t end with its bloom. The seeds accessible from spent flowers attract birds through fall and winter.
If you feel this is too much for your backyard, consider that there are other fantastic varieties of native sunflower that are easiliy grown and not as tall. For example downy sunflower (heliantus mollis) is only 5 feet tall. There are even some species such as the woodland sunflower (heliantus divaricatus) suitable for shade. I hope you will consider livening up your fall garden with native sunflowers. Every native plant you add brings back a piece of ecosystem that is vital to biodiversity.
Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org
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Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about individual climate action.
Tomorrow, August 19th is International Orangutan Day. Read more about these primates from the WWF website:
https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/great_apes/orangutans/
Orangutans are critically endangered from loss of habitat due to deforestation from the palm oil industry. A new tool developed in collaboration with the University of Chicago Data Science Institute tracks deforestation linked to 15 major brands that we use every day.
https://palmwatch.inclusivedevelopment.net/
There you can check out your preferred brand and boycott products that contain palm oil. How about sustainable palm oil? That simply does not exist! Read more below about RSPO and greenwashing.
The good news is that there are alternatives to brands that use palm oil in their products. Please support those brands as much as you can. Sometime it takes just a little bit of research to find new products. I have been able to replace all my soaps and food with palm oil free alternatives at no additional cost!
The survival of Orangutans starts from our grocery list
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Helpful info: Below are the food items most likely to contain palm oil. Check out ingredients before buying
Beware that beauty product are not required to disclose the full ingredient list, here is a list of ingredients that reveal the presence of palm oil, keep this list handy when shopping, make sure that they are palm oil free:
Welcome to YouChoose, a blog about individual climate action.
The North American grasslands are disappearing at a fast rate causing the irreversible decline of the entire ecosystem that relies on them. Please ask congress to continue working to stop the decline by supporting improvements to the North American Grasslands Conservation Act.
Read why more action is required from the National Wildlife Federation:
https://www.nwf.org/Outdoors/Blog/02-09-2023-Grasslands
You can then go to the petition sign up page and add your name:
https://support.nwfactionfund.org/page/71342/action/1?ea.tracking.id=FBK_NWFAF
The great American prairies constitute a large part of grasslands. Almost entirely destroyed by European settlers in the 19th and 20th century prairies are now one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, less than 2% of the original extension survives. You can read more about the North American Grasslands and why they matter here:
https://americanprairie.org/why-it-matters/
Chances are that your very lawn grows where a piece of grasslands used to be! You can change that back, by switching to native plants that once covered large part of the American landscape and have now almost disappeared.
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