One of the best things we did when setting up our plan for SixTwelve 10 years ago was to include sustainable living practices as core values and educational goals for people of all ages. We wanted to make it easy for people to do good things for themselves and this planet we’re all sharing, so in addition to art, music, film and dance, we added gardening and cooking to the subjects we would focus on and integrate into what we do on a daily basis around here.
When we say “gardening,” we mean learning about planting, harvesting, composting, water catchment,
chicken care and enriching our soil quality so the nutrients we need are there when we take the food inside, cook it and eat it! We wanted our kids and adult students to learn about what makes food truly good for you and then to prepare these gifts from the garden to eat.
One of the most important topics today in our government proceedings and in general is water. Water is gold!
States who share lakes and rivers fight over the who has water rights, and as our climate heats up, this is going to become an even more important issue. Two important ways your family can conserve water are setting up a water catchment system and planting native plants in your yard.
- Set up a rain barrel
In Oklahoma City, we are very lucky to be able to set up water catchment systems to make the most of the rain when we get it. In order to capture rain water from your roof and gutters, set up a rain barrel. This is a great way to conserve water you can utilize to water your lawn, gardens and indoor plants or even to wash your car.
Rain barrels help reduce runoff and pollution, reduce erosion, reduce flooding, reduce sewer backups, save money on water bills, help keep creeks and rivers healthy, and raise stormwater awareness.
You can purchase a rain barrel at local stores, but sometimes the price can be a little high, so I recommend checking local postings on Facebook marketplace or the like first.
Setting up a rain barrel does take a little work. Once you have procured your barrel, you’ll need the instructions, connector to your guttering, a linking hose, some safety glasses and gloves, a measuring tape and a pen/pencil, a hacksaw and/or tinsnips and sheet screws, a platform for your rain barrel, a level and a hose to connect to the barrel for watering.
Prepare the area where you want to place the barrel with wood chips so whatever water escapes the guttering or barrel will be absorbed and slow released back into the ground and surrounding plants. Elevating the barrel will increase the water pressure when you’re using its contents to water, so placing the barrel on concrete cinder blocks is a great way to achieve this. If the barrel is placed high enough to place a bucket under its spigot, that’s even better! This will give you a variety of ways to utilize the water inside.
This can be heavy work, so you’ll want to have a friend help you. Follow instructions carefully so as to make the most of your “cut” on your gutters, which you’ll make to connect the gutter to your barrel. You can even connect barrels to give yourself even more water storage!
2. Plant native species
The second thing you can do to encourage sustainable living and gardening practices at home is to plant native species. This not only contributes to biodiversity, which is great for the plants, animals and insects that live on your property, but also serves to conserve water. These are usually low-maintenance plants that require very little work or water and they come back every year. Some are even great at combatting greenhouse emissions and many are great for pollinators, which we all need to support to make sure we have enough food in the future.
At SixTwelve, we integrate these practices and many others that teach kids from the time they are as young as 3 years old to be mindful of how we treat our planet, ourselves and each other. We believe that caring for each other is one of the most important things we can do to combat not only climate change but also some of the harsher way we treat humans. And the good news is that it becomes easy if you take it one step at a time.
Learn more about ways to combat climate change here.
Amy Young is founder of OKC sustainability-focused educational center SixTwelve.
