I talked about the importance of plants and planting today at a CU Environmental Teach-in -- it was a modified version of a program that I often do, and I think about as fundamental. It's about gardening as stewardship, planting more natives, restoring the ecology of your 'yard', neighborhoods, campus, and community.
Yes, we need to increase energy efficiency, promote green jobs, and innovate.
But in a fundamental sense, we also need to get back to our roots: connecting with nature and the plants that sustain us in a myriad of ways, from food to wildlife habitat. Native plant gardening IS stewardship. Without the ecosystem services that natural and restored habitats provide (not to mention sustainable food-growing practices), all the energy efficiency in the world isn't going to sustain human life on our planet. It's that simple.
Here's a link to a pdf version of the presentation, if you'd like to look at it (it's a relatively large file, so patience is required!) and a link to the native plant list for the presentation.
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