Habitats are places where living things find the necessary items to survive:  food, water, shelter (home), and a place to raise young.  All living things need these basic elements to exist.  Here are tips and suggestions for individuals and groups to convert any location into a space friendly to humans and wildlife.

Age Appropriate: 11 – Adult
Time: Day long event; expandable into year long project
Impact: Increase in acres, wildlife observations, and change temperature

Why You Should Do It

• Clean streams, soil, and air mean less toxic exposure to humans and wildlife.
• Open “green” spaces, like community parks in urban areas have been connected to lowering stress levels in humans and wildlife.
• Managing open spaces for recreation and healthy habitats increase areas for kids to exercise, observe wildlife, and connect with nature.
• Planting trees and other green plants help to lower our carbon footprint on the planet.
• Urban and community parks have helped to increase property values of homes and businesses in the surround neighborhood.

Background

What's a carbon sink?

Carbon is stored on Earth in a number of major reservoirs or “sinks” including living plants, fossil fuels, the atmosphere, dissolved in water, and other locations.  As humans use an increasing amount of fossil fuels – gas, oil, and coal – to heat homes and run machinery, it is necessary to restore the balance of carbon sinks.  One way to do this is to increase the number of trees and green spaces able to absorb some of the carbon released by natural and human activities.  While this will not completely restore the carbon balance, it does help – especially in urban communities.

By increasing the number of trees and green spaces in your community, it is possible to positively impact climate change while creating cooler, outdoor spaces to play and watch wildlife.

What You Do

Step 1:  Learn more about the local (native) plants, animals, and organizations who are working to keep your community healthy.  Schoolyard and backyard habitats friendly to wildlife are common among many groups. Click on the links to see how to start with your own habitat!

Step 2:  Evaluate your living space and see if there are ways to shade your home or apartment naturally.  Talk to your parents about planting trees that provide cooling shade in the summer and wind breaks in the winter.

Step 3:  Work with others and commit to transforming a large area like a school, community center, clubhouse or neighborhood block into community carbon sinks via the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitats program.  Visit www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife for details.

What You Gain

Stronger Community Ties - The creation of a Schoolyard Habitat® is an excellent opportunity to reach out to community members and invite their participation. To build support for projects, introduce your community to the contributions that the projects will make to enrich the school’s educational offerings. For example, the Schoolyard Habitat can be a benefit to the entire community as a public example of what individuals can do to confront global warming.

Building a Movement – You can find assistance in the community from a wide variety of sources, such as landscape architects ready for a new challenge; local businesses willing to donate plants, landscape materials and expertise; garden and civic clubs excited to offer their knowledge and hands-on involvement. These are only a few suggestions for making the link between the project and the community; don’t be afraid to ask others for support! The material contributions, inkind support and resource connections will be invaluable to your project and will help strengthen school communities.

Want to Make an Even BIGGER Impact?

 Tree Planting
Collaborate with local government non-profit organizations and landscaping companies and see if they will donate native trees and machinery to help you plant them. Ask their advice on the correct types of trees and optimum location to provide cooling shade in the summer and wind blocks in the winter. You can choose an area in the community where habitats have been compromised or plant the trees in your schoolyard for beauty and shade.

Adopt an Elementary School
Talk to teachers and administrators of elementary schools in your area to see if you can collaborate with them on a habitat action project on their campus. Whether they have a lot of open space that could use habitat restoration or limited space for extra greening, high school students should take charge of the project and mentor the elementary school students to set an example for how to take care of and get involved in greening their communities.

Additional Resources

• Plant trees to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere - Learn about energy-efficient landscaping.
• Plant trees from Erthnxt. Learn more about Trees for the 21st Century.
• Help wildlife and create a Schoolyard Habitat at your school.