In today’s fast paced society, do we ever stop to smell the roses anymore? We’re so busy working, shopping, driving – most of us have very muddy carbon footprints. Sustainable living is a phrase that’s been used a lot lately. Basically, it refers to a lifestyle choice that encourages people to live in harmony with nature.
A new initiative to promote sustainable living at the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington, Ontario is the Canadian Institute for Sustainable Biodiversity (CISB).
The RBG recently announced a multidisciplinary symposium scheduled for February 2010 on sustainability and horticulture, entitled ‘Living Plants, Liveable Communities: Exploring Sustainable Horticulture for the 21st Century.’ This symposium is being designed to teach Canadians how to live with the environment in a sustainable way.
Here are a sustainable living tips that you can use at home in your garden:
- check your outdoor taps for leaks
- recycle your garden pots
- mulch your garden beds to help reduce the amount you need to water
- if you have to water your lawn, give it a deep soak to allow the roots to absorb the water
- grow a veggie garden and enjoy home grown produce
- compost all your organic kitchen waste
- try xeriscaping in your garden with drought-tolerant plants


