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Yes, you can fight climate change in your backyard

One wildflower at a time.

by Cat Willett

Updated
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Cat Willett for Vox
Cat Willett is a freelance illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author and illustrator of two published books and creates comics about gender, parenting, and current issues for publications including the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and the New York Times.
Image: A woman fans herself while looking out her apartment window. Text: Oftentimes, it seems as though climate change is out of my hands. I try to do my part, but it’s hard to feel like small efforts have any real impact. When I discovered the concept of rewilding, I was hopeful that some simple actions could have a tangible benefit on my local ecosystem.
Image: The New York skyline at sunset. Text: According to the world’s leading climate scientists, small actions on a community level can help curb global warming driven by fossil fuel emissions. The collective worldwide effect of individuals protecting where they live could be quite significant.
Image: A landscape with native grass. Text: The definition of rewilding is pretty broad, and can mean different things in different contexts. But the simplest meaning is to help land return to a more “natural state.” Landscapes are always evolving, but the idea is to undo the damage that post-industrial human intervention has had on the environment.
Image: A butterfly, moth, and bird fly around plants. Text: A rewilding effort like planting native flora can do so many great things. It can preserve biodiversity and help bring balance to local ecosystems because those plants help attract butterflies, birds, and pollinators like bees, moths, and bats.
Image: A pair of feet wearing rainboots step in a puddle surrounded by grass. Text: It can conserve water, since native plants require a lot less than ornamental grass, and land with native plants can absorb rainwater and runoff more efficiently than land with invasive plants…
Image: A rainbow shows between lush trees. Text: And it can slow down climate change by allowing more plants to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Image: Trees. Text: Often, rewilding refers to efforts on larger swaths of land by conservation groups or land agencies, and you should do your research before implementing it in your own yard — big or small. Some experts believe it’s better to limit further human intervention, and that individuals can cause more harm than good when not following best practices.
Image: A woman puts seeds in a planter on a city fire escape. Text: I learned that making an effort from my New York City apartment is pretty simple. Even without a yard, city dwellers can plant native flowers and grasses in containers on a fire escape, rooftop, or front stoop, which encourages birds and pollinators to visit.
Image: A woman holds a pumpkin, while hands around her hold carrots. Text: You can join a community garden and get involved with local efforts to protect and nurture the plants that grow naturally in your area. You may even get a veggie or two out of it.
Image: Rain water falls into a bucket. Text: If local rules allow, collecting rainwater for your plants can conserve water and be healthier for them than tap.
Image: Bees fly around flowers. Text: And even if you do have a grassy lawn but don’t want to let the whole thing grow wild, you can designate just a portion of it to rewilding, which can still make a difference.
Image: Cherry blossoms bloom outside of an apartment building. Text: Instead of always focusing on massive, systemic contributions to stop human-caused climate change, we can look at the ecosystems around us and figure out how to support them. The collective rewards could be monumental.
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