| With Americans growing ever conscious of the need | | | | looking for alternative fuel sources, thus contributing |
| for our country to "go green", composting in the | | | | to the concept of "going green". |
| garden may be an area that is sometimes | | | | Because composting can be accomplished by using |
| overlooked in contributing to this effort. Recycling is | | | | the household waste products mentioned above, |
| indeed a valuable tool in helping with the noble cause | | | | (food,paper,wood, and yard), this could drastically |
| of going green. Recycling reduces the burden on our | | | | reduce the amount of refuse being either processed |
| country's waste management systems and landfills on | | | | or taken to landfills. This reduction lessens the strain |
| a local and national level. The benefits of recycling | | | | on municipalities and county governments in the areas |
| benefit us, not only on a national level, but globally as | | | | of waste management. This in turn helps reduce |
| well. So, in essence, the process of composting with | | | | taxes and puts more money back into the hands of |
| household materials that would otherwise wind up in | | | | the consumer. |
| landfills is a major contribution. | | | | So you see, home gardeners have been doing their |
| It is reported that nearly 2 percent of our nation's | | | | part for years in helping our nation go green. Most |
| natural gas consumption is in the process of | | | | home gardeners are very aware of the advantages |
| manufacturing nitrogen fertilizers. This consumption of | | | | that composting has over chemicals and fertilizers. By |
| natural gas is a drain on our overall supply of a non | | | | using these methods of successful gardening in areas |
| renewable resource. With Americans looking to lessen | | | | such as fertilization, home gardeners already do their |
| our dependence on foreign countries, any | | | | part each day to help reduce the amount of nitrogen |
| conservation of our natural resources is a step in the | | | | fertilizers that need to be produced. This reduction in |
| right direction. Nitrogen fertilizers, as most gardeners | | | | the production of these fertilizers benefits us all in a |
| know, are not as beneficial to a home gardening | | | | couple of ways. First it conserves approximately 2 |
| project as composting is. With the simple act of using | | | | percent of our natural gas supply. Secondly, the |
| everyday household waste as a fertilizer, as opposed | | | | utilization of household refuse for compost as, |
| to using fertilizers that cause a drain on natural | | | | opposed to overfilling landfills, saves tax dollars. |
| resources, the home gardener is "going green with | | | | These funds can then be directed towards programs |
| compost". | | | | designed to helps us, as a nation, develop "green |
| American municipalities produce somewhere in the | | | | alternatives". |
| neighborhood of 200 tons of residential garbage each | | | | Going green with compost. Gardeners have been |
| year. Approximately 68 percent of that total is in | | | | doing it for centuries. The movement of going green |
| organic materials. These organic materials are | | | | is a concept that is not only good for the |
| household waste items such as food, paper, wood, | | | | environment, but for the economy as well. |
| and yard waste. This is a figure that is no doubt | | | | Sometimes the solutions of improving the |
| going to continue to climb in the foreseeable future. | | | | environment are obvious, other times they may be |
| The tax dollars that are required to process this | | | | overlooked. The very simple act of a fundamental |
| staggering total nationwide, are revenue that | | | | gardening principle can have a tremendous impact on |
| consumers could be pumping into our troubled | | | | a national and a global scale. Happy gardening. |
| economy. The tax dollars could also be put to work | | | | |