Outside

Each backyard is unique, but they share many of the same opportunities: To create a space that is not only home, but can produce bushels of food and provide help to the local ecosystem. An act as simple as planting a native apple tree in the front yard can help conserve energy (by providing shade in the summertime) and sponge up wash-out from rain water -which, in turn, helps keep our rivers and lakes cleaner.

Learn more about simple projects that can make big differences at our workshops and right here with recommended projects:

• Backyard gardens: They are just the best.
• Chicken coops: From New York City to Los Angeles (and many places in between), city ordinances allow for backyard chicken coops as a fun way to reconnect with food sources-and, also to dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.
  • Check out this brief video explaining the rationale behind Portland, Oregon's successful chicken coop program.
  • Madison allows each resident to keep four hens in a penned area (but no closer than 25 feet to your neighbor's living quarters). For information about chicken coops in southern Wisconsin-and getting started yourself-please connect with Mad City Chickens.
• Rain harvesting: Instead of washing away to our lakes and rivers (and often carrying with it oil, garbage and pesticide residue), rainfall can easily be “captured” and provide a clean and easy water supply for your plants, garden and home. Find out more, and order a patented Rain Reserve System here.
• Honey Bees: Since the mid-nineteenth century, Wisconsin has had an active cottage industry of bee hobbyists and harvesters. Join the buzz now, as a fun and slightly challenging way to produce your own sweets. A great resource is the Wisconsin Honey Bee Producers Association. For the past century, they have hosted a beginner's workshop each February. If you can’t wait until then, in the Dane County area, there are monthly meetings.