Lexington Living Landscapes
A Program to Promote Sustainable Landscapes in Lexington, Massachusetts
Our natural environment is at risk. A United Nations report concludes that one million species of plants and animals are now threatened with extinction. Scientists have documented precipitous declines in the populations of birds (30% in North America) and insects (45% worldwide) since the 1970’s. As animal populations decline, species loss accelerates, ecosystems become less robust and less resilient, and the “ecosystem services” they provide (clean air, clean water, protection from flooding and weather extremes) degrade. What can one person do?
Each of us CAN make a difference! And it can start at home. Four organizations—Sustainable Lexington, the Lexington Field and Garden Club, the Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition, and Citizens for Lexington Conservation—teamed up in 2020 to launch an initiative to promote sustainable landscaping in Lexington.
Called Lexington Living Landscapes, our goal is to encourage both private landowners and public land managers to adopt practices that protect our health and environment. The initiative will focus on education and programming to support positive changes in three areas:
Adapting our home gardens, lawns, and other landscaped spaces to be more wildlife-friendly through planting native plants, controlling invasive species, and tending our gardens in ways that benefit wildlife. This will shift our natural areas from being isolated refuges into hubs within a supportive landscape mosaic.
Reducing or eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and other toxins that threaten the health of our families and the natural world.
Improving Lexington's tree canopy by reducing the loss of existing trees and planting new ones. Trees filter our air and water, keep us cooler in summer, and host a wide variety of wildlife.
We invite your interest and help. We work to educate landowners about the value of wildlife-friendly practices and to provide them with the educational tools they need to implement them. Programs, events, demonstration projects, and simple how-to instructions are all on the drawing board.
Take a couple of minutes to explore our website. And check back regularly, as we are constantly adding more content. Sign up for our newsletter (see below) We welcome your suggestions. Is there information that would help you? Do you have any pictures of native plants, pollinators, or other wildlife in your garden to share?
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Please email us at email@example.com and ask to join our mailing list. Check out our archived newsletter issues.
We also need volunteers: organizing programs, researching and writing, facilitating neighborhood projects, improving this website. Please reach out to get involved!