Gardens for the Soul and Soil
Purpose Statement/Goal: Inform the audience of the benefits of gardening
Thesis/Central Idea: Gardening benefits the individuals of a community environmentally, physically and mentally.
Introduction:
I. "The United States Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that one third of all water use is used on grass, and some experts estimate that as much as 50% of that that water is wasted to evaporation, wind and runoff" (Outdoor Water Use)
II. This is just one of many statistics that I will be sharing with you today about the benefits of gardening.
A. I have always had a passion of plants, particularly the kinds that grow food.
B. Over the past few years I have grown to be even fonder, through my volunteer work
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The cutback of miles from farm to plate ultimately minimizes the gas emitted into the environment.
b. Another benefit of gardening is reducing the amount of energy required to heat and cool a home.
i. It has been proven that an effective, environmental landscape design can cool your home in summer and warm it in winter. Energy efficient landscaping can actually reduce your energy costs by up to 20%, according to the Plants for Clean Air Council” (Benefits of Gardening). ii. Placing fruit baring trees in front of a home is a perfect example of reducing the human footprint. The tree provides food, and also provides for a wind and sun barrier that improves the insulation in the home.
II. Transition: We all know that save money is a major benefit for, but that is not all that gardening can do.
III. Gardening also contributes to mental well-being, particularly through stress reduction.
A. Gardens reduce stress through personal satisfaction and evoking a meditative state.
1. The hours dedicated to tending to the crop often result in bountiful produce. Preparing the first meal from the harvest is one of the small joys in life that gardens thoroughly indulge in.
2. Gardeners often find deep satisfaction in their gardens because they are rewarded by their patience and
American Green has entertaining anecdotes, but should be considered more of a light read than as an authoritative work of non-fiction. This book may be enjoyed by environmentalists who want to know more about the impact that lawns have on the environment or for someone who truly is obsessed with his or her lawn and wants to learn about others who share this obsession. Steinberg’s goals may have been lofty, to prove a nationwide obsession, but his arguments and assumptions created a book that cannot be taken seriously.
Flanagan starts by describing how important it is for students to learn as much as they can in a classroom because gardening is actually "robbing an increasing number of American schoolchildren of hours they might
"FAQ." Organic Agriculture: What are the environmental benefits of organic agriculture?. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
Meadows, H, Donella.. "Our food, our future." Organic Gardening. 01 Sep. 2000: 53. eLibrary. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
My interest in plants came through watching and helping my grandmother in her gardens. Last summer, Jacksonville's historic Cummer Gardens needed workers, so I began volunteering there for several hours each week, planting new flowers, removing old ones, mulching, and weeding. My work there has inspired me to volunteer in other public gardens, such as those in libraries and nursing homes, in the future.
I later understood that gardening is generally associated with a life of leisure, with relaxation. For me, it was a competition. I'd ask my seedlings, 'Who's growing the fastest?' 'Who's the tallest?' Fearing bad karma, I tried to stay impartial, lest a subconscious preference for green beans would cause me to water them more often, while dumping bleach on the onions. Every night I'd give my parents an update on rates of growth, any signs of produce, and my never-realized irrigation plans.
With the world having so many people on it we use a lot of pesticides and fertilizers. If it was not for the help of these we would not have gotten to the place we are now. Pesticides and fertilizers do a lot more than just help grow and safe from pests. “Nearly 50% of the world labor is employed in agriculture and they significant risk”
In the largely manufactured city of South Central LA, as illustrated by Ron Finley in the video ‘Guerilla Gardener’, people are suffering. Obesity rates are skyrocketing, people are dying from diseases that could be easily treated, all because of produce that is not only expensive, but also unfresh and overwhelmed with pesticides and insecticides. Ron Finley sees this happening in his community and is determined to do something. He explains in his video how gardening is not only a solution to the ongoing food crisis, but is also therapeutic, revolutionary, and life-changing.
The energy used in homes account for approximately 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions. California has aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the state energy consumption. There are many buildings in existence that are operating inefficiently; and making the improvements through the Energy Upgrade California program is helping address this and helping to improve the environment.
II. Transition to Main Point 1: I’m sure you all have heard of organic food but may not know exactly what it is or what makes it organic.
...to saving energy that would help and reduce global warming, what is more is that it would also help people reduce their heating and electricity bills, decreasing the taxes and making people more aware of how they should insulate their homes and buildings, for them to come out with the best result for the environmental problems faced today, and for them too save money.
There are many therapeutic values in this gardening activity that benefit patients entirely. For some, gardening is meaningful, purposeful, and goal-oriented activity (Hewitt, Watts, Hussey, Power; & Williams, 2013). The steps that one follows to pot up a plant or to weed a garden bed are repetitive and goal oriented. Repetitive and purposeful activity has the powerful potential to remediate motor function (Gillen, 2013). This is because, many movement is needed in order to do gardening such as gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
The final draft will be explaining the positive actions of organic agriculture that companies such as ‘Polyface Farm’ promotes for an awareness of natural grown and unconventional farming methods to open the public understanding for a healthier lifestyle. Various cases of organic farming reduce the risk of environmental impacts in agriculture due to climate change, depletes the need for genetically modified food inducing a nutritious diet which lessens health risks, and drives an opportunity for higher wages to unconventional organic farmers. The following five sources will propel informative insight on organic farmer’s earnings and experiences which supports environmentally friendly agriculture and the ecology of nutritiously grown food that
II.Main Point: Trees play an important role in the life of birds and animals.It is natural that wherever trees are planted, wildlife and other plants are sure to follow.
Home gardens offer a wide variety of benefits to the environment and serve a diverse group of people. Home gardening provides a source of fresh produce and free of chemicals, it also gives you complete control over the chemicals and products used during the growing process. A home garden allows you to pick the produce when its ripe, unlike produce at the store is often picked before its fully ripe. The quality and flavor of the freshly picked produce from home is better than the produce that might have unknown chemicals and was likely picked several days or weeks before being sold. The produce retains more nutrients when consumed shortly after being picked, making your home garden vegetables a healthier option. A garden also provides a positive environmental impact. The compost allows you to recycle certain kitchen and yard waste into a nutrient-rich additive for the garden. This provides natural fertilizer for you plants and reduces the wastes you produce. If you choose to avoid or limit chemical use, you reduce pollution from your gardening activities. Besides being good for the environment gardens have environmental gains for us. Gardening help control urban temperatures, If the environmental landscape design is effective it can cool your home in summer and warm it in winter, it can also reduce the energy cost by up to 20%. Gardening, and all the physical activity that goes along with it, leads to a better overall physical health, weight loss, improve you bones, and reduces the risk of having osteoporosis. “In a study of 3,310 older women, researchers from the University of Arkansas found that women involved in yard work and other types of gardening exercises had lower rates of osteoporosis than joggers, swimmers, and women wh...