Backyard Environment & Eco-Friendly Living

The backyard is where conservation begins. Whether you're turning a patch of lawn into a pollinator garden, learning from the stewards who protect America's wild places, or finding ways to tread more lightly on the land around your home, this category is your guide to living in closer harmony with the natural world. From coast to coast, dedicated organizations — land trusts, wildlife refuges, native plant societies, and grassroots conservancies — are doing the hard work of preserving ecosystems for future generations. Here, we explore their stories alongside practical steps you can take in your own backyard to support the larger web of life.

What You'll Find in This Category

The Environment section covers a wide range of topics, from in-depth profiles of regional conservation groups to actionable eco-friendly gardening advice. Here's a snapshot of what you can explore:

• Profiles of land conservancies & wildlife refuges — including their histories, missions, & impact
• Native plant societies & how supporting local flora protects entire ecosystems
• Greenbelts, trail networks, & preserved open spaces worth visiting & supporting
• Composting, sustainable landscaping, & backyard habitat creation
• Wildlife-friendly gardening practices that attract birds, bees, & native pollinators
• How everyday people & volunteer organizations drive meaningful environmental change

Why Local Conservation Matters to Every Backyard

The forests of the North Cascades, the wetlands along Tampa Bay, the native prairies of the Hudson Valley — these landscapes don't protect themselves. Behind every preserved tract of land is a coalition of passionate advocates, often working for decades against development pressure and dwindling funding. Organizations like the Florida Native Plant Society, the Columbia Land Conservancy, and the San Juan Preservation Trust represent what's possible when communities decide that wild places are worth fighting for. Understanding their work isn't just inspiring — it offers a model for how each of us can become a more active steward of the green spaces closest to home.

From Big Wilderness to Your Own Backyard

Conservation isn't only the work of nonprofits and land trusts. Every decision you make in your outdoor space — what you plant, how you manage water, whether you compost, which chemicals you avoid — ripples outward into the broader environment. The guides and profiles in this category are designed to connect the grand scale of regional environmental activism with the intimate, hands-on work of tending your own corner of the earth. Whether you're drawn to the story of a 37-year-old conservancy or you simply want to build a brush pile that shelters overwintering insects, you'll find something here to spark your next step.

Pick a guide below and start making your backyard a little wilder, a little greener, and a little more connected to the living world around it.