Pick Your Plants Wisely

 In 2010 Blacks were reported to have the lowest amount of home ownership of any ethnic group at 45.4% however more often than not those African American homeowners are living in African American communities. When the housing and financial crisis hit, Black communities suffered tremendously, like in the Chicago community of Roseland where home ownership dropped from 64% to 53% in 2013. What people don't realize is that these were more than just houses, they were homes sitting on pieces of land. Living land, that requires attention and care.  The type of attention and care that also require energy and income to make it into something beautiful.  That beauty can be grass, a rock garden, a water feature, veggies, or flowering bushes, bird feeders, or mulch.

 The social consequences of segregation  such as inequity of eduction and distribution of resources and services are always discussed,  but what about the environmental consequences? Yes, the environment reflects the decisions of the people in an area.  While every individual in the African American community makes up their own minds about what they like and dislike, we do share similar world views and perspectives based upon our upbringing.  It is not a bad thing, it's just a thing.  Yet when we look at how environmental decisions are made in accord there are unintentional consequences. The natural areas of our homes creates a collective natural environment.  When we see our neighbor plant something it is more likely that we will plant it too.  What ends up happening is that we suffer from "Who wants to be like/who wants to be like/ The Jones'" (You should hear me sing it, lol I sound just like the Temptations).

So what on earth does this have to do with invasive species awareness month? I thought you would never ask! Our decisions to care for the pieces of land that are ours comes from first understanding how to make good decisions.  If you are a homeowner you are directly responsible for the decisions of what you do in your yard.  Together our communities and homes play a huge role in the environmental health of our cities, because often we are so segregated our choices for plants and landscaping turn into something much larger.  If all of us are unaware and chose invasive plants for our homes trust me it is not a good thing to have that in common with ALL your neighbors.  I celebrate our culture and closeness, but I am disheartened by our lack of information.

While invasive plants are sold in nurseries and plant stores if you don't know what is and what isn't invasive you buy whats pretty!  I know when I was planning my landscape at first it wasn't even a thought to consider what should and shouldn't be in my yard.  I thought if it was being sold it was ok.  This is so far from the truth. I also thought if I brought in a landscaper they would know, but they too were just as lost.

It really is YOUR responsibility if you are TRYING to ben environmentally friendly to first educate yourself.  Sometimes you may not have the mindset to do so, which is why you should follow me (shameless plug) as your green guide to the fertile land of sustainability....(insert Ease on down the road song here from The Wiz). It is ok that people in our community are starting from scratch, we have a lot to learn and lots to do so that our communities can contribute to our own health and the health of mother earth.

If you are wondering how to find out information on what to plant in your yard, there are very close friends to help at the Chicago Botanic Garden. On their website they have a list of plants in the Chicago region that are invasive including trees, shrubs and grasses.  If you are thinking of visiting a nursery looking for new life for your space take care to find out if you are adding to the problem through your purchases or being a leader and knowing what you grow is going to be a good thing for nature.  Below are the CBG's ways you can help control invasive plants. You know what we say...."when you know better, you do better" I'm remixing that to say "when you know better, you grow better".

• Learn about invasive plants.

• Phase out the invasive plants on your property.

• Plant only noninvasive species.

• Attend Garden classes and symposia about invasive plants and biodiversity.

• Volunteer to monitor threatened plants of the region.

• Volunteer for stewardship activities at the Garden and other natural areas.

I very much wanted to articulate how much land is owned by African Americans through home ownership here in Chicago, but came up short in looking at the Census data.  It appears as though you can get the average of home ownership but it doesn't tell you how much land in terms of the sizes of homes.  (Crossing fingers for an interested reader to find out and share for us!)

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