Why is it important to grow native plants? Native plants are naturally adapted to Colorado’s climates, soils, and environmental conditions, so they don’t need as many external additions like water and fertilizer. When native plants are established, they can help conserve water and attract mammals, birds, butterflies, and other native pollinators ( Colorado State University ). Why drought-resistant plants? Because it is so dry in Colorado, and droughts are becoming more frequent, it is...

A student on the Auraria Campus asked, “what is the difference between biodegradable and compostable?” What's the difference? In short, anything that is compostable is biodegradable, but not everything that is biodegradable is compostable ( BPI World ). A product must be able to break down into organic materials that can offer nutrients to the soil and plants around it to be compostable ( Western Disposal ). In addition, it must be third party certified by BPI (Biodegradable Products...

@Papplehat asked, “if you can’t maintain a vegetarian diet for health reasons, what else can you do to make a positive impact?” Being a vegetarian certainly helps lower your carbon footprint, but when it’s not possible, there are other options when it comes to food. Global food production is responsible for 35% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, so it is a great place to start making a positive impact ( BBC ). Beef and other red meat produce the largest amount of greenhouse...