Speak for the Trees

The autumnal equinox has come and gone, treehugers, it’s officially fall! Congrats on making it through another hot, sticky summer! It’s time for orange leaves, pumpkin-flavored treats, and curling up under a blanket with some warm tea. But before you get too excited, we have some advice for how to make your fall a little bit more sustainable this year. So without further ado, here is our guide to waste less and reuse more–fall edition:

2. Maximize Your Pumkin

Carving pumpkins is a classic aesthetic autumnal activity, but at what cost? Over one billion–yes billion with a B– pumpkins end up in landfills in the United States. These pumpkins that end up in the landfill are not able to properly compost due to the lack of necessary nutrients, and end up producing methane, which is a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

Now we here at Speak for the Trees love a good pumpkin carving party, and we would never want to take that away from people! But there’s a way to engage in the activity while also being sustainable and mindful of your impact on the environment. For starters, try to find uses for the pumpkin insides–there are plenty of smoothies and foods that can be accentuated with pumpkin seeds and pulp. Plus, there are tons of variations to typical dishes like pesto, curry, and ravioli that pumpkin can be used for. We encourage you to simply explore what your pumpkin insides have to offer. This way, you’re making use of more parts of the pumpkin, instead of simply throwing all of the insides.

Next, when the time has come to dispose of your pumpkin–stop! Step away from the trash can… As long as you didn’t use any markers or glitter on your pumpkins, that is some perfectly usable compost! If you don’t have your own compost bin at home, we have some links at the end of this section that can help you find places nearby that take compost!

And finally, if you don’t really care about the pumpkins as decorations as much as the experience of carving, we encourage you to expand your horizons! Squash or bell peppers are alternatives for a fun carving experience that can easily be eaten after being carved.

If you don’t have your own compost, here are some links that will help you find nearby places to compost!!

https://www.litterless.com/

Compostables Drop Off

2. Leave the Leaves! 

When you think of fall leaves you might think of the insurmountable amount that accumulates in your yard, causing hours and hours of raking. But, did you know that less raking is actually more? Instead of just raking away all the leaves in your yard, try to rake the leaves into piles around tree bases and shrubs. These leaves actually function as mulch- protecting soil from drying out, temperature swings, and keeping weeds down. They compost in place by breaking down and enriching the soil. But most importantly they serve as cozy blankets of shelter and insulation for important pollinators and insects during these colder months! These leaf piles are essential for the survival of bees, ants, beetles, butterflies, and many more bugs during their hibernation season. We at Speak for the Trees encourage you to implement this simple yet significant tactic to help our tiny friends and contribute to a healthier and happier ecosystem.  

Here is a little foliage map to show you when those leaves will be in their prime fall beauty and when they will start to fall! 🍁🍂😍

Also, for some extra credit, we at Speak for the Trees will be participating in what we have dubbed “Off That Damn Phone October,” where we delete all social media apps on our phones in order to be more present with ourselves and support some healthier habits, like reading, journaling, or meditating. For us, these apps include Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and even Youtube and Pinterest–but if you want to delete more or less that’s up to you! We encourage you to at least try and see what a few weeks might be like without one of these addictive apps–we’ll be right there with you!

Welp, that’s it for this week! We hope you have learned a bit about how to love the earth a little better these next few months. And we hope everybody enjoys their cool weather and pretty leaves! Your job for this week is to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this ever-changing world! As Mary Oliver reminds us, these moments we cherish so much are precious because they change as the Earth recycles her energy and matter–just as we should recycle our pumpkins and leaves!!!