Going Green

"The sun was slowly rising over the mountain to the east of my small but cozy summer cottage. It was just after 5 am and I realized I had forgot to close the shade of my bedroom window the night before. I always close that window, otherwise I will be impolitely awakened by the sun and her splendid rays. I open my eyes to the bright glow of her morning rays and realize I forgot again. Feeling quite groggy, I pulled myself out of bed and wandered over to draw down the shade. Something outside caught my attention. My eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the light yet and I couldn't make out the figures that were darting around in the dew filled meadow just 50 yards from my window. As my eyes began to adjust, I slowly began to make out the figures outside. They were a light reddish orange, ah ha, now I realized .... foxes, they were frolicking in the lush green meadow, darting in and out of the rays of sunshine now gleaming over the mountain tops. I quickly grabbed a shirt, opened the front door and stepped onto the moss covered pathway leading to the old storage shed. I needed to make sure the chickens were alright, especially the new hatchlings. I cracked the door and looked in. They were fine, no disturbances here. Since I was up, I decided that I might as well go put the coffee on and start some breakfast. After making coffee, I sat down at the table next to the large front window and continued watching the foxes enjoy themselves as they had now moved closer to the stream that ran through our backyard. My mind began to wander as I began to recall the days of when these houses had asphalt roofs. How ugly they were and they never gave anything back to me. Now I had a roof that will always continue to give, no matter who the owner may be." Excerpt taken from my upcoming book "The lost Gardener."

I have always loved the green roofs that only rarely show up in our New England Area. Are they practical? Do they Work? Are they cost effective? Simply, to answer these brief questions, I must give an emphatic "Yes." As we are now in a time in which we are all looking for ways to do our part in conserving our environment, seeing as we are only stewards here for a time, we must all do our part. It may not be a green roof or organic living. It could just be mulching your grass clippings and returning them back to the turf they came from. We all can do something, no matter how large or small it is. Something is better than Nothing!