Wednesday, April 11, 2007

51 Things: Plant a Fence

Number 26 on TIME Magazine's list of 51 Things We Can Do to fight global warming now is to plant a bamboo fence. Bamboo makes an attractive fence, and it consumes more carbon than many other plants when allowed to grow.

Most homeowners have to restrict its growth, lest it get out of control. Do this, however, and you reduce bamboo's capacity as a carbon sink. Only large-scale plantings, which absorb CO2 faster than they release it, can favorably tip the scales.

Planting a fence also saves on the carbon production that would have gone into manufacturing a fence from wood, metal, or plastic.

If you have a homeowners' association, make sure you check with them before planting your fence.

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