In the United States, individual yards provide 42 millions acres of land that could potentially capture and store carbon. How you care for your yard, whether it’s a grassy lawn or a vegetable garden, can help or hurt the effort to curb climate change.

• Plant hardy perennials. Native plants that don't require water once established can be much nore attractive and easy to care for than thirsty grass lawns. Tour local native gardens to see ideas for healthy lawn replacements in your region.
• Grow your own organic food! Get inspiration and tips to grow a climate victory garden.
• Limit your use of nitrogen fertilizer. Excess nitrogen is consumed by bacteria that converts it into a greenhouse gas 300 times worse than carbon dioxide, and homeowners pollute at a rate 10 times greater than farmers. Nitrogen also finds its way into waterways, creating oxygen-starved dead zones in oceans and lakes.
• If you do have grass, use a manual push mower instead of a gas or electric mower. You’ll get a better workout, and with a sharp blade, it does the job just fine. Then leave the grass clippings to mulch.
• Use a broom or rake instead of a leaf blower, either gas or electric. Manual labor doesn’t emit carbon, and it’s also more efficient, quieter, less polluting, and much easier on your back.
• Plant trees. With their deep roots and large biomass, trees store carbon efficiently as they provide oxygen, shade, habitat, and food for birds and other species.
• Consider planting bamboo, which sequesters carbon faster than almost any other plant. Just make sure to use precautions to sequester the bamboo as well as the carbon; bamboo can be invasive and difficult to eradicate once established.
• Compost your food scraps and garden waste. Add leaves to your compost pile or garden beds. If you don’t have a use for them, offer them to neighbors. (Leaves are far too valuable to send to the landfill!)
• If you’re creating a patio, driveway, or other hard surface, consider alternatives to concrete. The chemical process used to create cement (a component of concrete) emits high levels of carbon dioxide, largely because the high temperatures require burning coal. Natural stone, wood, or recycled composites may give you the surface you want without the damage to the climate.