We manage our land for multiple objectives, mainly environmental impact/ecological quality, our aesthetic enjoyment and nature education, and the minor production of firewood and food for our own usage.  We divided our property into “zones” where the terrain, soils, water features and previous land use make a distinct plant community with distinct management needs to achieve our objectives.  We made a plant inventory and documented over 200 species across the zones.  We manage very lightly, removing invasives, favoring natives that are present, and seeding/transplanting a selected number of native plants.  We enjoy the process and believe that it generates some modest positive impacts on the climate, biodiversity and society through carbon storage, habitat creation and water protection.

I’m not sure what group spearheaded this effort but I know Jen Sundeen was actively involved in providing backyard compost barrels at a reduced price. It’s great to recycle & turn food scraps into great garden soil. 

When we purchase lawn care and gardening equipment, it's always electric! We recently switched from a gas-powered cultivator for the garden to an electric one. 

Our accessory apartment has more insulation than required per mass save, hvac is heat pump, stove is induction and window blinds add additional insulation effect. Roof has maximum number of solar panels and all appliances are energy efficient

I have been very inspired by Doug Tallamy's writings and talks, and I decided to augment my gardens, which already have many native plants, with a new bed surrounding a large oak tree. This new bed is filled with all native plants, and covers almost all the area under the oak's canopy, most of which was lawn. The idea is to provide a hospitable place for butterfly/moth larvae after they finish feeding in the oak and drop down to the ground to continue their life cycle.  These larvae are particularly important for breeding birds, which feed their young a diet of almost all caterpillars.  It has been exciting to watch this bed develop.  One of the plant species -- Heliopsis helianthoides, false sunflower-- was attacked this spring by thousands of red aphids. I squished them and dislodged them with sprays of water, but they kept coming. I waited hopefully for the calvary to arrive... and I was finally rewarded with the good bugs who ate all the aphids. It was hard being patient, but so satisfying to see nature solve the problem!

In Harvard, backyard composting is easy.  We've been doing it for a few years and love the end product, it really helps the garden!  We also love keeping organics out of the solid waste stream.