It’s World Environment Day, the day each year that the UN has held in celebration, conversation, and action for our shared home since 1974. Today, around the world, 我们反思我们对环境的影响，并致力于保护我们的星球免受污染的项目, climate change, poaching, and the many other crises that face our planet. In the spirit of the day, 我们想和你谈谈我们在农场所做的一些环境保护工作，以及为什么这对我们的草药很重要, our products, and you.
So what exactly is environmental conservation? Put simply, 环境保护将保护地球及其资源的努力与人类可持续利用的需要结合起来. 环境保护包括保护和维持当地的生物多样性, crucial ecosystem functions, and the health of the soil, water, and air.
保护私人土地是保护工作的重要组成部分.
Private land accounts for about 70% of land in the lower-48 states, making it an obviously important type of land. Two-thirds of endangered species are supported by private land. However, only 3% of protected areas are found on private lands, 因此农场必须采取行动支持保护.
虽然单一栽培农场提供了栖息地，但它通常支持的物种要少得多. Often, 它只能支持有限数量的昆虫物种，这些昆虫通常缺乏足够的天敌, leading to their overpopulation. 这可能会对作物生产(或增加农药使用)和当地生态系统产生有害影响，因为这会减少大多数物种的栖息地. A variety of plants, especially in a variety of forms (i.e. grasses, flowering plants, shrubs, nitrogen fixers, and trees) can support far more diverse ecosystems.
许多人认为支持自然保护的农场肯定会损害他们的底线. 然而，许多保护措施是对当地社区的长期投资. 从长期来看，成本可以通过减少工厂更换来降低, reducing water and fertilizer use, and reducing soil erosion. CSU最近的一项研究发现，每投入一美元在保护生态系统上产生4- 12美元的生态系统服务.e. 洪水防治、水净化、空气质量、授粉和野火防治.
Colorado Aromatics is growing with nature, not against it.
Conservation is an important part of our work, 不仅因为这让新萄京正规网站对使用者来说更安全、更健康, 还因为我们种植食材的方式对当地和全球都有影响.
Our farm is Certified Naturally Grown (CNG)这意味着我们从不在自家土地上使用有毒的杀虫剂或除草剂. Instead, we use manual labor, companion planting, biocontrols, 以及其他处理杂草和有害生物的自然方法. Farms, like ours, are part of the environment around them. 采用种植方式促进这种联系的农民可以受益于经济, human health, and the health of our planet.
Growing CNG herbs allows us to create better, 更安全的产品对新萄京正规网站可持续发展目标和产品安全目标都很重要. This also allows us to support biodiversity. 我们在农场推行的保育措施，有助为本地野生动物提供生境和资源.
我们将保护融入到我们的农场工作中的方法包括:
- Planting a native species garden.
- 使用配套的种植技术，比如在作物行中加入花朵来授粉. Even our crops serve ecological functions. For example, 金盏菊会吸引有益的昆虫，也会吸引那些可能会啃食我们其他植物的害虫. Calendula is hardy enough to handle these oncoming insects, plus, 通常有一些有益的(但对我们无害的)蜘蛛，比如带状花园蜘蛛，潜伏在树叶中等待有人来吃.
- Planting a windbreak. 我们在农场种植了一排本地针叶树和一排落叶灌木，这将有助于保护我们的作物不受风的侵蚀，保护我们的土壤不受侵蚀. They will also provide important habitat and resources for wildlife.
- We have bee boxes on the farm for honeybees. 虽然不是本地的，但它们是很棒的传粉者，喜欢我们的草本植物，尤其是薰衣草.
- 我们也在饲养帝王蝶，这是农场里许多蝴蝶品种中的一种. 培育这种受威胁的蝴蝶物种不仅对我们农场的授粉很重要，而且对它们在全美提供的生态系统服务也很重要.
我们的农场饲养着超过87种野生动物，其中大多数是新京十大正规网站本土的.
In the last year, we’ve recorded over 87 species of wildlife on the farm, most of which are native to Colorado. 我们甚至很幸运地看到了一些鸟类的蛋和小鸡，比如知更鸟, killdeer, and grackles.
Our farm is also home to many species of pollinators. There are monarchs and honeybees, as mentioned above, and other butterflies like red admirals, painted ladies, 3 species of swallowtail, sulfurs, and cabbage whites. Wasps and native bees are also important pollinators. We love seeing the fuzzy Hunt’s Bumblebee buzzing around our comfrey.
我们农场帮助授粉的昆虫也会访问附近的农场，帮助他们的庄稼. 以保护和支持授粉者的方式种植不仅对我们自己的农场，而且对我们当地社区和全球粮食供应都很重要. ¾ of flowering plants rely on pollinators, and ⅓ of food crops!
Wildlife is also important for natural pest control. There are plenty of jumping spiders, wolf spiders, and crab spiders protecting our plants from unwanted pests. 我们还有蝙蝠，它们每晚出来捕食蚊子和其他叮咬昆虫. Birds are also excellent at controlling pests. 到目前为止，我们已经统计了大约40种鸟类，包括4种燕子, killdeer, several species of warblers, and kingbirds.
农业自然会对我们农场的生物多样性和我们周围的生物多样性产生持久的影响. 我们的养殖方式是我们公司在护肤行业中独一无二的部分原因. We have a responsibility to care for the land we use. 我们也有责任为我们的客户创造安全、可持续的产品. 我们的使命是确保我们在这两个领域都做到最好，我们很高兴能与大家分享我们是如何做到这一点的.
On this World Environment Day, 利用这个机会来反思你每天购买的产品和你采取的影响环境的行动. Do you know how the things you buy help or harm the planet? 为了让自己的生活更环保，你可以在今年剩下的时间里制定什么“绿色决心”呢?
Then, go play outside!
– Leo + Fern
利奥和芬是我们的常驻保护生物学家，他们在我们的农场和生产设施工作. They run the nature-centered Instagram account @thiswildwonderland and the associated blog. 在博尔德和城市公园的农贸市场向他们问好，或者就你遇到的任何有关保护或生态的问题留言.