Renee Blaschke, the new president of the National Garden Clubs, has a message: “The World Around Us; Love It, Beautify It, Protect It.”

Hence the title of her acceptance speech when she took office in Houston in 2009.

Her key initiatives are important to all gardeners who care about the environment and the future.

Heading her list is promoting conservation of natural resources — water, soil, forests, native plants and wildlife.

Miriam Jabour, a Master Gardener and Master Flower Show judge, has been active in the Openwood Plantation Garden Club for over 35 years. Write to her at 1114 Windy Lake Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39183.

In recent years, low rainfall combined with extended periods of high temperatures created drought conditions for our neighboring states, and it could happen in Mississippi.

It is important to use water efficiently — Americans average using 10,000 gallons per year per family to water lawns and 10 times per acre more herbicides and pesticides on lawns than the average farmer on food crops. Many of the chemicals wash into lakes and streams, contaminating water, threatening wildlife and leaving harmful residue behind.

It is time to use more natives and drought-tolerant trees and shrubs in new plantings. Adopt practices that help control erosion, such as adding dry stone creek beds to channel stormwater into lakes and streams without losing large amounts of sediment. Use groundcovers and mulches to hold the soil in places where grass will not grow. Plant trees for erosion control and to provide habitat for wildlife. Try organic methods and reduce your reliance on chemical herbicides and pesticides.

Learn to recognize invasive weeds and get rid of them. Originally introduced as landscape plants, they have flourished in home gardens but escaped into the wild and are threatening the biological diversity and native species of our state.

The Mississippi State Extension Services estimates that 20 percent of the plant species in Mississippi forests, parks, refuges and other open spaces are not native to the state. The Extension Service describes them as biological pollutants that crowd out natives, degrade wildlife habitat and threaten endangered species. Mississippi’s worst invasives include alligator weed, Chinese tallow tree, Japanese honeysuckle, Chinese privet, cogon grass, Johnson grass, kudzu, tropical soda apple, purple loose-strife, water hyacinth, giant salvinia, Eurasian watermilfoil, parrotfeather, beach vitex and callery pear.

Recycle plastics, aluminum and paper products — an amazing number of items can be recycled, cutting garbage by two-thirds.

It is estimated that each American throws out at least 300 plastic bottles per year. Use cloth bags for groceries rather than plastic, one of the most frequently found pollutants in the nation’s waterways.

Plastics biodegrade slowly, breaking down into polymers that contaminate soil and water. The recycling bins at the Outlets at Vicksburg, Beechwood, South Park, Sherman Avenue and Dana Road elementaries accept  No. 1 and No. 2 plastics and paper. Compost leaves rather than bagging them for the landfill.

Introduce others to gardening. Blaschke gardened as a child with her parents and it started her lifelong love of the natural world and joys of gardening. Urban life is the norm today, and many kids have never experienced the excitement of growing a home garden. Include your own children in gardening activities whenever possible. Volunteer to help with garden-related projects for school groups and scouts. Help establish and work with community gardens to teach adults how to grow vegetables to feed their families.

Opportunities abound, Blaschke said, for gardeners to make a difference.