Green space is important in any city, but it really is one of the qualities visitors and residents love best about Austin in particular. Its part of what makes Austin stand out compared to the rest of Texas, a quality that shows Austin is like nowhere else around.

Everyone who lives in and around Austin knows that its special. However each of us defines that specialness, part of it will always come from the look, the feel, of Austin. And part of that look and feel, that freshness, comes from our trees and green spaces.

That fact has me thinking about how we need to work hard to keep Austin looking green. It might sound apocalyptic, but other cities and towns have had major issues keeping their greenery. The difficulties of maintaining a city landscape when there are changes in soil, traveling pests that can destroy whole species of trees, the threats from pollution, and the constant demand for more space be freed up make it hard to ensure that Austins trees will continue to be so green and so present in years to come.

The truth is, we dont do enough to protect our greenery. Most of us dont think about it at all, unless we see a serious change happen right in front of us, and thats a recipe for future green space disaster.

Its easy in such a situation to throw your arms up and just assume theres nothing we can do about those factors, but Ive found with a little research that there actually is plenty. For instance, the local business Hamlin Tree Care offers soil assessments to make sure the soil is healthy for the trees living in it. After the assessment, its possible to then add the nutrients into the soil to make it healthier and safer for the trees. If everyone with trees in Austin provided those trees with such an assessment, and if the city in general put money towards this effort, wed be more certain of the future of our greenery.

Thats, of course, only one way to keep our trees healthy. We could all do more to reduce pollution and push our government to put more protections in place to avoid losing our trees.

While this might seem like just a cosmetic issue, the truth is that Austins freshness, in its look, its culture, and its air, is all partly due to the great greenery you see all around you. Its crucial we protect that greenery in every way we can.

So, take the time to look into getting your soil assessed. Add some nutrients to your soil. Look into alternative ways to travel or other pollution reducers, and push for more businesses to renovate old buildings instead of building over green spaces within the city and outside it.

These are small steps, but theres crucial to make sure Austin keeps looking green, feeling clean, and standing out as the most beautiful city in all of Texas.