The Pitch: How you can turn a story into reality

The pitch is adapted from the novel Habitat Man and reimagines the start of the story.

An audio recording of the Pitch is below

This is a 30 minute audio version of the Pitch, written by D.A. Baden and read by Matt Coles

The solutions covered in the story include:

You can find out more about biodiversity for a livable climate here

Ways to make your garden more wildlife friendly are covered in fictional form in the book Habitat Man.

When you ask ecologists their top tips the first is always to avoid pesticides – there are many ways such as companion planting and creating a biodiverse garden so that pests are eaten by their natural predators. Also it’s a question of attitude. Plants that thrive lin local conditions can usually cope with a few pests, it tends to be those that are not so suited to the local conditions that have trouble.

Another key suggestion is to install a pond – even small ones provide great benefits to wildlife.

Planting shrubs, trees and plants that thrive in your particular area works well and focus on those that are enjoyed by local birds and pollinators and insect life. For example, a local oak tree will support hundreds of species, where an imported oak, hardly any.

All food waste should be composted, and garden debris added or piled up to provide a habitat for invertebrates, hedgehogs etc. If you have enclosed compost bins on a flat surface they should be rat-proof. See here for a site that provides advice.

Install a water butt to ensure fresh water, especially useful during droughts.

An example report from a fictional UK wildlife gardener is here.

The Pitch is one of 24 short stories from the anthology No More Fairy Tales: Stories To Save Our Planet. Buy the eBook direct here. The paperback is available on order from your bookshop, via Amazon or direct from the publisher.

Meet the author: D.A. Baden

D.A. Baden is Professor of Sustainability at the University of Southampton and has published numerous book chapters and articles in the academic realm, and a eco-themed rom-com Habitat Man. She wrote the script for a musical, performed in Southampton and London in 2016, and has written three other screenplays. Denise set up the series of free Green Stories writing competitions in 2018 to inspire writers to integrate green solutions into their writing (www.greenstories.org.uk). Denise has written three stories for this anthology, and co-written two others. The Pitch is adapted from her novel Habitat Man. Follow on https://www.dabaden.com/ and @DABadenauthor