Last Thursday, July 29, Herning Folkeblad published a fantastic article about farmer Niels Peder Storbjerg, who is planting wildflowers on the edge of his field. It is a fantastic story, because he does it with biodiversity in mind and not with subsidies in mind. Because it allows people to come by and pick a bouquet for the dining table; completely free – to make others happy.

Here is an example of how we can all help to create biodiversity. Because it does not have to be a huge effort, but here many small streams could help to create a whole river of sparkling flowers with buzzing insects. In this way, everyone, by doing a little, can help to ensure habitats for insects, create healthy natural areas and in this way get a nature that is also rich in other things than fields and grass.

Nature in itself has a huge utility value, even though we humans often take it for granted. The millions of species help to ensure new ways we can create medicine, they help to pollinate our fields, they help to ensure new innovative ways of thinking or creating things. Nature in itself contributes to such a high degree that it would amount to more than billions of kroner if we were to put a price on it. It is therefore important that we are all actively involved in making nature a diversity project, where everyone can get something out of it, but where it also works for the benefit of the many different species.

Fortunately, Niels Peder Storbjerg is not the only one who can form the basis for a positive article about biodiversity in Herning Folkeblad. For in Wednesday’s edition we could read about a young couple who had created a “wild front garden”, which basically showed a garden of various wild flowers instead of freshly cut grass. Similarly, the general housing association, Fruehøjgaard, has also started several experiments, where they plant wild flowers to create better conditions for areas with high biodiversity. These are flaming enthusiasts who help to create a development that one cannot help but take one’s hat off to. But we still see large grass areas owned by private companies and, unfortunately, also Herning Municipality, where money, time and effort are still being spent on ensuring “nice lawns”.

We should follow in the footsteps of the enthusiasts who, like beacons, show the way!

In the Social Democrats, we want to create more wild nature both in the city and in the countryside throughout Herning Municipality. So Herning Municipality can help to lead the way in the green transition. Previously, Troels wrote: “Less grass, more wild nature - that is the means, the goal must be to become Denmark’s wildest municipality”. This is the right path for Herning Municipality. Because with more wild nature, we create better biodiversity - for the benefit of both present and future.

We hope that companies, housing associations and private homeowners will take up the challenge and start creating biodiversity areas on their private land.

This reader’s letter has been translated from Danish.