Green Corner: Starting In Our Own Back (and Front) Yards

Green Corner: Starting In Our Own Back (and Front) Yards

As the effects of climate change accelerate, it’s easy to get discouraged. Lifestyle changes are needed on a massive scale, and it’s hard to see how our individual actions can make a difference. But while we wait for our leaders to make the major changes, there are things we can – and should – do. Whether you do your own yard work or hire a service, choices we make about yard care can make a huge difference.

This Spring:

• Ditch the gas mower and leaf blower. Per the EPA, one hour of gas-powered mowing = carbon footprint of 100-mile car trip. Electric tools are quieter, cleaner, greener. Rakes and old-fashioned non-motorized mowers work well, too. Beyond being polluting, leaf blowers destroy micro-habitats.

• Go No-Mow. Replace all or part of your lawn with ground cover or native species. Ground covers such as thyme, clover, or moss are hardy and very low-maintenance. Plant a native perennial garden – Flowering native plants are also hardy, beautiful, and provide much-needed habitat for bees and other helpful insects.

• Reduce watering. Grass will develop deeper roots if watered deeply and less often. Use rain barrels and soaker hoses. Early morning watering decreases evaporation.

• Stop using artificial fertilizers and pesticides. They’re bad for the environment and just aren’t needed.

• Switch to an eco-friendly lawn service. There are several in our area. Just DO it! Make this the year that your corner of the world helps – instead of adding to – the problems. Every bit helps, and if not us, then WHO?

Resources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/opinion/climate-change-gas-leaf-blowers.html?referringSource=articleShare (Here’s a Better Way to Care for Your Yard)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/opinion/leaf-blowers-california-emissions.html?referringSource=articleShare (First Thing we’ll do, Let’s Kill All the Leafblowers)

https://www.ecowatch.com/eco-friendly-lawn-2651194858.html (Six Ways To Transform Your Lawn Into An Eco-friendly Oasis)

https://www.ecohome.net/guides/3402/grass-lawn-alternatives-eco-friendly-bee-friendly/ (Bee-Friendly and Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Grass)