Happy Earth Day!
For us to have healthy lives, we need a healthy planet.
Organic foods require clean land, free of toxic pesticides and herbicides. The nutrients in the soil are the nutrients that end up in the plants we eat (remember that elementary school experiment with blue food coloring, a glass of water, and a stalk of celery? That’s how it works.). Farmers must do extra work to clean up their land so they can grow healthy food for us. Support those farmers by buying organic when you can – and if you know any of those farmers, then be sure to thank them personally!
Your yard is just as important as a farm.
Choose your lawn care products carefully. Those chemical lawn services dump toxins on your yard (those little flags are warnings to keep kids and pets off the grass), and when it rains, the excess runs into your storm sewer and pollutes the water supply.
Put in a little personal effort. You can dig up dandelions and other weeds with a simple tool or an old fork. Put a little table salt in the hole left by the root. Consider an “old-fashioned” push mower (no motor, just blades) if your lawn is not-too-big. The walk will do you good, there’s very little noise, no fuel, and the lawn looks just as good.
Plant native grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees. Native plants will tolerate your weather patterns better, and usually require less care. Check with your local greenhouse, nursery or university extension service, or find a Master Gardener in your area. They can all help you find native plants that will work in your yard.
Reuse water for your yard. There are simple systems you can install to collect rainwater runoff from your roof. The water collects in a 55-gallon barrel, and you just hook up a hose to water the lawn. Don’t use runoff water on your garden – the roofing material may contain particles that you don’t want in your food. But the water is fine for your lawn, flowers, shrubs and non-fruit trees.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 3:13 am and is filed under Chemicals, Additives & Preservatives, Green living, Home.
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