Do this |
Because |
|
| Use sprinkler only between the evening and morning |
If
you water during the daytime a lot of the water may evaporate. Droplets
of water in the leaves also will act as magnifying lenses and burn the
plant. |
not enough |
| Use soaker hoses rather than sprinklers |
Soaker
hoses deliver the water to the bases of the plants without being
sprayed into the air first. Sprinklers result in a good portion of the
water being blown away or evaporating before it gets to the plant.
Especially in windy or hot weather. Also, sprinklers water everything,
not just the plant you want to grow. |
noticeable |
| Water with watering can |
Delivering
the water to the base of the plant without spraying it through the air
is much less wasteful and allows you to control where the water ends
up. In addition, using a watering can enables you to use rain or pond
water. |
noticeable |
| Share equipment |
Much
of the equipment used in a garden can be shared with a friend or
neighbor. If you have neighbors (and good relations with them) find out
if you can share tools and equipment. You create less pollution (and
save money) because fewer products have to be made/ purchased. |
noticeable |
| Have plants that fit your region |
Don’t
plant plants in your area that use more water than is typically
available naturally. Water is a valuable resource (especially where it
is rare) and it cost energy to make drinking water and deliver it to
your house. |
significant |
| Mulch the ground |
If you mulch with hay, grass clippings, or wood bark you limit water loss through evaporation. |
significant |
| Mow your grass on highest setting |
A
lawn with longer grass is healthier and has to be mowed less. If you
cut on a shorter setting you will notice that the grass needs cutting
much earlier and you will probably mow it more often. This is a
perception thing. |
not enough |
| Use hand tools, not power tools |
Power
tools are more complicated, made from more parts, more sophisticated
materials, and require much more energy to be manufactured. In
addition, power tools pollute because they need energy to operate. |
noticeable |
| Mow as rarely as possible |
Lawn-mowing
is creating a lot of pollution. Lawn mowers are not made to be
efficient in regard to gas consumption and often use 2-stroke engines
that burn oil. Let is grow, it is better for the lawn too. |
significant |
| Compost your organic waste |
Composting
changes you organic waste into compost which is a fine fertilizer.
Keeping organic waste out of your garbage results in less garbage,
fewer animals being interested in your garbage, and, most importantly,
less pollution because less trash has to be transported or sorted.
Every pound of trash pollutes. |
significant |
| Use natural methods |
Stay
away from man-made pesticides and fertilizers. A lot of energy and
resouces are needed to make them, transport them, package them. Natural
alternatives may not work as well, but they are clean and require less
energy to make. Ideally they are made by you since you then know what
went into the mix. |
significant |
| Pick bugs by hand |
The
ultimate pest control. Picking unwanted insects by hand creates no
pollution, and has much fewer negative effects on other animals. |
significant |
| Use natural materials |
Unlike
many human-made materials, most grown (currently or formerly living)
materials will decay in a relatively short period of time and do not
require as much energy or resources to be made if they are grown
organically. |
noticeable |
| Spray with natural poisons |
It
does not have to be human-made to be poisonous. There are natural
poisons available that work often just as well or better and create
less pollution because they require less energy to be made and because
they decay naturally over time. |
noticeable |
| Use push mower |
A
ride on lawn mower needs more gas than push mower because it not only
has to mow the grass, it also has to move you around, maybe even
uphill. |
noticeable |
| Use electric mower if you use "clean" electricity |
An
electric mower creates only less pollution where it is used. If the
electricity is made by wind or sun, you may have a machine that does
not pollute while you use it. Battery powered mowers may create
problems after the battery is not usable anymore. Batteries are
hazardous waste. |
noticeable |
| Use a human powered mower |
If
you have a small lawn you do not need a powered mower. If you want to
tackle a larger lawn you can save yourself the trip to the gym. Less
pollution all around. |
significant |
| Get rid of the grass |
If you have no lawn, you do not have to mow it. Even a reduction in lawn size will result in less pollution. |
significant |
| Avoid string trimming by design |
String
trimmers are often not necessary if you design your garden so that you
can do the work with the mower, or do not have to do it at all. Once
upon a time string trimmers did not exist and gardens were beautiful
even then. Let the grass grow long where you cannot mow. Design edges
so that you can mow there. Gas-powered string trimmers burn oil and
gas. Lots of pollution. |
significant |
| Compost leaves |
Instead
of bagging the leaves and having them hauled away by truck, just pile
them up and enjoy fine leaf mulch in a few years. Or mix with 20%
manure and it will be compost much faster. |
noticeable |
| Mulch with natural materials |
Using
black plastic tarp as mulch has benefits. It warms up the soil and
keeps weeds under control. However, it cannot be (or generally is not)
reused and cannot be recycled (since it is dirty after it was used). It
is made from valuable petrochemical products and pollutes while it is
manufactured and after you are done using it. Use natural materials
such a hay, grass clippings, wood chips, etc. |
noticeable |
| Use netting or fabric |
If
you cover a tree or bush with netting or mesh fabric you keep out
unwanted bugs (and birds). The material can often be reused and, unlike
many man-made insecticides, does not pollute or damage the air, soil,
water during its use. |
noticeable |
| Consider using human fertilizer |
Why
flush good fertilizer? If you can and you are healthy, go ahead,
compost it. Pee outside. Build an outhouse. Save water, get good
fertilizer. |
not enough |
| Use animal manure |
Great fertilizer, no additional energy and resources are required during production. Less pollution. |
not enough |
| Trim hedge by hand |
Works
just as well than a power tool. If you have so many hedges that you
need a power tool, consider letting them grow as they please or getting
rid of those plants that require fossil energy to look great. |
significant |
| Use unheated greenhouse |
Growing
vegetables locally is great if the vegetables can be grown in the area
you live. If extending the growing season requires heating a
green-house you are possibly using more energy than growing the plants
where they grow naturally and transport them by truck to your place.
Unheated green-houses extend the growing season and do not pollute
while they are used. |
significant |
| Heat green-house with carbon-neutral methods |
If
you heat your green-house because the sun is not shining for days, heat
it with wood. Unlike using fossil fules, you at least do not increase
the CO2 content in our atmosphere with this method. Even better:
geothermal heat! |
significant |
| Loosen soil by hand |
Loosening
the soil (without turning it over) by hand may be hard labor but it is
better for the health of the soil and if you stay away from a power
tool you pollute not at all. |
significant |
| Use birds and bats as pest control |
Put up some houses for bird or bats that eat a lot of insects every day. No pollution, thousands of insects eaten. |
noticeable |
