Ten Tips for A Greener Earth Day
Happy Earth Day! Celebrate the holiday by resolving to make your day to day life more earth friendly. Here are 10 tips that will help create a "greener" home and garden.
- Use organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers. Fish emulsion, aged manure and compost are all great sources of nutrients.
- Select plants suited to your garden's growing conditions. This will not only save you time and heartache, but a happy plant requires less pest and disease control.
- Add a 3-inch layer of mulch to conserve moisture and reduce the need to use chemical herbicides to control weeds.
- Conserve water by choosing drought resistant plants. Successful drought tolerant gardens depend on deeply tilled, well-drained soil. Your best bet is to plant in raised or mounded beds that are 12 to 18-inches tall. Water new plants weekly during their first growing season to help them establish strong root systems.
- Make your home sparkling clean with these earth-friendly products: baking soda, white vinegar, borax, lemon juice and vegetable-based liquid soap.
- Filter indoor air with houseplants. English ivy, pothos, sansevieria, aloe vera, ficus, peace lily, corn plant and spider plant especially good at removing toxins from the air.
- Support your local farmers and retailers by buying their products. This not only enriches your area's economy, it reduces the impact of shipping items.
- Choose furniture for your home or garden that is made from durable materials.
- Harvest rainwater to use in your garden. This practice conserves water and reduces the amount of runoff going into our storm sewers. All you need to collect rainwater is a down spout and a rain barrel with a lid.
- Plant deciduous trees in a position that will shade your house in summer. After the leaves fall in autumn sunlight will be able to filter through to warm the house in winter.