GOING GREEN
Simple Swaps
Seven things anyone can do to make their garden more eco -friendly.
By JICKIE TORRES
PHOTOS BY ISTOCK IMAGES
THE IDEA OF EMPLOYING sustainable and earth-friendly elements in your home and garden is attractive. Who isn’t conscious of the threatening effects of global warming and doesn’t want to try and do their part to mitigate the damage? But starting doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as you think. Here are a few easy features and simple swaps you can incorporate into your landscape design that will earn you some carbon offsets and better your local environment in dividends.
Reduce Your Lawn
As accustomed as we are to seeing that sea of green in the average front and back yard, lawns really are eco offenders. Not only do they require lots of water for upkeep, they don’t provide any habitat for local animals and insects, and lawn water runoff can pollute the groundwater if pesticides are used in their maintenance. Instead, meadow gardens, native gardens, xeriscape gardens and even low-growing turf grasses (using naturalized or low-growing turf that requires little grooming) are popular alternatives.