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You can heed the call to Plant More Plants. Go electric with your lawn mower. Handle your home HazMats with care.
As the season brings its warm-weather rites, here are some ways to stay green.
Establish some roots
The Plant More Plants campaign is spreading the word that homeowners can help protect the Bay by adding native trees, shrubs, and perennials to their landscapes.
Watch the two great Plant More Plant videos, Wage War on Runoff and Keeping up with the Joneses, on the campaign's website.
Plants can help filter stormwater and prevent polluted runoff, which is the fastest-growing source of water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Rain can wash chemicals and fertilizers designed to make lawns green and beautiful into streams and rivers and, ultimately, the Bay, where they fuel the growth of excess algae and can cause oxygen-deprived “dead zones.”
“Plant More Plants” aims to educate consumers on ways they can help and provide Bay-friendly solutions and resources for homeowners. At the Plant More Plants website, would-be green gardeners can download free landscape plans that offer user-friendly steps to help homeowners add an eco-friendly element to their backyard.
“The real message behind this campaign is that we all take actions that impact the health of our local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. We can choose actions that are fun, improve our yards and homes and help local streams and the Bay. ‘Plant More Plants’ helps show you how,” said Gary Waugh, coordinator of the campaign and public relations manager at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
And when you are planting those plants, reduce or eliminate the use of those fertilizers that can eventually find their way to the Bay.
Cut the gas
Older model gasoline-powered lawn mowers have few emission controls. An hour of mowing the lawn with a gasoline-powered mower can pollute the air as much as driving a new-model car from Baltimore to Pittsburgh and back.
Another number to consider: An estimated 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled refueling lawn equipment in the United States in a year.
Help reduce pollution by using a manual lawnmower or switching to electric or battery-powered lawn mowers.
Last year, MDE teamed with Clean Air Partners to hold the Great Maryland Lawnmower Exchange, in which Maryland residents came to Camden Yards to trade in their gas-powered mowers to get up to 66 percent off a new Neuton battery-powered mower.
More than 750 lawn mowers were exchanged – resulting in an estimated seasonal emissions benefit of almost 178 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx), two tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and more than 28 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). NOx and VOCs are precursors to the formation of ground-level ozone, while CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
NOx, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels from industry, power plants, lawnmowers, vehicles, and boats, combined with VOCs released by fumes in gasoline, paints, lacquers, cleaning supplies, and pesticides among other sources, contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is a frequent problem during warmer weather and has been linked to adverse health effects, including respiratory problems. Use low-VOC products, or put off painting, mowing, and other activities that might help ozone to form on days with unhealthy air.
Get real-time air quality readings by signing up for alerts at www.cleanairpartners.net or by calling the air quality hotline at 410-537-3247.
Make a clean sweep
Identify potentially dangerous household materials – and dispose of them properly.
Household hazardous wastes can pollute the Chesapeake Bay or drinking water if poured down a drain or onto the ground. If thrown into the trash they can eventually leach from landfills. And if allowed to evaporate they can contribute to air pollution.
Examples of hazardous wastes include many cleaning, automotive, home improvement, and lawn and garden products, including pesticides. Check labels for words like “poison,” “danger,” or “warning.” MDE recommends that household hazardous wastes be recycled or disposed of through local collection programs. The Department’s website includes information on local collection and recycling programs.
Maryland’s Recycling Market Directory provides a list of businesses that accept materials for recycling.
If you have to dispose of hazardous household materials in the trash, take such precautions as placing damaged or leaking containers inside of other, intact containers, and include a non-flammable absorbent such as clay-based kitty litter. Spread out the disposal of a large collection of household hazardous wastes to minimize large concentrations of toxins and the potential for mixing with incompatible wastes.
Finally, as you purchase additional products avoid toxic products when possible and consider buying safer alternatives.
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