Living Responsibly

• Anticipate and accept some pest activity.
• Attract natural predators and pollinators with a diverse and colorful garden.
• When possible, use non-chemical practices to keep the lawn healthy and the ecosystem in balance.
  • Remove pests by hand or shake into a cup of soapy water
  • Spray pests off plants with the garden hose
  • Water adequately to keep plants healthy
  • Keep insects off plants and vegetables by using polyester row covers
  • Remove insect-damaged plants
  • Pull weeds and remove fallen leaves where insects can hide
• Shop for natural lawn care products: A listing of Natural Lawn Care Product Suppliers in the Chicago Wilderness region is available from Safer Pest Control, a non-profit Illinois agency.
• If pesticides are necessary, choose organic pesticides and those that are least toxic to non-pest species. Target pesticide applications to avoid water and non-target species. Avoid spraying in windy conditions.

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

• Don’t buy cypress mulch and don’t be shy about explaining the cypress mulch issue to your fellow gardeners.
• Be aware that some mulch will leak poisons into your soil, including rubber, cocoa shells and recycled wood mulch.
• Read the label. Make sure that your mulch was made from natural forest products and is certified by the Mulch and Soil Council.
• You can’t beat chopped up leaves, if you’ve got a large supply. They’re a natural mulch and a natural fertilizer at the same time. And they’re free.
• Make your own compost. Pure, fully-decomposed compost will keep weeds down for a season, while steadily enriching the soil below.
• Don’t pile any mulch up against a building. Termites will use it as a highway to termite heaven.
• Don’t pile any mulch against the stems or trunks of your trees and plants. It makes it easier for insects and diseases to attack the plant.

• Leave the grass clippings on the lawn for natural lawn fertilizer
• Use leaves as natural mulch in the garden
• If you must buy lawn fertilizer, only buy phosphorus-free products
• Avoid scattering fertilizer on hard surfaces where the rain will wash it into the storm sewer and off into our lakes and streams.
• The "Off-the-grid" feeling: buy a push mower
• Consider avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers altogether
• Plant a prairie in your front yard and avoid both fertilizing and lawn mowing

• Support and/or participate in ecological restoration in our natural areas!
• Keep non-native compost worms out of the woodlands: Non-native earthworms are commonly sold around the country for home compost piles. Freeze the compost for at least one week to kill worms in the compost before you use homemade compost near a wooded area.
• Don't dump fishing bait or other worms in the woods; toss any unused bait in the garbage.

• If you can, halt the salt! Use de-icers sparingly, try limiting to icy patches that resist shoveling.
• Shovel or snowblow soon after it stops snowing and before the snowy slush freezes, so that little or no de-icer is needed.
• Check the current and predicted outdoor temperatures before you use de-icers, lest it's too cold and they prove ineffective.
• Shovel snow thoughtfully. Avoid piling salt-laden snow in garden areas or beneath your prized trees and shrubs.
• Even if you take action to reduce de-icer applications, there still may be areas in your landscape where impacts are simply going to be unavoidable. Luckily, some plants are relatively tolerant of salty soils, including Little Bluestem, Sweet Gum, and Bald Cypress (more salt-tolerant plants can be found in this list from The Morton Arboretum and this list from The Natural Garden).
• Consider moving your favorite salt-sensitive landscape plants away from salt-prone areas in your yard.

• Replace old, water-guzzling toilets with newer high-efficiency toilets that are WaterSense labeled. High-efficiency toilets can reduce your home's water usage by 18,000 gallons and save over $100 each year on your water bill! But if replacement isn't an option for you right away, a "free" way to reduce water use in older toilets is to fill an empty milk jug with water and place it in your toilet tank (it displaces much of the water in the tank and thereby reduces the amount of water the toilet uses with each flush).
• Replace your older clothes washer with a WaterSense labeled high-efficiency washer that saves water, energy, and detergent over the life of the machine.
• Reduce outdoor lawn watering – or eliminate the need altogether by landscaping with native trees, grasses, and perennials.
• Install low-flow showerheads and faucets. Find out how much water (and money!) you might save at http://www.epa.gov/watersense/calculate_your_water_savings.html
• Tell your elected officials that you expect them to implement a water-use conservation and efficiency program in your community.
• Install rain barrels beneath downspouts and use the stored rainwater to keep your gardens healthy during summertime dry periods.
• Become better informed about your community's aging water supply infrastructure, the costs and benefits of water conservation programs, and how these both might relate to your monthly water bill.

• Keep an eye out for new development projects in your local community. If it appears that a wetland is on or near the property, check with your municipal building and zoning department to make sure safeguards are in place to protect the wetland.
• Local referendums for open space acquisition often involve property with significant wetland features. Encourage your friends and neighbors to support public programs that preserve these wetland resources.
• Can you lend a hand? Consider reaching out to volunteer for conservation organizations whose programs enhance wetlands in your community. Invasive plants pose a constant threat to our wetlands and help is always needed to help remove them. Seed collection days require many hands and play an important part in enhancing plant diversity. Why not make a New Year's resolution to donate a few hours of labor on a weekend next spring to help keep our wetlands healthy?
• Visit a wetland! Better yet, introduce a child to a wetland. Once you've experienced the beauty of this special habitat and understand more about these vibrant ecosystems, it's likely you'll never forget them.
• Clean water and healthy wetlands go hand in hand. Encourage your elected officials to support vigorous enforcement of the federal Clean Water Act.

Mosquitoes need just over a week to hatch and develop into adults that can transmit disease. Here's a few environmentally friendly "easy fixes" you can do around the house to reduce those pesky pests:

• Get rid of unused tires, drums, and any other unneeded, water-trapping containers that are stored outdoors
• Throw out those old unused buckets, pails, and pots behind the garage (or at least turn them upside down!)
• Remove leaves and sticks that might trap water in your roof gutters
• Cover trash containers (and consider drilling a hole in the bottom so that any collected water can drain away)
• Store boats and kayaks upside down
• Change the water in plastic wading pools and bird baths weekly

Download a brochure from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services here: "Use Protection, Avoid Infection: Mosquito-Borne Disease in Wisconsin"

Native gardening is an easy way to improve the aesthetics of your yard while still being environmentally responsible. Plants native to the Chicago region are adapted to the local climate, soil conditions, and hydrology; as such, using them in your garden will require less maintenance, offer greater rewards for local pollinators, and help to increase local air and water quality.

June's myth of the month talked about water clarity and cleanliness. One way to ensure that your local ponds and streams stay healthy is by planting deep-rooted native plants in your yard. Doing so will help to reduce soil erosion that often leads to murky waters while also reducing the amount of unseen chemicals in the waterways - native plants do not require fertilizers and require fewer pesticides than non-native plants! For more information on native landscaping, see the U.S. EPA's Native Plants Brochure.

78 million households in the U.S. use home and garden pesticides,¹ spending a total of $700 million each year on pesticide products.² Why so many pesticides? This lawn care tool was marketed to Americans during the 1950's Baby Boom as more people moved into suburban homes with lawns. Today, homeowners apply three times more pesticides per acre to lawns than are applied to agriculture crops.³

Pesticides are poisons designed to kill living things. We use these chemicals to get rid of unwanted weeds and insects. Yet pesticides are mobile – they don't just stay on the lawn – so they have an impact on the environment and our communities. They are tracked into homes, flow into lakes and rivers, harm wildlife and pollute drinking water. In fact, 100% of all surface water and 33% of major aquifers in 51 major water systems studied across the country contain one or more pesticides.⁴

The great thing is, you don't need pesticides to take care of your lawn! Natural Lawn care is easy and safe. Just follow some simple cultural practices—water your lawn early in the day to minimize evaporation and protect against fungus. Ideally, you want to deliver one inch of water per week. Mowing high with sharp blades will keep the grass healthier while shading weeds will reduce their abundance by inhibiting the germination process. If you do this, while making sure to reseed and topdress annually, your lawn will flourish. A healthy soil and turf will create a diverse ecosystem that naturally protects itself from weeds and insects. To find natural lawn care products and providers, visit the Safer Pest Control Project website.

¹ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency., Pesticides Industry Sales and Usage: 2000-2001 Market Estimates (Washington, D.C.: EPA-733-R-04-001, 2004).
² US EPA, Green Landscaping, 2006.
³ Paul Robbins, Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds, and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are, (Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2007).
⁴ Bormann, Redesigning the American Lawn, 1993.

Think your daily shower usage only impacts your hygiene? Think again. Showers actually account for up to 25% of the water that is used inside the average home¹ – a high enough percentage to severely impact your water and energy bills along with your effort to be sustainable.

Truth is, your energy bill feels the consequences, good or bad, of your household water consumption habits. Utilizing a low-flow shower head can help you save energy by reducing the amount of work your hot-water heater has to do AND it can help you and your family save thousands of gallons of water a year! Not to worry, even though these efficient water-fixtures reduce shower flow by 50%, they are designed to maintain ample water pressure. The best part is, they come cheap – starting at just $5 a fixture!

To find out more information on water conservation and efficient plumbing, visit the U.S. EPA WaterSense website.

¹ McKay, Kim and Jenny Bonnin. True Green: 100 everyday ways you can contribute to a healthier planet. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2006.

Watering your lawn for an hour with a sprinkler uses more than 264 gallons of water¹. This value represents about 40% of an average household's water consumption during the summer months². Instead of using water from your hose to get the job done, you can reuse rainwater that has been collected in a rain barrel. The water in your rain barrel can be used to water your garden, fill a pool, do the laundry, or wash your car.

Many local stores, like Tom's Rain Barrels in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, carry rain barrels and other related products. Alternatively, you can craft your own rain barrel; visit the City of Chicago's Department of Environment website to find out how!

¹ McKay, Kim and Jenny Bonnin. True Green: 100 everyday ways you can contribute to a healthier planet. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2006.
² City of Chicago, Department of Environment. Water Conservation with Rain Barrels.