Category: Outdoors

Stop using gas-powered lawn equipment

10/11/2024

The inefficient technology of gas-powered lawn equipment makes them, pound for pound, more polluting than trucks and cars and exposes gardeners who operate them to carcinogenic exhaust fumes, including the concerning pollutant known as PM2.5.

Collectively, gas-powered lawn equipment contributes about 5% of U.S. CO2 emissions annually, according to the EPA, a shockingly high amount. The inefficient small engines disproportionately cause pollution and health problems. Make the switch to electric equipment and expand your landscaping to decrease the size of your lawn. In Swarthmore, you can help others make the switch to electric lawn equipment by contributing to our new initiative (Sw,eLL: Swarthmore Electric Lawns) to fund the purchase of electric technology.

Read more about the effects of gas powered equipment here at Grist.org

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Sow greens in late summer

8/10/2024

August is the ideal time to plant vegetables that thrive in cooler weather, including leafy greens, radishes, carrots, beets, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts.

August may seem like the tail end of the growing season, but it’s an ideal time to plant many vegetables that will produce fresh vegetables well into the autumn months.

Read more here:
https://ourstoneyacres.com/9-crops-you-can-plant-in-august

Don't spray broad insecticides for mosquitoes

7/19/2024

Do not spray your yard with insecticides for mosquitoes as these also kill beneficial insects including pollinators and drive away insect predators such as birds.

Spraying or fogging your yard for mosquitoes also kills beneficial insects, including important insect pollinators and dragonflies, which are mosquito predators. Knocking out all insects also destroys the natural food web and food sources for many other animals such as birds that may otherwise have visited your yard. Overspray carries this effect into your neighbors yards as well. Since mosquitoes are weak fliers, eliminating their breeding sites in your own yard will have a great impact on local population levels. Find all sources of standing water and either empty them or use Bti dunks to kill the larvae. Fans and sprays made with essential oils are also effective at keeping adults away. Set out Bti traps to keep populations low by luring females to lay eggs where they won’t survive.

See more ideas from the National Wildlife Federation at nwf.org.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Mulch grass clippings

7/12/2024

Recycle grass clippings by mulching them into your lawn or placing them as mulch around plants in your landscaping.

Grass clippings add fertilizer and organic matter to your lawn when left in place. When trimmed at 1 inch or less in length, clippings do not contribute to the buildup of thatch in the lawn, contrary to the commonly held belief that they do. When clippings are longer than 1 inch, they work well as a 1-2 inch layer of mulch around your plants to control weeds and retain water in the soil.

For more information, see University of Minnesota Extension

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Dispose of fishing line properly so it does not become a hazard to wildlife

5/31/2024

Marine birds, mammals, and other wildlife can become entangled in abandoned fishing line, resulting in injured limbs, starvation, and a slow death. The material in fishing line takes 600 years to break down, so proper disposal is crucial to protecting wildlife. The best practice is to cut old fishing line into pieces no longer than one foot to prevent accidental entanglement and collect it in a bag. The most common types of line, monofilament and fluorocarbon, are recyclable (braided line is not). Many boat launches, piers and fishing access locations provide fishing line collection sites. Some bait and tackle shops also have fishing line recycling bins.

Learn more about recycling fishing line at takemefishing.org and BoatU.S.Foundation websites.
Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Make use of logs, branches and rocks in your yard and garden

5/24/2024

Use natural materials from around your yard as part of your hardscape. Fallen branches make an attractive trellis for climbing plants in your landscaping or vegetable garden.

Make use of the free natural materials that you find in your yard or salvage them from a friend or neighbor. Branches and logs create a natural look while also benefiting wildlife: stones and logs in the landscaping add visual interest as well as providing cool, moist shelter for salamanders and small arthropods. Use fallen branches to build a trellis for climbing vines or in the vegetable garden for pole beans or cucumbers. Make a fun hide-a-way for kids by positioning the poles in a circle like a teepee to create a shelter of green. Sections of logs placed upright make a great natural seat, and large branches can be used to line edges of landscaping or walkways. As they break down, the decomposed wood boosts the nutrients in the soil.

Photos by Susan O'Donnell

Certify your yard as a Backyard Habitat or Pollinator Garden

5/17/2024

To counteract the loss of habitat for wildlife, we can restore suitable spaces in our yards.
Going through the certification process for any of the various backyard habitat programs will help guide the design of your yard to make it more wildlife friendly. Just by planting appropriate plants provides shelter and sustenance for entire ecosystems. Displaying signs that designate your property as pollinator friendly or bird friendly is visual encouragement for others to do the same.

Start a movement in your neighborhood! Bird Town PA has this list of programs and resources to help you get started.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Put up a bird bath in your yard

5/10/2024

Adding a bird bath is a simple and effective way to make your yard more wildlife friendly.

Drinking water is important for birds and other animals, especially during dry spells during the summer and throughout the winter. Birds must keep their feathers well-maintained for flying and as insulation, so a source of shallow water for bathing is crucial for their health. Place the bird bath close to shrubs or trees where they can escape if predators come by. Change the water daily to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching in the summer and to replace ice in the winter.

Bird baths can either sit on a stand or can be hanging. Having a removable shallow pan allows for easy cleaning in summer and ice removal in the winter. Alternate between two pans in the winter when the water freezes – turn over the frozen pan on the ground to allow the ice to melt enough to fall out, and while that one defrosting, fill the second one for the birds!

Read more from Penn State Extension.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Find alternatives to balloons

5/3/2024

Balloons have a high environmental cost—they can suffocate or starve wildlife, are not biodegradable, and if helium is used inside them, it’s important to know that helium is not a renewable natural resource. Luckily, there are balloon alternatives, such as tissue paper pompoms and bubbles.

Balloons have a celebratory allure but we can easily adapt to less harmful festive traditions. Balloons may seem like a fun addition to birthday parties or weddings, but once they are released, they pose a great danger to wildlife. Land animals like bighorn sheep and owls as well as marine animals such as dolphins, turtles and birds mistake them for food or get tangled in the plastic string with deadly consequences. There are plenty of ways to celebrate while avoiding releasing balloons into the environment. Lara O’Brien with Blue Planet Global Impact at the University of Michigan suggests to instead “plant native trees or flowers (in designated areas), fly kites, wave flags or banners, light candles, blow bubbles, create chalk drawings, paint murals, organize a community walk, run, or bike ride, or even do trail or river cleanups."

Read more here.

Photo by ricky_banner, Flickr

Plant a memorial tree

4/19/2024

Transform grief into environmental healing with memorial trees.

There is no simple way to process the loss of a loved one. The weight of grief can feel unbearable. Planting a living memorial tree blends the intimate ritual of honoring a loved one with positive action for the planet.

People also plant trees in honor of births, weddings, and housewarmings. Planting a tree in celebration of a birth is perhaps the most poignant of occasions because this is a gift that will grow alongside the child, year by year maturing and flourishing. With a memorial donation to The National Arbor Day Foundation, they will plant a tree in a national forest devastated by fires and other disasters.

Read more here about dedicating a tree locally at Scott Arboretum.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

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