Leading a truly eco-friendly lifestyle means making changes outside and inside. It’s great if you’ve decided to start recycling and take shorter showers, but there are many other habits — commonplace actions you take for granted that are second nature — which are damaging to the environment. Many of the tools and resources you use to take care of your lawn and garden space run counter to the precepts of a green lifestyle. 

Downsize your lawn

Reducing the size of your lawn will cut down on the amount of water needed to maintain healthy, green grass. It also creates more space in which to plant attractive shrubs, flowers and bushes. Cut back on the number of times you cut your grass, and switch to a reel or electric mower instead of the traditional gas-powered variety. The hard part of using a reel mower is the need for muscle power (a good workout), and you’ll need to cut your lawn more frequently, because reel mowers don’t do well in tall grass. You’ll also need to have the blades sharpened each mowing season.

Water conservation

Water wastage is a serious problem in communities all over the country, particularly in the Southwest and parts of the West Coast. Drip irrigation is an excellent way to get maximum effect out of your water usage. There’s no need for a lot of fancy equipment or specialized hoses other than a soaker hose or two, which uses considerably less water than a typical garden hose. A well-utilized soaker hose placed at the base of plants and applied slowly can save up to 50 percent over other modes of watering, a great payoff for being conscientious about your use of water.

Xeriscaping

There’s no better way to conserve water than to use little or no water at all. Xeriscaping is an innovative approach that’s proven popular in arid parts of the country where water is scarce. It features the use of plants that can withstand less watering than other plants. Xeriscaping can save you time and money and give you a different look than many more traditional forms of landscaping.

Go chemical-free

Weeds are a perennial problem in any lawn and garden environment, and many can seem almost impossible to get rid of, which is why so many homeowners use chemical herbicides. One way to cease using herbicides is to re-evaluate your opinion of weeds and try seeing them — particularly the more brightly-colored types — as blending well within your overall landscape design. You can also reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides by carefully selecting plants that aren’t appealing to pests and animals. 

Plant perennials

You can also save money and conserve resources by making liberal use of perennial flowers, many of which will keep coming back for years and spread rapidly if left alone. It’ll also save you the frustration of having to buy and carry trays of flowers and other materials back and forth, not to mention replanting every spring.

You may be surprised at how easy environmentally-responsible landscaping can be, and how rewarding it can be for both you and the environment. It’s largely a matter of weaning yourself away from a reliance on environmentally-harmful chemicals and an overreliance on water. And it may even transform the way you look at the world.