Your lawn, garden, or yard can be a large source of pollution, unless you prevent it. You may not even be aware of the daily tasks that could harm our earth. There are many ways for you to make sure that your contribution to the earth is NOT harmful.

So, how can you prevent pollution from damaging our streams you ask? Here are some ideas:

• Plant plants that unwanted bugs do not like and that have little need for fertilizers. This will lessen the amount of chemicals that end up in our lakes.

• If your parents and you are landscaping your yard, put in a gravel channel to gather water before it drains into the cities gutters.

• Hire businesses and companies that respect environmentally safe procedures that decrease agricultural and industrial runoff.

• Gutters and drains lead to creeks, so keeping it clear of leaves and yard wastes, including grass clippings, will help keep our waters full of oxygen.

• Take care of soaps, cleaning products, pesticides, oil, fertilizer, pet waste, cigarette butts, and loose trash, avoiding them being in the gutters.

• Wash your car on your lawn instead of in your driveway because the soap will run into the gutters.

• While walking your pets, make sure to clean up after them!

• Limit your automobile usage and clean up the fluids it generates.

• A quart of oil contaminates up to 2,000,000 gallons of our drinking water, so take it to your local oil shop so they can recycle it. Never put any of it down the drains or ditches.

• Avoid fertilizing your lawn right before or after it rains.

• Steer clear of watering your lawn right after you or your parents fertilize, because it just washes away into the rivers without soaking up into the grass, which is a waste of money.

• Instead of salt on icy driveways and sidewalks, use cat litter or sand.

• Avoid altogether using pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides.

• Introduce animals and insects, like the garden snake, to get rid of unwanted pest.

(BEC), (EPA), (Goo)

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photographs by Thao