Follow these guidelines to help the environment in your yard.

Compost and Clippings

• Compost yard and vegetable kitchen debris and put clippings on community brush pile.
  
  

Pervious Material and Driveways

• Use pervious materials for driveways and other hard surfaces in yard.
  
  
• Grass pavers or gravel need less maintenance than permeable concrete or asphalt, which must be vacuumed by a contractor (industrial strength vacuum) periodically.
  
  

Rain Barrels

• Place rain barrels under downspouts to reduce runoff and use for garden/lawn irrigation (150 pounds annual emissions reduction).
  
  

Reduce Emissions

• Reduce yard area.
  
  
• Leave leaves on the ground.
  
  
• Replace turf with native ground cover such as periwinkles.
  
  
• Avoid gas-powered lawn equipment; use rakes rather than leafblowers.
  

Plant Trees

• Deciduous hardwoods can reduce the cost of air conditioning, particularly if located to provide shade for the home. Shading driveways also reduces the heat island effect and can reduce energy bills.
  
  
• Evergreens located on the northern and western sides of the house can reduce winter heat loss resulting from prevailing winds.
  
  
• Each deciduous tree planted on the south side of the house can provide energy savings equal to reducing 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
  
  
• 1 mature tree will sequester 667 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
  
  
• The average Virginia household produces 77,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, so carbon neutrality could be achieved by planting 116 trees per average household.