Contents |
Anthony Eulo
Environmental Program Administrator, Morgan Hill
Goal: Keeping carbon footprints off the lawn
Though a symbol of the all-American experience, idle lawn upkeep also adds up: according to the National Gardening Association, homeowners spent an average of $428 per household on lawn care last year. If your domestic pasture is hitting your wallet too hard (not to mention leaving a big fat carbon footprint), why not consider the benefits of switching to environmentally friendly landscaping?
In fact, the city of Morgan Hill will actually pay you to rip out your turf. This summer, the city paired up with the Santa Clara County Water District to offer a rebate program that doubles the cash given to residents for replacing their grass with permeable hardscapes and water-efficient plants.
"Water is a critical resource for our state; it's not the best time for water right now," said Anthony Eulo, environmental program administrator for the city of Morgan Hill. "I think that there is no doubt a growing consciousness ... it's definitely more prevalent today than it has been."
For getting rid of their irrigation-guzzling patches, residents can gross up to $1.50 for every square foot of lawn they replace, as much as $2,000 total. Participate in the program, and the district will send a staff person out to your residence to pre-measure your sod and provide you with information on appropriate materials and foliage to make your new garden both aesthetically pleasing and green-friendly.
Links:
Rules of Thumb for Water-Wise Gardening
Santa Clara Valley Water District Water Efficient Landscaping Workshop Series
Info on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Water Efficient Landscape Rebate Program
Santa Clara Valley Water District Water-wise plant list
Click here for the rest of Metro's Best of Silicon Valley 2008, Profiles in Change.
Post a new commentPost a comment
