Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current shelter-in-place directives, many of us may be finding ourselves with some extra time at home. Luckily, we have a whole host of activities that will keep your family active and engaged, while keeping pollution prevention top of mind.
Read on for 5 water wise ideas for how you can easily make a positive impact from your home and have fun while doing it!
1) Work on Your Garden
Spend some time improving your yard to keep your landscape healthy and also protect our local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. There are many ways you can do this:
- Cover bare soil or “patchy” areas with mulch or plants to prevent runoff
- Create a small soil berm in a ring around new plants to contain water
- Incorporate more permeable materials (like permeable pavers) into your patios, driveway, and walkways
- Terrace steep slopes to slow down runoff – this can also be a great way to create stepped veggie or flower gardens if you have steeper slopes
- Avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers by making your own compost pile for natural fertilization
- Plant drought-resistant plants
- Avoid the use of (and remove!) plants considered invasive in our local ecosystem
Click here to learn more about how the practices you adopt in your yard can help the Bay and Ocean.
2) Connect with Nature
Take your kids outside. Spend 15 minutes quietly observing the sights and sounds of the birds, trees, grass, and wind. Do you see an ant? Where is it going, and what is it doing? We are often so wrapped up in our busy lives that we miss small moments of beauty happening all around us all the time. After your observation, encourage your kids to write or draw, reflecting on their observations. This can be a great way to spend a peaceful moment outside with your child — just remember, “we have to remain quiet so we don’t scare the birds away.” 😉
When your moment of nature appreciation ends, our “Kids’ Corner” section of the Outreach Materials page on the new www.flowstobay.org website has resources and information to help keep your little ones entertained, including an interactive game, downloadable activity pages, activity books, and links to other fun and educational sites.
3) Plan a Rain Garden
Now is a great time to go the extra mile to prevent stormwater pollution! We suggest that you consider doing this through a rain garden.
What’s a rain garden? It’s actually exactly what you think it is! It’s a garden that collects rainwater directly from your roof, which makes it self-sufficient and low-maintenance. Beyond that, the native vegetation planted in rain gardens collects rainwater and absorbs it into the ground, which recharges local and regional aquifers and decreases the amount of stormwater runoff that reaches your storm drain. Other benefits of a rain garden include:
- Helps protect communities from flooding and drainage problems
- Supports the health of local waterways from pollutants carried by stormwater
- Provides valuable habitat for birds, butterflies, and many beneficial insects
What’s more, your future rain garden may earn you a rebate of up to $300 if you’re a resident of a participating jurisdiction. Click here to learn more about the updated Lawn Be Gone! Program and how to get started on a rain garden.
4) Spring Cleaning with Less-Toxic Alternatives
Did you know that you don’t always have to use those brand name products to get the job done? And that they also can harm our local waterways? There are plenty of less-toxic cleaning alternatives to help you with your Spring Cleaning while supporting the protection of local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and your family!
Where should you start? Check out this helpful resource to help guide you by task and ingredient. Some of these safer alternatives can be used as laundry detergent, glass cleaner, carpet cleaner, and floor polish!
5) Proper Disposal of Cleaning Wipes and Related Items
With the emphasis of sanitation to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, you may be finding yourself using cleaning wipes more often.
- Don’t flush these wipes down the toilet, even if they say they are supposedly “flushable”
- Don’t flush diapers, paper towels, tissues, and napkins
- The only item that should be flushed in the toilet is toilet paper
Improper disposal of these items can wreak havoc on our sewer system. Sewer systems are only designed to accommodate toilet paper because it disintegrates quickly in water—other items will clog pipes and can lead to backups that can damage property and pollute local creeks. Be kind to our sewer systems and practice proper disposal!
Have questions about this blog? Email us at info@flowstobay.org!
