Reducing outdoor water use has many benefits including financial savings and reducing your impact on the environment.
This year, GreenUP is proud to announce that spring will also bring the additional benefit of being recognized for your water wise efforts through the launch of the new Water Wise Neighbour: Landscape Recognition Program, funded by Peterborough Utilities Group.
Water Wise is a new GreenUP program that aims to encourage and recognize the efforts of citizens in the City of Peterborough who are taking water wise steps on their residential properties.
What does it mean to be water wise? It means that you are conserving water through landscaping methods in your front yard.
While it may be too early in the season to get your hands dirty in the garden, it is a great time to start planning how you can reduce your outdoor water consumption and become a wise water neighbour. Reducing outdoor water consumption is especially important in the summer months when demands on water from activities such as watering lawns and gardens can significantly increase outdoor water use.
Water is a precious resource that is important to protect. Rethinking the way we landscape our front yards and creating water wise landscapes can reduce our demand on water.
Creating a garden that is water wise does not need to be a costly or complicated process. You can take simple steps in your yard to reduce your water use.
When planning your garden this year, choose to plant naturally drought tolerant and native species; they are well adapted to the region’s conditions and will require less water to thrive. Ground cover and mulch retain water around plants and keep unwanted weeds away allowing more efficient use of nutrients and water in the garden. To significantly reduce your water use, you can completely replace a portion, or all of your lawn with a garden!
Keeping the outdoor water tap off is another great water wise action that can help to conserve and protect water. Watering your garden with collected water from a rain barrel is a water wise action that can help to conserve and protect water in your yard.
The GreenUP Store & Resource Centre carries rain barrels that are retrofitted, recycled olive barrels which are food grade and therefore also safe for storing water for your food garden. An added bonus: Peterborough Utilities customers receive an instant $25 rebate when purchasing a rain barrel for their yard.
Many people around the City of Peterborough have already taken action in their front yards to conserve water. We encourage you to participate in the program by nominating your own front yard. If you have a friend or neighbour that you feel is taking water wise steps in their front yard, you can nominate them for recognition.
If you want to take more water wise steps in your outdoor space but haven’t been able to get started, we encourage you to follow the program for inspiration and ideas.
Recognized front yards will receive bragging rights, lawn signage, and an invitation to our VIP recognition event. In addition, recognized front yards will have the option to be featured on the GreenUP website as examples of best practices and to encourage others to take water wise steps in their own yards. Nominations are opening soon and will be available at www.greenup.on.ca.
For more information contact GreenUP Water Programs Coordinator Heather Ray at heather.ray@greenup.on.ca or 705-745-3238 ext. 208.
