Spring Sustainability
Many people think of warm weather when they think about spring, but the season can also bring opportunities for sustainability. The following are some practices you can do to consider the environment this spring:
- Take advantage of the weather by walking or riding a bike instead of driving.
- If you’re spring cleaning, don’t forget to recycle, eCycle, and donate things you don’t need any more.
- Use shades, drapes, or blinds to cool your home and to save energy.
- Make your landscape more Florida Friendly by recycling grass—leave grass clippings on the lawn after you mow to return nutrients back into the soil.
- Repair broken sprinklers.
- Daylight Saving Time (DST) means the sun will rise later; take advantage of this by irrigating in the morning when temperatures are lower.
Adapted and excerpted from:
S. Park Brown, “Checklist of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Practices” (ENH1153), UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department (rev. 09/2011).
K. Siegal, “Go Green this Spring!,” U.S. EPA Greenversations Blog (03/2013).
“Heating & Cooling,” UF/IFAS Extension Living Green (Accessed 04/2014).
“Springtime tips for the environment,” U.S. EPA (Accessed 04/2014).
Using bottles to edge a garden path
Related Sites & Articles
- UF/IFAS Publications
- Energy Efficient Homes: Landscaping
- Recycle Yard Waste (1.12MB pdf)
- Sustainable Landscape Construction
- UF/IFAS Sites
- Creative Recycling in the Landscape
