10 Tips to Go Green in Your Yard

4. Be water smart. With water, there is often too little or too much. Give your yard only what it needs. Rain Bird, the world’s largest manufacturer of irrigation products, offers technologies and products that allow wise use of water. Among its products are pressure-regulating devices, check valve devices, high-efficiency nozzles, flow control devices and automatic shutoff devices that allow fine-tuning of yard irrigation. The company even offers free sprinkler design service. A homeowner only needs to send in a completed questionnaire and sketch of the yard. Rain Bird then provides computer-drawn sprinkler plan customized to meet the yard’s requirements along with a list of all the parts needed. Choose plants that thrive in your plant hardiness zone. For lawns, one option might be to let them go. According to the EPA, areas of lawn that don't get heavy wear can go brown and dormant—just water once a month and they'll bounce back in the fall. Add a rain garden, which can soak up about 30 percent more rainwater than an equivalent patch of lawn and help stop storm runoff. Divert downspouts from hard surfaces such as cement driveways and into a rain garden or into a rain barrel for use later. Learn more in BobVila.com's “Water-Friendly Landscapes” article and Invisible Structures offers gravel systems that provide sturdy, aesthetically pleasing driveways and paths that allow surface water to drain. (c) Invisible Structures provide free electricity. Consider geographic and site variables, however, since a solar lighting system will work only as long as the solar cells receive the recommended hours of sunlight. Landscaping, cloudy days, snow and even bird droppings can affect performance. Long-lasting and energy-efficient LEDs thrive in outdoor environments because of their durability and performance in cold weather. Energy Star-rated LEDs are available as pathway lights, step lights and porch lights. Replacing an outdoor lighting fixture with a motion activated spotlight can conserve energy and increase home security. Here’s how to do it. Security and utility lighting do not need to be bright to be effective, says the Department of Energy. It suggests looking at fluorescent, high-intensity discharge or low-pressure sodium lights with photosensors unless incandescent lights are automatically controlled to be on for just a few minutes each day. Reduce light pollution by including reflectors, deflectors and covers. For more outdoor lighting options, see “Outdoor Home Lighting: Creating a Safe, Secure and Beautiful Exterior." 9. Look for “re-buy” opportunities. “Re-buying” means buying products that meet your needs but have a better environmental profile than typical past

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