In April, home improvement retailer Home Depot launched its Eco-Options program in the United States. Designed to help customers identify products that have less of an impact on the environment than their counterparts, Eco Options has received both praise and criticism around the blogosphere. Last week, I had a chance to talk with Ron Jarvis, the company’s Vice President of Pro Business, Tool Rental, and Eco Innovation (pictured on the right), about the program.

While charges of greenwashing and opportunism have been among the responses to the program’s roll-out, Jarvis told me that Eco-Options is the end result of seventeen years of work and planning by the company. "This isn’t a marketing ploy," he said. "We’ve been studying these issues, and leading the industry during this period." Jarvis described the program as "merchant-driven," and noted that Home Depot has gone to its vendors with specific requests for more environmentally-friendly products. He told me "A lot of the changes you’re seeing are driven by us." The results of this effort have included a eco-friendly green cleaning product from Terracycle, low-VOC paints from Glidden, and plantable pots for live plants, among others.

Jarvis also noted that the company has worked to reduce the environmental footprint of its stores, which led to $20 million in energy savings in 2006; the company has also built four LEED-certified stores, and four more that used LEED standards as guidelines for building.

Of course, the true test of any green retail program is its ability to help consumers make better choices for their homes and families. So, in addition to talking with us, Jarvis and the Environmental Innovation team put together the following five home improvement tips for saving energy — and money.

1. Don’t Wait to Insulate

According to the Department of Energy, up to 45 percent of a home’s energy loss is through the attic.

Upgrading insulation to a higher R-value can drastically lower energy costs. Start with insulating the attic and unheated crawl spaces with PINK Fiberglass Insulation from Owens Corning and GreenFiber Cocoon Blow-In Cellulose Insulation. It fills in gaps and voids in a home, creating a thermal blanket of protection, and the insulation reduces noise, airflow and energy loss.

Here are some tips from The Home Depot on installing insulation in the attic:

• Start at the outer edges of the attic and work toward the center.
• When adding a second layer of insulation, always use unfaced insulation, because faced insulation will add a second vapor barrier and create moisture problems.
• If the joist cavity is not full, add a second layer of insulation on top of the first to fill it up.
• Use continuous rolls in attics and floors because of longer joist spans.
• If you have to cut insulation, do so in a well-ventilated area to keep the amount of fiberglass dust raised to a minimum.
• Blown-in cellulose insulation is an alternative to fiberglass insulation, but it requires a machine to fluff the insulation and feed it through the installation hose.

2. Fill the Cracks

Air leaks raise a home’s energy bill and make a house drafty and uncomfortable in cold weather. The biggest leaks are almost always hidden in the attic or basement.

To find leaks in the attic, follow these steps:

• Look for holes along the top of a wall that leads down into the house, including those for wiring and plumbing.
• Check for insulation that is dirty around the edges, which indicates that air has passed through.
• Feel for drafts around gaps and cracks.

There are numerous places in the home where air can leak. Check all of these areas:

• Along the top of the basement wall or crawl space where the cement comes in contact with the frame
• Plumbing and dryer vents
• Recessed can lights
• Furnace flue or duct chase ways
• Indoor and outdoor electrical wires
• Window and door frames

In many cases, the best way to block air leaks is by filling the gap with caulk, expandable foam or weather stripping. Expanding spray foam like Great Stuff™ Home Sealant is ideal for sealing gaps in the attic. Spray foam should not be used next to chimneys or flues that get very hot.

3. Program Your Temperature

An Energy Star® qualified programmable thermostat, like the RiteTemp™ Seven-Day Programmable Thermostat, keeps your home comfortable and saves energy costs by automatically adjusting temperature settings while you are asleep or away.

The Home Depot suggests the following tips for installing a new thermostat:

• Turn off the power to the heating and air-conditioning system, and remove the old thermostat cover plate.
• Unscrew the thermostat mounting screws and remove the thermostat body.
• Label the low-voltage wires to identify their screw-terminal locations using masking tape. Disconnect the wires.
• Remove the old thermostat base by loosening the mounting screws. Tape the wires to the wall to prevent them from slipping into the wall cavity.
• Thread the low-voltage wires through the base of the new thermostat. Use a small level to verify accurate mounting.
• Connect the low-voltage wires to the appropriate screw terminals on the base. Follow the diagram in the new thermostat owner’s manual.
• Locate the low-voltage transformer that powers the thermostat. Tighten any loose wire connections.
• Install batteries in the thermostat body, and attach the body to the base. Restore power and program the thermostat as desired.

4. Enhance Your View

Your home’s windows may keep the outdoors from coming in, but they may not be keeping all of the air inside your house. Heat can escape from windows (such as single-pane windows) that aren’t energy efficient. Depending on where you live, you can save between $110 - $400 a year in energy costs by installing Energy Star®-qualified windows.

5. Branch Out

Plant a tree for an all-around environmental boost. When properly sited, trees and other landscaping can save up to 30 percent in home cooling and heating costs.

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls… come right in for another edition of the Greenest Show on the Web: the Carnival of the Green! Fresh off of a stellar performance at Ms. Malaprop, the Carnival’s here at Green Options this week to amaze and delight you. But don’t wait around — the show has a limited engagement here, and then it’s moving on for a stint with our friends at Greener Magazine.

What’s the Carnival of the Green (or COTG, as we green bloggers like to call it)? It’s a roundup of some of the best posts on green blogs from the past week. Always moving, the COTG stops for a visit on a green blog every Monday. The Carnival was the brainchild of Al Tepper, publisher extraordinaire at City Hippy, and Nick Aster, the man behind (and often in front) of the curtain at Triplepundit. These days, our friends at Treehugger play tour manager for the Carnival.

Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s get on with the show. And if you’re suffering from a case of the Mondays, here’s a little music to put you in that carnival mood…. wherever you are.

The Hall of Science

Come on in, and take a gander at the latest technological wonders. Won’t cost you a dime…

We’ve got a double-header from EcoGeek this week. Want some help adjusting your driving to save fuel? Hank and co. take a look at the Fuel Mizer, which can monitor your stops and starts for you. And if you’re a walker (which we hope you are!), two students at MIT are just won a prize to harvest the energy from your footsteps (yep, we covered that one, too).

The Naib, over at The Sietch, investigates the Watercone, a device that uses solar energy to desalinate water. This piece of simple technology could do a lot of good for people without easy access to fresh water.

For the Dedicated Followers of Fashion…

We’ve got some Fall previews, and some new looks.

The Natural Collection is predicting an ethical Autumn as they roll out their Fall fashions online. Keep an eye on their site, as they promise "some fantastic giveaways, competitions and freebies" are on the way.

Nature Mom Tiffany Washko takes a look at some furnishings (particularly beds) that are both green and stylish.

Inhabitat shows us how designer Stephan Boltz gives a second life (and new sense of style) to airplane trolleys.

And speaking of reuse, our own Victoria E. shows us how the Broken Plate Pendant Co. turns "useless" china into unique pieces of jewelry (on her own blog).

The Carnival’s Trade Show

Catch the latest trends in green business and finance.

Sox First has a podcast interview with Erik Mather, managing director of Regnan, on the growing pressure for companies "…to come clean on their contingent liabilities that include environmental, sustainability and governance risks."

Great Green Gadgets expresses some skepticism about carbon offsets, particularly those involving tree planting. Doesn’t mean they’re against planting trees, though… even guerrilla style!

And the Savvy Vegetarian shares a post from market gardener Jocelyn Engman on the importance of supporting local farmers.

Time for a Break… and a Beer

All this carnivaling can make you thirsty…

GO’s Gavin Hudson shares some tips on making your own eco-friendly brew: cheers!

And the Green Cougar points to that inevitable post-college dilemma for green grads: aluminum cans or glass bottles?

The Medicine Show

Health and safety stories with a green tint.

Allie’s Answers takes note of some of the potential dangers presented by manufactured nanoparticles in sunscreens.

The Environmental Working Group’s Enviroblog presents a video on the danger that still exist from arsenic-treated lumber used for decks and playsets.

Finally, at sustainablog (my other blog), I took a look at an editorial in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune claiming that greener development of transportation infrastructure could create less wear and tear on roads and bridges (so they’re less likely collapse!).

Get a Glimpse of Far-Away Lands…

A couple of our participants in the Carnival this week share some travel information and experiences.

Intelligent Travel spotlights several green hotels you might want to consider on your next getaway.

Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution recounts her visit (complete with some great photos) to the South African village of Welverdiend

The Souvenir Stand

If you must buy, make sure it’s sustainable.

The Millionaire Mommy Next Door claims that "Memories are made of the things we do, not the things we buy." We couldn’t agree more!

La Marguerite reminices on times past when we didn’t throw away so much stuff.

And Green LA Girl takes a look at some eco-friendly claims made by some companies about their products, and shows that a little digging often chips the green gilding off of these fairly ordinary items.

Finally, Take a Stroll Down the Midway…

You never know what you may find.

INNside Innkeeping in Montana highlights efforts by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the owner of hotels and restaurants inside a number of state and national parks, to green up their own operations. That’s right… Yellowstone is going green…

Maria Energia, the blog of our own Maria Surma Manka, considers the implications of recently-announced renewable energy deals by BP.

Jetson Green takes a look at an ancient case of urban sprawl, and wonders if it provides some insight into more recent calamities such as post-Katrina flooding in New Orleans, and the bridge collapse in Minnesota.

In another post, Intelligent Travel offers its congratulations to Java Green, a D.C.-area cafe’ that recently won the title of "Best Vegetarian Restaurant" in a contest held by VegDC.

Flower-Garden-Bulbs.com provides some tips for getting flower bulbs started right… the organic way.

The Good Human muses upon the messages sent by environmentalists concerning climate change, and claims that the planet itself will survive this crisis; the human species, on the other hand, may not be so fortunate.

And, finally, our good friends at Lighter Footstep help spread the word on the October 15th Blog Action Day, when a diverse array of bloggers, ranging from Lifehacker to ProBlogger, will be writing about, and raising funds for, environmental issues.

That’s a wrap, folks — thank you for coming by and enjoying the Carnival. We’ll see you next week at Greener Magazine!

Image sources: Treehugger (COTG banner) and Wikimedia Commons (here, here, and here)

In this week’s content swap with Naturalpath, we’ve added another article to the Green Life Guide: "Low Energy Light Bulbs: What’s the Deal?" The Naturalpath team has put together an informative Q&A on the issues surrounding compact fluorescent light bulbs that includes answers on the fixtures in which they can be used, the amount of energy you can save with these bulbs, the mercury question, and their strange shape. If you’re not using CFLs in your home lighting fixtures, you’re missing out on an easy, inexpensive and, yes, harmless way to cut your electric bill.

As always, we’re grateful to Naturalpath for sharing their content with us. Don’t forget to look and see which of our blogs posts the NP team has chosen to feature on their site.

And, if you were looking for the second part of NP interview with the authors of Skinny Bitch, you can find it here.

After a brief hiccup last week (call it the Senior Editor in vacation mode!), we're pleased to get back to our content swap with Naturalpath, the green health community. This week, we're featuring an article on a concept that's rapidly growing around the world: eco communities. What are they? According to the article,

Eco villages seek to unite two emerging truths: human life thrives best in small, supportive, healthy communities, and that the only sutainable path for humanity to adapt and reinvent concepts from traditional community life to our modern economic and social realities.

As usual, the writers at NP have collected a wealth of resources for your enlightenment. If the idea of shifting gears, and moving into a community with a lighter environmental impact appeals to you, take a look at the full article.

Most of us have a fairly narrow view of what it means to recycle: we gather materials (aluminum, paper, glass, plastic) in blue bins and either leave them on the curb for a pick-up service, or take them to a drop-off point. British site How Do I Recycle This? takes a much broader view of the concept — essentially merging reuse and recycling — and provides a forum where users can submit there own ideas for getting more use out of items that most of us would throw away without a second thought.

If you don't live in Great Britan, don't let the UK URL, or location of publishers Louisa Parrry and John Leach, put you off: there's very little in this blog's many posts that applies only to Brits or Europeans. Furthermore, don't expect the tried and true reuse projects that many of us did when we were kids (i.e., making bird feeders out of milk cartons) — the range of materials and recycling/reuse ideas at How Do I Recycle This? is quite eclectic. Some of the more unusual items:

• Foam pizza/garlic bread bases
• Tablet/pill blister packs
• Shed pet hair
• Dead electric razors
• Old potatoes

Parry and Leach post new items on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and users are welcome to submit suggestions (whether they've successfully reused or recycled them item themselves or not).

The most impressive aspect of the site is its focus on harnessing the ideas of its users: Parry and Leach do offer their own suggestions when they have them, but every post is geared towards gathering ideas from readers. This is Green Web 2.0 in a pretty pure form: anyone can contribute their "authority" on the subject. While some items require an explanation of regulations for safe disposal (i.e. CFLs), the majority of the "trash" listed on the site encourages a free and creative exploration reuse possibilities.

"How Do I Recycle This?" has been online since April, 2006, and appears to have recently grown in its offerings — as recently as April, most posts appeared at the end of the month. I have no doubt, though, that the site's readership will keep it in "junk" that can find a better place than the trash can or landfill. The publishers have also launched a companion site, Compost This, that's a bit more directive, but still very useful.

Editor's note: Today we start our post swap with LighterFootstep.com, a new site we've really come to like. We're happy that editor Chris Baskind has agreed to this swap, as we believe that GO and Lighter Footstep have similar missions: making green living accessible to everyone. Today's post was originally published on Tuesday, April 24.

Judging from reports coming in today, this year's Earth Day celebrations were among the largest and most optimistic in recent memory. Largest — thanks to attention being focused on climate change by movies like An Inconvenient Truth; and most optimistic — thanks to you.

Things happen when people get together. That's nothing new, of course, but people are finally uniting behind the idea of sustainable change.

The job ahead

It won't be easy. It won't be fast. But even if you set aside the entire issue of climate change and its controversies, we face a century of growing populations, shifting food and water supplies, increasingly fragile oceans, and the certainty that the age of cheap, plentiful petroleum energy will soon be behind us.

These are global-sized challenges. I spent some time this weekend answering comments on Lighter Footstep and elsewhere about whether or not a single person can make any difference when you consider the scale of the problem.

Ever heard this?

"Changing your air conditioning filter?" wrote one commenter on a major social bookmarking site. "It's feel-good nonsense to suggest anything like that matters when you have China and India opening coal power plants faster than we can even clean ours up. It's stupid."

One one level, he's right. Pulling a bit more efficiency out of your home cooling system is a drop in the bucket when you think of big energy-wasters — such as lit, climate-controlled office parks which stand unused outside the work day. Open freezer cases at the grocery. Or all the unnecessary travel which happens in cities without adequate public transportation.

But he's also wrong — very wrong — on two important fronts.

First: Sustainability is personal. Resources are getting tight. Things are becoming more expensive. By identifying more sustainable ways of conducting your life and lowering your overall environmental footstep, you (or your business) reap immediate personal benefits. You don't have to wait for government or big industry. Start saving money, living healthier, and making better use of the things you already own by taking that first step toward Sustainability.

Second: Global change is generational change. Admittedly, there are some things that need to be done as quickly as possible to make sure the 21st Century is a landmark, rather than a headstone. But it took the Industrial Revolution and a couple centuries of abuse to get our soil, air, and water to their current state. Maybe it will take as long to put it back. It's also taken us decades to teach our children that thoughtless consumption is an acceptable way of life.

Small now, big later

So every time we purchase a CFL, cut our water use, and carry home our groceries in reusable bags, we're making an investment in the future. If we can pass these habits to our kids — and if they do the same — a single act of conservation in the present will be multiplied manyfold through the years. That's not just a low-flow showerhead you're installing: it's a warehouse full of earth-friendly technology that hasn't been invented yet.

That's what happens when people come together and commit to change. Even the small ones.

The Green Web is amazingly vibrant. New sites and blogs pop up every day. Lighter Footstep and Green Options have experienced what could only be described as explosive growth. Our readership expands from week to week.

This is all happening one person at a time — one idea at a time; one intention to make a positive change at a time.

And that's how we're going to make Earth Day happen every day.

—-

Chris Baskind writes about environmental issues. He's also the publisher of Lighter Footstep, a web-based magazine devoted to Sustainability and learning to live more lightly.

Editor's note: We're happy to be entering into a partnership with LighterFootstep.com, a site much like our that is geared towards helping people live greener lives. Next week, we'll start swapping posts with LF, but we decided (with permission of their editor, Chris Baskind) to jump in and publish this piece from yesterday.

It seems that a lot of what is written about lighter living is targeted to homeowners.

How else would you install a solar electrical system? Or replace that rusty old gas water heater with efficient on-demand models? These are all great ideas, but not necessarily within reach of someone living in an apartment or under the terms of a leasing agreement.

Fortunately, there's a lot that can still be done to reduce your environmental footstep and create a healthier, more efficient living space — even if you're paying rent. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Go with CFLs

Even though they contain trace amounts of mercury and should be disposed-of properly, CFLs seem to be at the top of everyone's "green-up" list these days. Since light bulb replacement is usually the responsibility of the tenant, CFLs can be at the top of your list, too. Environmental bonus points if you leave the CFLs behind the next time you move. Check our Guide to Living with CFLs before you shop.

Weatherstrip doors and windows

You'll probably need clearance from your leasing agent to add or repair weatherstripping, but such requests are usually granted. $50 USD should take care of most apartments or small houses. The U.S. Department of Energy has a few tips here.

Indoor composting

Not having access to a yard doesn't mean you can't compost. Indoor composting machines use a small amount of power — about 10 watts — to rapidly turn everything from kitchen scraps to laundry lint into beautiful compost. NatureMill's automatic composter is a good example of a low-odor, high efficiency unit which will happily process up to five pounds of organic material a day. It yields every two weeks, leaving you high-quality compost for friends or your own projects.

Detoxify your living space

Apartments and rental homes are usually designed with costs, not toxins, in mind. Offgassing is a significant issue in homes with synthetic carpets, vinyl flooring, and and paints which contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Replace area rugs with wool or natural fiber equivalents. Consider a spray on sealer, such as the products made by AFM on wall-to-wall carpeting. Most renting agents will allow tenants to repaint. Recover your walls with a low-VOC paint such as safecoat. There are also low-VOC alternatives at most mainline paint stores. If you live in an area with lots of airborne dusts or molds, an air purification system might pay big health benefits.

Indoor houseplants also help clear the air and restore natural balance. Many renters do well with porch gardens or window boxes. A baker's rack makes a wonderful kitchen garden to grow and store herbs. Be creative!

Get organized

Talk to your landlord about the financial benefits of greening rental property. In many states, there are tax incentives for the addition of solar power or high-efficiency water heaters. Do your home work. If you happen to live in an apartment complex, knock on some doors and enlist neighborhood support. Greening your rental property is a win-win proposition for owner and tenant.

David did an awfully good job of keeping you guys posted while we met and greeted visitors to our booth at the Chicago Greenfest. While we all took time out to see speakers and meet with other green business people, a major part of our time over the weekend involved asking people to use the carbon calculator we had available to figure up the CO2 emissions they created by traveling to the event.

Why would people do that? So we could offset those emissions, of course.

Turns out that offering free offsets (specifically wind energy credits provided by Renewable Choice Energy, a company Shea helped found) worked pretty well as a draw: we had hundreds of people visit, and their emissions tallied up to almost 74,000 pounds. As we told people visiting the booth, their travel was the biggest source of CO2 emissions for the event — GreenFest itself offset the electricity used at Chicago's McCormick Center, and that came in at over 17,000 pounds. Needless to say, we were happy to help neutralize some of the carbon footprint of Greenfest…

We also got some great photos. Super-intern Liam handled most of the photo duties for us, and we'll get some of those posted. In the meantime, here's one that appeared on Treehugger yesterday: the cute woman on the left is Leonora Oppenheim, one of my compadres at Treehugger. The guy who looks like a well-fed English professor with thinning hair… OK, that's me… We're standing in the festival's Fair Trade Pavilion, right in front of the Kallari Association's booth. The Fair Trade chocolate they were promoting was incredible — David got a whole bag of it…

Needless to say, we had a great time — we hope those of you who attended will share your stories.

Another guest post by Mike Taylor, publisher of Solar Kismet.

Electricity, or how I saved over $500 this winter

You may recall in Part 1 on Natural Gas, I outlined how I saved $166 on my natural gas bills over a two month period versus the previous homeowner (standardized against winter temperature differences) with little to no effort and less than $100 in supplies. That number has now increased to over $400 in savings from September 2006 through March 2007…

Now I'm happy to report that I got the electricity data on the previous owner as well, and frankly I'm not sure how she used so much electricity in our little house - she used as much in one month as we expect to use in a whole year. But the data doesn't lie and over the same 6 month winter time period, i.e. no air conditioners or dehumidifiers to skew the data, we have saved an astonishing $516 over her previous bills in the same 6 months the year before…Our monthly bills are $25-$35 in the DC metropolitan area (we're paying 13 cents/kWh on average). It's incredible how easy it is to save electricity, money, and pollution.

As before, your first thought must be that I'm sitting in the dark or bought all new appliances. Nope. The porch light greets us when we come home, we hang out in various rooms in the evening without much thought to turning the lights off, and we haven't replaced any major appliances (same refrigerator, dishwasher, laundry, etc).

Here are my secrets, not exactly rocket science, which cost less than $100 and only a little effort:

• Replaced all lights with CFLs - Every one. The light is the same. They hardly burn out. Friends can't tell the difference. The trick? Don't buy the $2 cheapie and expect it to put out the save amount of light. Pay $3 for the one with the most lumens, i.e. the 100 watt replacement (use these where the bulb won't be visible), and/or the ones with the fancy cover so it looks like a regular bulb (use these where the bulb is visible). You can get really small ones and specialty ones for vanity lights that work great. Some may take 5 seconds to warm up and reach full brightness but is that too much to ask? Prioritize the lights that are on the most (not the ones in the closet) if you don't want to replace them all.
• Light sensor on the front porch - I don't like to come home to a dark porch. So I paid $10 for a light sensing socket and screwed it into the old socket on the porch. Sun goes down, light comes on, and it has a timer to turn itself off after 2, 4, 6 hours (or the next morning).
• Phantom Loads - There are a lot of things that are "on" even when "off" - anything with a remote control, a fat box for a plug (a transformer that converts AC to DC), a clock, cell phone chargers, printers, monitors, etc. We have 2 or 3 power strips that allow me to shut off 3-4 things at once where it's convenient, or we unplug them. But it's not practical to do everything - I don't like to reprogram the VCR, TV, microwave clock, etc so I don't bother. I do unplug the clock radio in the guest room when no one's there (that thing uses $24/yr alone) and the chargers that don't get used everyday. Get a Kill-a-Watt and use it to go around the house and test different appliances (or better yet, buy one with some friends and pass it around to share costs). You will be surprised how many of these you have…

That's about it…surprisingly simple. Other things you can do:

• Switch to natural gas appliances - As you replace your old appliances (if they break or you remodel), switch to natural gas. It's cheaper and cleaner for the most part (even with the higher natural gas prices recently) - stove, dryer, and water heater. After all, electricity production is about 30% efficient and mostly comes from coal. I found a free natural gas dryer on Craig's List a few years ago at my old house. An electric water heater alone probably costs over $500/yr to operate - that's more than it costs to buy it.
• Buy Energy Star appliances - As you replace your old appliances, pay a little bit more for ones with the "Energy Star" label. They are more efficient and save more money in the run. Don't necessarily replace the appliances if they still work (although a new refrigerator over one that is 10 years or older could easily save over $100/yr). The "big four" users are refrigerator, dehumidifier, central air conditioner, and electric water heater.
• Buy a window air conditioner - We haven't gone through a DC summer yet, but we plan on using the air conditioner at some times…but there's no reason to cool the whole house at night, so we'll use a window air conditioner for our room and shut the central air off. Use a fan at night if it cools down - even 4-5 use less than the air conditioner.
• Refrigerator details - Turn off the ice maker. We don't use much ice and don't feel the need to have 2 gallons of it available at all times, so I turn it off once it's filled (and it usually stays off for 2-3 months actually). And if you buy a new refrigerator, the top/bottom door styles are more efficient than the side-by-side doors. Refrigerators can easily use less than 500 kWh/yr now versus 1500+ a few years ago (hurray for federal efficiency standards).
• Don’t replace the windows for energy reasons - As before, do it for aesthetics. Do it for comfort. Don’t do it expecting to save oodles of money and run from anyone who says otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago, Rebecca introduced us to "safe lawn" methods: you can grow a traditional grass lawn with organic practices, making the whole process quite a bit greener. Another alternative (which she mentioned in that tip) is the use of native grasses and plants in place of more commonly-planted varieties. Native grasses require less water and fertilizer to establish and maintain; they also often don't require cutting, so you can just leave that gas-powered mower in the shed or garage.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has published a number of selections from Stevie Daniels' Easy Lawns that show homeowners around the US how to replace more popular grasses (which are often imports from Africa, Asia and Europe) with indigenous varieties. Depending on where you live, you may have several options available: buffalograss, sedges, and fescues are among the most popular native grasses, and most are indigenous to many areas of the country.

Of course, each grass will have specific requirements for optimal growth. Buffalograss, for instance, is a summer growth grass, so it doesn't need to be planted until late April. Fescues, on the other hand, are cool-season grasses, and will do better in early Spring; according to Daniels, they stay green longer into the Fall, and some varieties are even evergreen.

Native grasses will often produce a look that's a bit different from the traditional "manicured lawn"; that doesn't mean, though, that they're unattractive. Most can be cut, but don't necessarily need it: buffalograss, for instance, grows 3-8 inches in height.

Jeff says: I'm giving buffalograss a try this year in my backyard. I plan to dig up what remain of my very pathetic bluegrass lawn, and plant the native seeds later this month. I'll publish occasional posts on my success (or lack thereof) with this approach.