Drive a hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel vehicle
A hybrid electric vehicle contains an electric engine which allows a smaller and more efficient combustion engine to be used. Hybrids emit fewer tailpipe pollutants than vehicles with traditional combustion engines, and they use less fuel.
An electric vehicle uses an electric engine powered by a rechargeable battery pack. While electric vehicles often use electricity that is generated by burning coal and other fossil fuels, they do not emit tailpipe pollutants, and they have the potential to run on electricity generated by renewable sources, such as solar, wind, and geothermal.
Other alternatives to traditional gasoline fuel include: diesel, biofuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas, and hydrogen fuel cells (still in developmental stages).
Replace 30 square feet or more of turf grass or other surface with conservation landscaping using native plants
Traditional grass lawns compete for space with native habitat, reduce rainwater absorption, contribute grass trimmings to landfills, and often require harmful chemicals, gas or electricity-consuming machines, and money to maintain. Over 50 million acres of land in the U.S. are covered by turf grass, and 30% of the water consumed on the east coast is used for watering lawns! Learn more about the environmental impacts of traditional lawns.
A section of your grass lawn can be converted to a lawn alternative, such as nitrogen-fixing plants, native plants, a food forest, moss, ground cover, clover, flower and shrub beds, or rain gardens. You can even attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds by planting native wildflowers. Learn more from our Tips for Green Leaders Lawn Maintenance Fact Sheet.
Neighborhood Green is a Frederick County program that provides local homeowners with educational tools, such as workshops and expert advice, to help them convert their lawns into native plant and wildlife havens. For more information, contact the Community Restoration Coordinator at 301.600.1741. Check out our Tips for Green Leaders Neighborhood Green Fact Sheet.
Every tree that you plant removes about 48 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year upon reaching maturity, in addition to providing shade, habitat for wildlife, soil stabilization, and water filtration. Native trees and plants require less water and maintenance because they are adapted to the region’s climate, and they provide better food and habitat for native wildlife. Learn more from our Tips for Green Leaders Native Plants Fact Sheet.
Neighborhood Green is a Frederick County program that provides local homeowners with educational tools, such as workshops and expert advice, to help them convert their lawns into native plant and wildlife havens. For more information, contact the Community Restoration Coordinator at 301.600.1741. Check out our Tips for Green Leaders Neighborhood Green Fact Sheet.
Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat or Backyard Buffer on your property
The National Wildlife Federation’s program for creating wildlife habitats in residential backyards, schools, campuses, commercial properties, and communities has resulted in the creation of almost 140,000 Certified Wildlife Habitat sites in the country. The requirements for a Certified Wildlife Habitat are the provision of food, water, cover, and a place for wildlife to raise young. Learn more about the Certified Wildlife Habitat program.
Residents who have a stream, lake, pond, or other waterway on or adjacent to their property are eligible for participation in the Department of Natural Resource’s Backyard Buffers program. By signing up, you can receive 25 free native trees and shrubs. The removal of natural riparian buffers has been a large contributor to nutrient and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Riparian buffers are ecosystems lining waterways that help to hold together soil and remove nutrients and other pollutants from stormwater. Learn more about the Backyard Buffers program.
Upgrade your septic system to increase nitrogen removal
Traditional septic systems do not remove nitrogen from wastewater. Leaking septic tanks are a major contribution to nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. An outdated septic system can be upgraded to a new Pretreatment System which reduces nitrogen by at least 50% and often extends the life of the drainage field.
Residents living within 1,000 feet of tidal waters may be eligible to receive funding for a septic system upgrade through the Bay Restoration Fund. To learn more, contact Frederick County’s program contact, the Canaan Valley Institute, at 304.940.3443.
Follow an urban nutrient management plan completed by a contractor
Soil tests can be useful for a number of reasons when trying to decrease your household’s environmental impact. Overuse of lawn fertilizers is a large contributor to nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Testing your soil can help you determine whether or not you need to fertilize your lawn, and how much fertilizer is appropriate to use. A soil test can also help you design a rain garden, vegetable garden, xeriscape, tree planting, or other landscaping feature and warn you of dangerous contaminants such as heavy metals. Learn more about soil testing from University of Maryland Extension. Check out our Tips for Green Leaders Lawn Maintenance Fact Sheet for more information.
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