Vol. 6, No. 6
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Days
Some of us observed Indigenous People’s Day on October 11, others may observe it on November 26 or all month since November is Indigenous Peoples' Month. Many of us have the intention to honor our Indigenous community members all year. We pay our respect to elders past and present, and extend that respect to Indigenous people reading this today.
A few ideas to honor our indigenous neighbors and community year-round:
- Read books written by Native American and Indigenous authors. Some books to consider include An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz; Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; and An American Sunrise, a book of poems by Joy Harjo. Good books for young children include We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and Native Americans in History: A History Book for Kids by Jimmy Beason.
Caring for this planet is part of our responsibility of living on this planet. Taking care of our neighbors is part of that commitment that we can all work towards every day. This can start with acknowledging and learning about past and present atrocities committed against Indigenous people and to listen to and believe the voices of Indigenous people.
|
|
Practices Outside for a Healthier Inside
The outside of your home has a major impact on the health of the environment inside of your home. It can be easy to ignore what’s happening outside when you’re warm and cozy indoors, but to stay cozy and warm, here are some things to keep an eye on.
Gutters, downspouts and drainage
In our rainy climate, gutters and downspouts are key to keeping a healthy indoor environment. Their job is to keep rainwater off the sides of your home and direct it away from the base of your home. Moisture can get into your home when this vital drainage system has a piece that is broken, missing or when it’s not set up correctly. Moisture can seep into your home and cause mold growth and structural damage.
Make sure that your gutters and downspouts are in good condition and keeping rainwater off the sides of your home. Make sure that water isn’t pooling up against the bottom of your building. Check on gutters and downspouts when it’s raining to more easily spot where things might be broken and to see where the rainwater is being directed. There are downspout attachments that can help divert rainwater away from the home if needed. Fill in low spots around the base of your home to keep rainwater from pooling against the side of the building. Clean out your gutters regularly, to keep them working as well as possible. We recommend cleaning them at least twice a year or more often if there are a lot of tall trees nearby.
Plants
Keep the plants around the base of your home trimmed so that they don’t touch the building and be sure to leave plenty of room for air to flow. Dense plantings and any plant material (branches or leaves) touching the building can contribute to moisture problems. Keeping plants trimmed will also make them less attractive to rodents. If rodents set up shop in the plants right next to your home, it’s easier for them to find a way inside.
Keeping the plants around your home trimmed can also improve visibility and awareness in case of emergencies. For example, make sure your address number isn’t covered by plants (or anything else) so emergency services can find you if they’re needed.
Debris
Think about the outside of your home. What kind of stuff do you have piled up out there? A woodpile? Tools? Boxes? Bags of trash that you keep meaning to take care of? Pests will happily make any of this kind of stuff into their homes. If possible, keep your woodpile several feet away from the home. Deal with garbage and recycling before it piles up. Breakdown boxes and recycle them and keep tools in locked cabinets. If you can keep the perimeter around your home free of debris, you’re less likely to have pest problems.
Creating a healthy home doesn’t have to cost more or take more time. In fact, preventing problems is the least expensive, most time-efficient way of avoiding issues in the first place!
|
|
Ideas for A Better Lawn, Next Year
Now is a good time to think about what worked well with this year’s lawn care routine and what needs improvement.
Simple things can make a difference without adding much more work:
- Sharpen mower blades. Starting off the mowing season with sharp blades will help prevent disease.
- Drain any gas and oil out of power tools including mowers for safer winter storage. Take old gas and oil to HazoHouse for free disposal.
- Weeding is the number one most time-consuming task for most of us. Remember, weeds offer so much information about what is happening in the landscape. For example, moss indicates compacted soil and low fertility, along with low sunlight; consider aerating, fertilizing and overseeding with a shady grass blend in the spring.
- Weeds with long tap roots, like dandelions and thistles, tell you that nutrient levels in the soil are low. Those long tap roots are reaching deep to bring up nutrients locked in the clay and rock below. Plan to aerate, fertilize and overseed in the spring to help meet the nutrient needs of the lawn better, creating less opportunity for weeds to thrive.
- Let’s face it, there will always be some weeds to deal with. Long-handled weed tools are a great investment and will help save your back. Choose high-quality tools, with strong wooden handles and stainless-steel blades, claws, or pinchers, and they will last for years.
- Be sure to store tools clean and dry for the winter, and add a coat of linseed oil to wooden handles for extra protection.
- If you need more help with your lawn and landscape next year, plan to hire an ecoPRO.
|
|
This month, we’re tackling another hard to plant spot, around the sides of your home. To put it simply, plants should never be in contact with the structure of your home, including the base and the roof.
Plants touching any part of your structure can cause water to seep in over time and create habitat and easy access for rodents. Keep all plant material at least three feet away from the structure of your home.
Choose small or medium shrubs that you can easily prune and plant them several feet away from the building. As always, the plants you choose should be selected based on how much light the area receives, if you are willing to water, and just how much maintenance you want to do. Make sure that you know about specific plants' common pests and how much fertilizing they need to really thrive.
The list below includes native plants that are adapted to our conditions and won’t need fertilizers, very much water, or any kind of harmful, toxic pest controls. Plants are a great way to soak up rainwater and will help slow water running off of the landscape during heavy rains. Keeping water from running off our landscapes is good for our lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound.
Here are a few plant ideas:
Low growing - shade: Bleeding Heart, Dicentra formosa, Ajuga, Ajuga reptens
Low growing – sun: Kinnikinnik, Arctostaphylus uva ursi, Wintercreeper, Euonymus fortunei
Bushes – shade: Sweet Box Sarcococca, Hookeriana humilis, Bald Hip Rose, Rosa gymnocarpa, Evergreen Huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum
Bushes – sun: Oregon Grape, Mahonia species, Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster species, Western Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii
|
|
Q: How do I keep my garbage and recycling bins from overflowing this time of year?
A: During the last couple months of each year, Americans gather more, celebrate more, and consume more. We throw away more food and more stuff in general – 25% more stuff! Some tips for creating less waste include:
-
Check your hauler’s recycle guide and yard and food waste guide for updates. A lot of things can be recycled, but not everything. Make sure you’re putting only the correct materials in those carts.
-
When in doubt, either throw it out or look it up at Thurston County’s newly redesigned, Where Do I Take My? online search tool. This tool tells you which bin to use and where to find drop-off recycling or disposal locations.
-
Visit the Waste and Recovery Center (WARC) in Lacey. The holiday season can leave us with more things like used cooking oil, batteries, Styrofoam blocks, Christmas trees, and old books or clothes. When you search for these items with the Where Do I Take My? tool, you’ll find options to reuse, recycle, or compost them at the WARC. Some things may need to go to HazoHouse for proper disposal. HazoHouse is located inside the WARC and is free for Thurston County residents.
- For folks in the southern part of Thurston County, there are transfer stations for garbage and recycling in Rainier and Rochester.
Looking for more about what to do with unused or unwanted stuff? Watch an episode of Thurston County’s new Talkin’ Trash video series as Rob Pudner explains what to do with different items, from propane tanks to compostable bags. Catch a new episode each week on Thurston County’s YouTube channel or on Facebook.
|
|
Many of us have more electronic stuff than we know what to do with! Thankfully, there are local options to responsibly dispose of old televisions, computers, and cell phones that some of us have stored with the intent of getting rid of them (some day).
Learn how to fix what you have before purchasing new stuff.
Consider donating working electronics that are five years old or less.
If you’re sure that you and your community can’t use them, recycling electronics is free at many locations like Goodwill and Best Buy.
You can also call 1-800-RECYCLE and learn where to take specific items.
Keep electronics out of the trash and help them turn into the next new thing by recycling them safely.
|
|
Connect to Farmers
Olympia Farmers Market
Saturdays and Sundays through Christmas
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
700 Capitol Way N
Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 352-9096
The Farmer's Basket is an online resource designed to connect people seeking local, farm-fresh food with the wealth of our local farmers.
|
|
Community Events
With many local events moving online because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, check these great local calendars for up-to-date information about what's coming up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
