How Does Your Garden Grow? Greener Outdoor Living in Pasadena
Remodelling your entire home to be more environmentally friendly is undoubtedly good for the planet and falls in line with the growing vision for a greener Pasadena. While a successful remodel is a noble cause and will ultimately lead to savings on energy costs, it is not without its upheaval and upfront investment. If the prospect of having major work done to your house is unappealing or impractical at this time, but you would still like to get involved, you can make some less intrusive changes outside your home and take steps to make your garden a more environmentally friendly living space.
Originally developed to counteract the effects of drought, Xeriscaping is rapidly enjoying a broadening appeal. Water is a limited resource and as such the fundamental goal of any Xeriscaping project is to conserve water with creative landscaping techniques. Xeriscape gardens are designed with seven main principles in mind. It looks at things like soil quality improvement, limited turf areas, mulch usage and appropriate drought-resistant plants. Successfully implemented, homeowners stand to benefit from reduced landscape water usage, less maintenance requirements, increased wildlife visits and improved property value. A Xeriscaped garden can be completely unique and might feature plants such as lavender, sweet william and Mexican sunflowers. Visit Earth Easy to find out more.
Homeowners can also achieve energy saving benefits by getting involved with the Cool Trees Program from Pasadena Water & Power (PWP). By planting deciduous shade trees such as the Western Redbud, Montebello Ash and the Coast Live Oak, Pasadena homeowners not only reduce the amount of cooling energy required in the summer months by as much as 20%, but can also benefit from increased privacy, improved soil and a more beautiful outdoor living space. For more information consult the Cool Trees Program Guidebook.
Residential electric customers who take part are also eligible for rebates. Each ‘Cool Tree’ purchased attracts up to $40 rebate. This can rise to $50 if purchased from a Pasadena vendor. An additional bonus rebate of up to $10 is available to those customers who are enrolled in the Greening Pasadena Rewards Program.
Greener outdoor living is easily achievable and offers a number of clearly identifiable benefits while giving a much needed helping hand to our natural environment.
Want more Green Tips? Read these articles:
Simple Steps to Green your Home and your Wallet.
Interested in more information about Pasadena and surrounding cities, check out our City Guides below:
And, if you are interested in fun activities to do in Pasadena, take a look at our 365 Things To Do in Pasadena® page.
Thinking of selling your Pasadena home? Interested in finding out the current market value of your single family home, condo or investment property? Then call Irina Netchaev at (626) 629-8439 to discuss what is happening in today’s Pasadena Real Estate Market.
