Help Yourself and the Fish
If you think you get the rainy day blues, put yourself in the shoes (or fins) of our fish. Why? Because rainfall washes pollutants from yards and pavement into stormdrains, flowing through pipes directly into waterbodies where our fish live. Those fish ingest the pollutants and then we catch and eat those fish - it's a vicious cycle. Therefore it is important to take the following actions, especially during the rainy season:
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Practice natural yard care. Cut down on fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other chemical usage.
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Maintain your vehicle. Fix any leaks.
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Pick up pet waste and keeping animals out of streams.
Other ways of reducing stormwater runoff pollution are provided here. Below is a stormwater infographic from King County - a more detailed one can be seen here.
From The Community
After attending our Rain Garden, Cistern and Greywater Basics natural yard care class in September, a Renton resident shared her experience with managing stormwater.
"I live in Glencoe, which doesn't perk, so a lot [of stormwater] runs off into the street drains. I've found using lots of wood chips in addition to gardening has helped eliminate any flooding in my yard. Decades ago, we built lots of french drains, and I hope to make some more filled with wood chips. Even though we have rain barrels to divert rainwater from the roof, we still have gravel driveways that don't absorb water and are hard to weed. With proper planning, it shouldn't be mandatory that rainwater have access to street drains as your speaker said. Bellevue Botanical Garden Center uses rainwater to flush toilets...Every time, I think about what [natural yard care class] speakers have shared, I am able to use some ideas and also come up with combinations that work best in my yard."
To share your experience or tips in preventing or reducing waste, please email Jina at Jkim@rentonwa.gov.
Host a Green Thanksgiving
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Embrace reusable dishes, utensils and napkins. Disposables create a ton of waste!
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Prepare an amount of food appropriate for the number of guests. Or encourage guests to bring reusable containers for taking home leftovers.
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Use small plates to minimize food waste. Guests can always get second or third helpings.
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Have a well-marked compost bin available for food scraps.
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Serve tap water or beverages from larger containers rather than in individually-sized disposable bottles.
Have a happy, green Thanksgiving!
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