Improve Your Yard & Improve Your Watershed

Richmonders looking to “go green” in their yards and gardens this spring should check out www.plantmoreplants.com for ways to beautify their homes while reducing harmful stormwater runoff.

Plant More Plants is a new campaign encouraging homeowners to plant trees, shrubs and hardy perennials on their properties. These plants (more so than grassy lawns) are excellent filters and can absorb some of the dirty stormwater that flows into local rivers and streams.

Stormwater runoff, which contains fertilizers, sediments and chemicals, is a major pollutant of the Chesapeake Bay.

The Plant More Plants website offers easy-to-install landscape plans for rain gardens, as well as information on mowing, watering and planting with native plants. There’s also a listing of local garden centers and professionals who specialize in conservation landscaping.

Partners in Plant More Plants include the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Chesapeake Bay Program and local governments (including the city of Richmond). The campaign also is running in suburban Hampton Roads, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Follow Plant More Plants at www.facebook.com/plantmoreplants and @growsomegood.

Also this weekend there is
BELLEMEADE CREEK/MINEFEE STREET TRASH CLEANUP
SATURDAY, APRIL 9TH — 8:30 – 12:00 a.m.

WHY
Volunteers will remove paper, bottles, cans, old tires and other debris from the Bellemeade Creek and Minefee Street (southside Richmond). This effort is the beginning of a project to create an outdoor learning environment for the students of the new Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School scheduled to open in fall 2012, which will be the first school built in the City of Richmond in this century.

WHERE
Assemble at 8:30 a.m. at the Bellemeade Community Center, located at 1800 Lynhaven Avenue for clean-up assignments.

PARTNERS
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
City of Richmond
the Green Infrastructure Center
REI
Altria
Bellemeade community members

TO REGISTER, CONTACT:
Chris French, cfrench@allianceforthebay.org, (804) 775-0951

RECOMMENDED CLOTHING
Dress for weather conditions and outside work – sturdy shoes and thick gloves if you have ‘em – gloves, trash bags and equipment will be provided.