Landscaping and energy

You can reduce your energy use by the proper choices in landscaping. Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a building's heating and cooling costs.

Here's some interesting information on this topic.

• Landscaping - U.S. Department of Energy
• Landscaping for energy efficiency factsheet - EPA

Reduce your lawn so that you need to use your lawn mower less: lawn mowers produce more pollution than even cars produce. Instead, plant native plants and bushes that provide important habitat for wildlife. 

Leaf blowers are another source of pollution: leave the leaves as mulch in planting beds, and rake the leaves that fall on your (greatly-reduced!) lawn area.

Why not create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat! In addition to conserving energy and preventing pollution, it will create much-needed habitat for birds, butterflies, toads, and other creatures.