Stop, Drop and Roll

Everybody knows that there’s a drought on. Or maybe they don’t based on the fact that so far, water usage in the EBMUD water district has achieved 1/3 the savings goal since May when requirements for households and business to reduce their water usage were inacted.

One of the places that a lot of water savings can be made is the removal of lawns, which take a lot of water. While EBMUD has a rebate program for customers who use a lot of water outdoors (but you have to use at least 500 gallons of water a day out of doors).

But now, help has arrived in the form of Ploughshares Nursery and their Tear Out Your Lawn Challenge.

Drought conditions and water rationing often lead to a proliferation of ugly brown lawns. Now Ploughshares Nursery at 2701 Main St. in Alameda has a better way of saving water and saving money. The Nursery is offering a “Tear Out Your Lawn Challenge”. Participants in the challenge will receive a one time 20% coupon good for the purchase of drought tolerant plants and a free half hour landscaping consultation with a senior staff member. To be eligible you must remove 40% or more of your lawn and provide before and after photos as proof. The offer is good until the end of the year.

AND, 100% of the proceeds from your purchases support the Alameda Point Collaborative AND you get to support a growing, local nursery that is also a job training program for APC residents all of whom are formerly homeless. Win-Win-Win.

For more ideas on cutting water use, you can find a list of free items from EBMUD to help you conserve water here.