Salmon Friendly Lawn Pledge
As an environmentally friendly homeowner, you pledge to:
  • Eliminate your use of toxic chemicals and dangerous herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.
  • Limit your level of lawn watering (no watering from the tap).
  • Practice new and improved methods of lawn care: Mow high (5 – 6cm), mow often, and leave the grass clippings. Taller grass means less run-off, and healthier lawns. Healthier lawns are less likely to grow weeds.
  • Fertilize moderately in September and May.
  • Use a “natural organic” fertilizer.
  • Improve lawns with aeration and over seeding. Aeration helps rainwater penetrate deeper into the roots where it will do the most good.
  • Consider alternatives to lawns. Save money, time and water by naturescaping. A natural landscape retains more water than a lawn. You can also replace traditional lawns with other groundcovers that work just as well with much less care and waste.
You are taking an important step to improving the health of your neighbourhood. The health of our ecosystems is influenced by what we, as homeowners, do to our yards. Most people don’t realize how much damage some of our lawn care chemicals can do to the plants and animals living in the streams and rivers around us. Every time it rains these chemicals wash off our lawns and driveways into the storm water drains and into local rivers and streams.

Chemicals harm birds and fish, and fertilizers promote the growth of algae that choke streams and rob fish of valuable oxy- gen. Pesticides are very dangerous to children and pets.

You are also doing your part to help conserve water by pledging to not water your lawn from the tap. Research has shown that up to 40% of our summer water supply is used by lawn watering. By adopting a few new habits, you can help to reduce the amount of water you use, while also decreasing the size of your utility bill.

We hope that your new lawn sign will generate some productive discussion among your neighbours. By placing this sign in your lawn, you’ve made it clear that you understand the role that all of us must play in protecting our salmon, our eagles, our whales and our entire ecosystem. You should be proud of the example that you are setting - we certainly are!