This list is just a beginning. Send in your suggestions for additions.
Comprehensive
- Sustainable Landscaping Basics
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommendations for eco-friendly landscapes for homeowners and larger properties. This is a great program that covers all aspects of sustainable landscaping in an inclusive, noncontroversial way that helps build consensus for change.
- The Sustainable Sites Initiative is a joint project of the U.S. Botanic Gardens, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the American Society of Landscape Architects. Years in the making, it compiles input from all disciplines to create consensus guidelines for green certification of landscapes. It will be officially launched in the summer of 2009 as the landscape component for LEED certification of developments. Coming soon are their guidelines for sustainable home landscapes.
- "Greening the White House Grounds" [pdf] is an informal proposal written for Michelle Obama that includes recommendations for a vegetable garden, as well as an environmental assessment of water and pesticide issues on the property and an implementation plan for a new, more sustainable and human-friendly design. It was written by Susan Harris after consulting 34 experts and leaders in gardening, horticulture and the environment, mostly in the Washington, D.C. area, and a complete list of those consulted is included on the last page. Here's more about how the proposal came to be.
Water Management and Conservation
- EPA's information about stormwater management.
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation informaton about watershed issues.
- Center for Urban Watershed Renewal.
- Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Compost
- US Composting Council.
- EPA's Guide to Composting.
- Florida's On-Line Composting Center.
- Master Composter programs are sprouting up all over the country, training people to teaching composting in their communities.
- Compost Bin Blog
- Compost Guide
- Composting with worms, called vermicomposting, is right here on this site.
Pesticides
- Cornell University's consumer site for biocontrols, and their plant clinic.
- University of Maryland's Plant Diagnostic site
- Penn State's Pesticide Education Program
- Extension Toxicology Network (multi-state)
- National Pesticide Information Center
- Pesticide Action Network North America
- Environment and Human Health
- Beyond Pesticides
- National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns
Wildlife and Native Plants
- New tips from the National Wildlife Federation about backyard habitats.
- The National Wildlife Federation released some Tip Sheets for Wildlife (in pdf) - about bird feeders, nesting boxes, attracting butterflies and more good stuff.
- NC State has a good compilation of information about wildlife.
- Native Plant Societies.
- PlantANative.com is based on Bringing Nature Home: How you can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Doug Tallamy of the University of Delaware.
Lawn Care
- Scroll down this list of publications from the University of Maryland to lawn.
- Article from Cornell about how to have a green lawn.
- Videos from Cornell about new lawns and maintenance of existing ones.
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SafeLawns.org is a nonprofit promoting organic lawn care. There are videos and more on that link.
- The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns.
