How To Keep Toxic Pesticides Out Of Our Waterways
Pesticides used on the land, and applied around our homes and businesses are washed off by the rain and carried into our local waterways where they harm organisms and degrade the aquatic environment. MCSTOPPP is dedicated to promoting the use of the least toxic practices for managing pests in order to foster healthy soil, water conservation, runoff and waste reduction that protect and enhance our creeks, bays and ocean.
MCSTOPPP is a proud partner in both the Yard Smart Marin and Our Water, Our World programs which provide outreach, support, and training on less toxic pest management to customers and staff in our local stores.
Find helpful information and videos for both home gardeners and professional landscapers under the panels and in the webinars and training section below!
The purpose of the Our Water, Our World (OWOW) program is to raise awareness of the connection between pesticide use and their harmful effects on water quality. The program provides information to customers and pest management professionals at the point-of-purchase about integrated pest management (IPM) and less-toxic alternative products.
In partnership with our trained OWOW Program Specialist, MCSTOPPP provides participating stores with an assortment of OWOW fact sheets and shelf tags to assist customers in finding products and solutions that effectively manage various pests in the least toxic way possible. Our Program Specialist also provides support for customers and store staff through in store trainings, tabling events and demonstrations, and free online webinars!
OWOW product identification shelf tags
Trainings for customers and store staff
Topic specific in-store public workshops
In-store displays for seasonal pests
Technical assistance and vendor events
Below are the partnering stores in Marin that participate in the Our Water Our World program.
- Ace Building Supply Center – Pt. Reyes Station
- Chase Ace Hardware – San Rafael
- CNL Native Plant Nursery – Tam Valley
- Fairfax Ace Lumber and Hardware – Fairfax
- Goodman Building Supply – Mill Valley
- Jackson’s Hardware – San Rafael
- Marin Ace Hardware – San Rafael
- Pini Ace Hardware – Novato
- All four Sloat Garden Centers (Kentfield, Novato, and both Mill Valley locations)
- SummerWinds Nursery – Novato
- The Home Depot – San Rafael
- Toby’s Feed Barn – Pt. Reyes Station
Here is the OWOW Pocket Guide that has a list of less-toxic products according to targeted pest available. Please note that not all products listed are available in all stores.
Next time you shop for a pesticide product in one of the stores mentioned above, look for one of the following tags placed beneath less toxic products found on store shelves – or ask store staff to assist you in making choices that are better for you, your families, pets, and the environment.
Learn more at the Our Water Our World website.
Check out the Yard Smart Marin website for a quick one stop resource for safer alternatives to using pesticides. Whether it’s in the yard or inside your house, find solutions in just one or two clicks of the mouse!
Minimal maintenance – No More Mowing!
No need for pesticides
Create habitat for bees and butterflies
Add color, texture, and movement
Planning and Observation
Successfully converting your lawn into a native garden is a three step process. The first and most important step is planning and observation. Here are a list of things to consider before you get started.
- Measure out your yard and create a rough sketch for your new native garden.
- What existing trees and plants do you want to keep or remove?
- What are the sun and shade patterns throughout the day?
- Have you looked at several other gardens to get an idea about the type of plants you like?
- Are you going to leave the area flat or will you be adding contours?
- Are you going to incorporate a rain garden or dry creek swale to capture and infiltrate stormwater from your downspout(s)?
- Are you going to add drip irrigation to help get the plants established? If so, is there an existing sprinkler system for the lawn you can convert to a drip system, or will you need to set up something new?
Killing Your Lawn
Now comes the part we’ve all been waiting for, kill your lawn! Homeowners can use either of two eco-friendly methods to kill their lawns. Solarizing involves heating the soil by covering it with a clear plastic tarp for four to six weeks during summer. It works best on fescue, ryegrass, and bluegrass, and with limited success on Bermuda grass. Sheet mulching is a method of layering materials (one of which is often cardboard) in order to inhibit the growth of weeds or (in this case) turf grass. Sheet mulching can be started any time of the year, takes six to eight months, works in sun or shade, and is effective on all grasses, including Bermuda grass. The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management program website has information and instructions for both methods.
Plant Your New Garden
Finally, replant. Whichever method you choose, time implementation so that you are ready to replant in the fall. The cool temperatures and moist soils of October, November, and December allow native plants to develop the healthy roots they need to thrive with little water during the heat of summer.
Select a mix of trees, grasses, perennials, and shrubs for your native garden. Just make sure to check how big each will get when fully mature.
What does rainwater capture have to do with pesticide pollution reduction? Stormwater carries all kinds of pollutants with it including pesticides and fertilizers when it runs off from our properties. See how you can create practical and eco-friendly ways to increase groundwater infiltration onsite and reduce runoff to improve water quality in our creeks and bays!
Learn more rainwater capture concepts such as gutters and downspouts, cisterns and rain barrels, drip line protection, ground covers, rain gardens, swales, dry creek beds, retaining walls, creating pervious surfaces, larger scale Low Impact Development (LID), or Green Streets on our Rainwater Capture and Management page.
