Goal For The Green

Native Americans for generations tried to treat the land with care and give back so that nature could continue giving. Thomas Jefferson had a great admiration for native plants and trees and he tried to incorporate as many of them as possible in his Monticello estate.

This photograph is of the grave site of Thomas Jefferson, which is located at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, the general art of landscaping began long ago as kings and emperors hired the best gardeners and architectures to design fabulous gardens on the grounds of their palaces. Through the centuries, tried and true styles and techniques for landscape architecture have developed. Today, many skilled landscape designers and architects are also incorporating sustainable techniques for eco-friendly landscapes like the Park Slope Design, that use native plants along with hardscapes and irrigation that cooperates well with the natural environment.

Contemporary society is increasingly interested in landscaping that improves and gives back to nature. Habitats are respected and parks and gardens are established with the natural world in mind. As more governments, corporations, small businesses and individuals are interested in sustainable landscape architecture, professional landscape architects specialize in eco-friendly methods and design.

In fact, on the local television as well as on radio and the web, landscape design businesses that create sustainable landscapes advertise locally. Although the economy of local regions and countries do significantly affect the landscaping industry, parks, businesses and individuals desire to improve the outdoor surroundings on their properties. The popular trend for eco-conscious landscape architecture to improve the outdoor environment for the present and for future generations will continue into the decades to come.

Is that cockroach that just crawled out from behind the fridge making your stomach churn? There’s a chance it’s not your imagination—cockroaches carry bacteria that can cause gastric problems, including diarrhea. Flies are disease factories that can transmit diseases including hepatitis and tuberculosis.       

Some bugs put your home’s health in danger as well. Termites eat wood, and an infestation can cause serious damage to the structure of your home and often requires aggressive termite treatment to take care of the problem. While there are some woods such as cedar, redwood and eucalyptus that are toxic to these pests, this is no help unless you’ve already built your home out of these materials. Though plants can’t help much with termites, they can help control many other types of pests and toxins found around the home. Here are four examples of plants that help eliminate toxins and repel pests:

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are most commonly used to add flavor to soups, stews and sauces, but few people realize they can help keep roaches under control. The leaves won’t necessarily hurt existing cockroaches, but they find the scent unpleasant and are likely to head in another direction.

Lemongrass

According to Hortmag.com, the best thing to plant to keep away mosquitoes is lemongrass. Lemongrass is the plant where citronella is found, which is widely used to control these pests. Bees are also not fond of the plant, making it even more beneficial. Although lemongrass is bad for bugs, it’s good for you. For many years it has been used to treat headaches and aid digestion, and recent research at Ben Gurion University in Israel suggests that it can even cause cancer cells to self-destruct.

Basil

It turns out a roach’s bay leaf is a housefly’s basil. When you’re making that homemade pizza or spaghetti sauce, save some basil to help control flies. The spice may be deliciously aromatic to you, but flies can’t stand it. Bugs aren’t the only things that clear out when basil’s around. According to Health.com, basil can also help get rid of skin blemishes and detoxify the liver.

Pyrethrum Chrysanthemums

Chances are you are more familiar with this flower’s common name, mums. There are many mum varieties that contain a natural insect repellant, pyrithrin, but pyrethrum mums are the most potent. These flowers resemble daisies and come in a variety of colors. Mums can keep away a lot of different insects, such as silverfish, roaches, fleas, lice, ants and bedbugs—and they won’t bother your pets.

Plants to Control Toxins

Besides insect control, these and many other plants also help improve the quality of the air in your home. Carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, radon, nitrogen oxide and other airborne pollutants can invade the air in homes and cause a wide range of problems including headaches, nervous system problems and cancer. Scientists at NASA have discovered that many plants help neutralize these chemicals.

Those coughing, sneezing, watery eye symptoms you get this fall may not herald the onset of cold and flu season after all. There’s another possible culprit, but it isn’t contagious and it’s easily managed, once you know what it is.

You see, school children aren’t the only ones who take the summers off; your heating system also gets to take a break. However, while you’re out enjoying the beautiful weather, trouble-makers are taking up residence in your duct work during the time your heater stands idle. We’re talking about a build-up of dust, mold and other allergens that accumulate during your heating system’s down-time. There’s an easy solution to tackling the problem at the beginning of cold weather season, and keeping it under control for the duration.

English: flexible ducting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Before you crank up the heat, have the duct work cleaned by a professional, like those at duct cleaning Oakville. Make certain that you arrange this cleaning during a time when you and your family can vacate the house for a little while, as the process releases a large amount of allergens into the air at first.

After the cleaning process is finished, you can have the furnace fitted with a filtration system. There are disposable filters that you can change once a month, or a permanent HEPA filter can be installed. Make sure you remove it and clean it periodically to get rid of dust build-up and eliminate blockages that reduce the efficiency of your heating system. Apartment dwellers who don’t have access to their building’s furnace can find small filters that fit right over their heating vents.