The Natural Yards Pledge

Yes, I support the expansion of Natural Yards across the Don watershed (as stated below).

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The Pledge

We pledge to pursue the goals of the Another Yard for the Don program on our property, in order to:

  • Help expand the look and feel of the local ecological community
  • Keep rain where it falls, instead of contributing to erosion in urban streams
  • Conserve the demand for both municipal water and the power to pump it
  • Reduce the volume of chemicals entering receiving waters, and
  • Increasing the use of native plans and the availability of habitat for local wildlife.

Our efforts shall include the following:

  • Disconnecting downspouts that discharge directly into storm sewers
  • Ensuring that nothing but rain and meltwater enters our storm drains, including pet waste, spills, and run-off from refuse bins
  • Installing a rain barrel or creating a pond or swale for downspout water
  • Reducing areas that need to be watered and/or mowed by considering groundcovers, wildflower meadows, and other plants
  • Reducing watering, watering only in the morning, using rain barrels rather than municipal water for watering, and/or installing drip irrigation or other low-volume methods of watering
  • For lawns: we will mow high, less often, aerate, and plant drought-tolerant seed
  • Practice organic gardening, avoiding the use of harmful pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other chemicals for cosmetic purposes
  • Planting native varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants
  • Increasing, where possible, the use of evergreens and shade trees in a manner to help conserve winter heating and summer air-conditioning
  • Recycling household waste into valuable compost
  • Creating or providing bird, butterfly, amphibian, and other animal habitat with trees, berry-bearing bushes, bird feeders, and bird-baths
  • Establishing natural buffers near streams and ravines
  • Minimizing the use of harmful de-icing products and inappropriate snow plowing practices
  • Adopting a hierarchy of hand tools, electric tools, and then gas-powered tools
  • Using landscaping or lawn care services only if they adhere to professional Integrated Pest Management certification protocols, and
  • Installing porous pavement where possible
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FODE is a membership-based non-profit organization working to protect and enhance the Don River and to encourage the establishment of healthy and sustainable communities within the central and eastern portions of the Don watershed, Toronto, Ontario. © 2004