Having a healthy and lush lawn is important to some home owners but with the recent pesticide ban some products may not be available any longer. There are alternatives.

Corn gluten can be applied in early spring and it will prevent weed and crab grass seeds from germinating. If you keep a thick, healthy lawn throughout the season, weeds will not be able to establish. You can use a fertilizer high in nitrogen that should be applied early spring, late spring, early summer and early fall. 

If you have thin patches of grass, this is where weeds will try to establish themselves, you can dress your lawn with weed free topsoil then apply grass seed. Also, you can always weed by hand.

Scotts EcoSense line of products are made from ingredients such as canola oil, acetic acid (vinegar), insect phermones, feather meal etc. which are not hamrful to the environment. They have a natural lawn fertilizer and weed and insect control sprays.

Visit ScottsEcoSense.ca for help on managing your pest problems, maintaining a healthy lawn and having good garden care practices.

Canadian Environment Week is from May 31st to June 6th 2009. It's the perfect time to celebrate our achievements and initiatives in tackling climate change and reducing air pollution. You can work on simple changes that contribute to a greener future for everyone.

Here are a few tips to green your lifestyle:

• Buy locally grown food. Take some time to visit local Farmers Markets and learn more about the benefits of choosing locally grown foods! 
• Change at least one light bulb to a compact fluorescent. Those qualified to ENERGY STAR® use about a quarter as much electricity as a conventional light bulb to produce the same amount of light. Compact fluorescents cost a bit more than incandescents, but they last up to ten times longer. 
• Take a walk on the wild side. Go for a day hike on a local nature trail and revel in the beauty and serenity you're trying to preserve for future generations.
• Turn off your computer when you're not using it. A home computer, monitor, and printer can use up to 200 watts of electricity. At both work and home, set your monitor to go into "sleep" mode if it is idle for more than 5 minutes, and your computer to do the same after 15.
• Carry a cloth bag or keep one in your car. Avoid traditional plastic bags in favour of reusable totes. Most plastic bags wind up in landfill sites, where they can take up to a thousand years to biodegrade. A cloth tote is durable, easy to carry and much more eco-friendly!
  

Clean Air Day is a celebration of environmentally-friendly activities that promote clean air and good health across Canada. It is a great opportunity to make environmentally-friendly lifestyle choices, for you, your family and your community. This year Clean Air Day is on Wednesday June 3rd.

The Transit will be free. Tell the driver it's Clean Air Day. There will be complimentary breakfast from 7:00 to 8:30 AM at Queensway, Orchard Park and Westbank Transit exchanges.

Choices made by businesses, communities and individuals can lead to meaningful reductions in air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.

Tips to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions:

• Leave the car at home. Walk or bike for short trips;
  
• For longer trips, take the bus; one busload of passengers takes 40 vehicles off the road, saving 70,000 litres of fuel, 175 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and nine tonnes of pollutants per year.
• Don't idle your vehicles; Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel that restarting your engine and produces more air pollution
• Keep to the speed limit. Driving at 100 km/h burns 10 per cent more fuel than driving at 90 km/h. 
• On the highway, use cruise control to maintain a steady speed and reduce fuel consumption. 
• In the city, stop-and-go traffic means that your air conditioning can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20 per cent. At low city speeds, open windows can be a fuel-saving alternative.

Commuter Challenge is a national program that encourages Canadians to walk, cycle, ride-share/carpool, tele-work or take transit instead of driving alone to work.  Individual Canadians can participate in addition to workplaces. The 2009 National Commuter Challenge Event will take place from May 31 to June 6 during Canadian Environment Week and Clean Air Day (June 3, 2009)!

Take the Commuter Challenge.

• Walk
• Jog
• Cycle
• In-line Skate
• Take Transit
• Telework
• Carpool

Register with your workplace or sign up as an individual. Commute on one or more days for your chance to win prizes.

To learn more visit CommuterChallenge.ca. Or send an email to Lindsay Eason at commuter@globalaffinity.ca

The 10th annual Mayor’s Environmental Expo will be held at Mission Creek Regional Park on Friday May 29th 2009. The Expo will showcase business, corporate, government and non-profit environmental initiatives in the Central Okanagan. The Expo will have interactive displays and loads of information about environmental protection and living greener. Every year over 2,500 people attend this FREE environmental event.

Schools are invited to take part in fun activities such as a trivia contest, Environmental Survivor and Environmental Jeopardy. 

The award winning theatre company, Mountain World Heritage Intepretive Theatre, will present the Faces of Fire - a theatrical journey into the heart of wildfire with free performances at 10 AM, 12:45 PM and 7 PM.

In addition, the Mayor will present the Environmental Achievement Awards which recognize businesses, groups and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the quality of the environment.

Kelowna Farmers' and Crafters' Market is Kelowna's Original and BC's largest market.

Wednesdays and Saturdays 8 AM to 1 PM from April through October at the Corner of Springfield and Dilworth.

• Bedding plants, Perrenials, Hanging Baskets
• Herbs, Spinach, Lettuce, Asparagus, Carrots
• Meats, Sausage, Eggs, Cheese
• Local artisans
  

Check out KelownaFarmersAndCraftersMarket.com for more info or call 250-878-5029