Good, 

 Clean 

 Advice 



By Sarah Friday Peters 



Take a quick tour through your home 

 and yard. 



Pass by the driveway and walkways; 

 walk through your grass and by your 

 plants. 



Inside, check out your kitchen and your 

 bathrooms. Even look in the laundry room. 



What you see could spell trouble for 

 North Carolina's coastal waters. 



Fertilizers, leaking toilets, runoff from 

 driveways, leftover paint and motor oil are 

 just a few of the culprits. 



Every time we wash our hands, clean 

 our dishes or water our lawns, we add to 

 the load of wastes and heavy sediments 

 flowing to the coast. 



Federal, state and local laws protect the 

 waters and their uses. But with a few help- 

 ful hints, you can do your part to conserve 

 and preserve this vital coastal resource. 



Around Your Yard 



Loose soil and poor drainage can 

 facilitate erosion, flooding and runoff. To 

 reduce surface runoff: 



• Plant ground cover, shrubs and trees 

 to promote infiltration. 



• Landscape with plants appropriate to 

 your soil. Don't select plants that need lots 

 of watering. 



• Divert rain from paved surfaces onto 

 grass to permit gradual absorption. 



• Encourage your community to mini- 

 mize the use of asphalt. 



Lawn and Garden 



About 20 million acres of lawn exist in 

 the United States. If healthy, a lawn can 

 help prevent erosion and act as a filter for 

 rainwater. If fertilizers or pesticides are 

 used recklessly, lawns and gardens can 

 be a source of pollution. 



For a healthy lawn: 



• Plant the right type of grass for your 

 location. 



• Don't overwater your lawn. 



• Use the right fertilizer for your soil at 

 the right time. Do not apply it on windy 

 days or just before it rains. 



Inside Your Home 



Many of the products we use at home 

 pose no threat to the environment when 

 they're properly disposed of and treated. 

 But some of the most common products 

 such as floor wax and furniture polish are 

 toxic to people and the environment. 



Take care to: 



• Read labels. Know what chemicals 

 are potentially hazardous. A few are lye, 

 phenols and petroleum distillates. 



• Use alternative, less harmful products 

 whenever possible. For example, lemon oil 



mixed with linseed oil makes a good furni- 

 ture polish. 



• Recycle motor oil and antifreeze. 



• Never put the most toxic household 

 products into sewer or septic systems. 

 Take leftovers to a landfill or your town's 

 hazardous waste collection site. 



• Make sure your community has effec- 

 tive sewage treatment. 



Water Conservation 



Most of us use about 100 gallons of 

 water a day, when we need only four. Con- 

 serving water helps at the coast, but it can 

 also mean lower sewer, energy and water 

 bills. To save water: 



• Check your water meter while no 

 water is being used. If the dial moves, you 

 have a leak. Fix any that you find. 



• Turn off your water and water heater 

 when you go on a trip. 



• Run dishwashers and washing 

 machines only with a full load. 



• Don't keep the water running when 

 you wash dishes in the sink, brush your 

 teeth or shave. 



• Install a water conservation shower 

 head. 



• Take short showers instead of a bath. 



• Wash your car and water your lawn 

 only when necessary. 



These tips are taken from Sound Advice, 

 a guidebook published by the N.C 

 Coastal Federation and WRAL-TV. For a 

 copy, send $3 to the N.C. Coastal Federa- 

 tion, 3223-4 Highway 58, Swansboro, N.C. 

 28584. 



Photo by Rex Gary Schmidt 



