Mark your calendar! Green Neighbor Family Fest is April 20th

Help us celebrate Earth Day and Clean water at the 2013 Green Neighbor Family Fest! Families and community members will be able to take part in hands-on activities about water, learn steps to becoming a green neighbor and have an all-around good time!

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Deering High School, Stevens Avenue, Portland
Cost: FREE!

Schedule of events:
9:30    Festival begins - enjoy hands-on activities and face painting!
10:30  Urban Runoff awards ceremony
11:00  Live entertainment on the stage provided by:
             Randy Judkins
             Matt Loosigian
             Ferry Beach Ecology School

Activities provided by the following:
Biodiversity Research Institute
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
City of Portland
Friends of Casco Bay
IDEXX
Maine WasteWater Control Association
Maine Energy Education Program
Party Palooga
Project Learning Tree
Wells Reserve

Check out some photos from last year's event!

Don't forget about your lawn this fall!

As the days grow shorter and the air gets cooler, don't ignore your lawn. Fall is the perfect time for many lawn care tasks. Get a jump start on a green lawn in the spring with some easy steps now!

Do a soil test

Fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn, but don't waste your money by using too much fertilizer. Take the time to test your soil so you know exactly how much is needed. (A soil test will also tell you if you need to adjust your soil's pH or add compost.) Request a free soil testing kit by calling us at 766-1066; analysis through the Maine Soil Testing Service is only $15.

Aerate

Aerating your lawn loosens the soil so water, air, and nutrients can get down to the roots of the grass. Aerating is important for areas where soil gets compacted (areas where people most commonly walk) and if you have a lot of clay in your soil. Rent a core aerator from a local hardware store - it's affordable, and the job can be done quickly. 

Topdress with compost

Ideally, grass needs 6-inches of soil to grow. Unfortunately, Maine soils tend to be very shallow (only about 3-inches in most places). Adding a thin layer (1/4 to 3/8 inch) of compost over your lawn will help you build up your soil layer faster, while also adding nutrients and organic matter to help you grow a healthy lawn. 

Overseed to rejuvenate your grass

Overtime, lawns tend to get thin spots where old grass dies off. Since we always mow our lawns, we never let grass renew itself by going to seed. Give your lawn a boost by spreading some new seed directly over your existing lawn. Growing a thicker lawn not only looks better, it also helps out compete weeds. Look for a seed mixture with mostly fescues and ryegrasses, and try to keep the Kentucky bluegrass to a minimum. Some suggested mixes are available in our list of recommended products.

Need help getting started? Give us a call! We're happy to answer your questions of visit your home for a lawn care consultation. Don't forget, all services offered by Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams are FREE!

Get rewarded for making healthy lawn care choices!

Every time it rains, pollution washes off the land and into local streams and Casco Bay. Even things we put on our properties can dirty our water. 

Lawn care products, for example, are a major pollutant of Southern Maine's lakes, rivers, streams and Casco Bay. Fertilizers add excess nutrients that can lead to algal blooms. Weed and bug killers are toxic to animals that live in fresh water and oceans.

When you reduce your use of fertilizers and weed and bug killers, you're doing your part to help clean up neighborhood streams, Capisic Pond and Casco Bay! The City of Portland wants to thank you for your efforts! For a limited time, when you spend $15 on healthy lawn care products we'll send you a free roll of City trash bags*!

Visit the rebates page for more information.

*Limit one roll of bags per household; property must drain to Capisic Brook.

Healthy lawn care help is just a phone call away!

Did you know that common lawn care products, like fertilizer and weed and bug killers can harm our kids and pets and pollute our water? 


According the the Environmental Protection Agency, children take in more pesticides relative to body weight than adults*. In addition, some studies have found that common weed and bug killers can cause bladder cancer in dogs and thyroid problems in cats**.  


Lawn fertilizer is often used unnecessarily. This wastes your money and pollutes our water.


Simple steps can be taken to grow a beautiful lawn without using weed and bug killers and by reducing your use of fertilizers, and Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams can help! Call us at (207) 776-1066 with your lawn care questions or to schedule free visit at your property with a healthy lawn care expert. We will even provide a free healthy lawn care training for you and your neighbors!  


You can help clean up Capisic Brook and Casco Bay! Give us a call to learn more!


* http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/pest.htm.
** Glickman et al., 2004.  Herbicide Exposure and the Risks of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder in Scottish Terrier Dogs, Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association.; December 1988. Preventative Veterinary Medicine pgs. 295-309.

Green Neighbor Family Fest

Please join the City of Portland at the Green Neighbor Family Fest on Saturday, April 21st from 9:30 to 2:00 at Deering High School! This festival is the inaugural kick off event for the City's Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams program.

Join us as we celebrate Earth Day, clean water and other "green" themes! At the Festival, families and community members will be able to take part in hands-on activities about water, learn steps to becoming a green neighbor and and have an all-around good time! Below is a listing of activities and events.

Green Neighbor Family Fest events:

Live music provided by Matt Loosigian.
Face painting provided by Party Palooga.
Storytelling by Learnin' Vernon
"Pollution Solution" obstacle course
Marine touch tank

Activities provided by the following:
98.9 WCLZ
AmeriCorps VISTA
Biodiversity Research Institute
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
City of Portland
Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District
IDEXX
Maine DEP
Maine Energy Education Program
Project Learning Tree
University of Southern Maine 

If you're interested in learning more or would like to volunteer, please contact Jami Fitch at the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District!

The festival follows the Urban Runoff 5K and walk.

Announcing Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams!

Hello residents of Portland and Westbrook!

The City of Portland and the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District are proud to announce the launch of Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams, a community-wide effort to clean up our neighborhood treasure, Capisic Brook. This program connects residents with lawn care experts, workshops and events aimed at reducing residential runoff that pollutes Capisic Brook and flows into Casco Bay, which we all love.

In recent years, the City of Portland has made big investments to upgrade our sewer system, and the time is ripe for residents to do their part and reduce the pollution of Capisic Brook is runoff we all create while caring for our lawns. The good news is that it feels good to do your part to make a difference in the water quality in our community and the future health of Capisic Brook!

• Workshops and trainings to help you discover new ways to keep your lawn looking great using less fertilizer and chemcials
• "Ask and Expert" programs that provide you with free, no obligation lawn care consultations for your lawn and garden
• Rebate programs to thank you for purchasing environmentally preferable lawn care products

We'll be rolling out these opportunities in the comings weeks, so make sure you don't miss an announcement. Sign up to receive our emails, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!