However, it’s also true that those mistakes may be more costly than you had imagined, and so it’s important to be aware of what they are, especially with regards to safety. An outdoor environment is going to be less safe than a well-curated interior for obvious reasons. In this post, we’ll discuss a few methods for keeping yourself protected in that environment:

Slips & Falls

Garden paths and lawns can become slippery hazards, especially after rain or in the early morning dew. It’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of your garden and forget to watch your step. Uneven surfaces, hidden roots, or loose stones can all lead to nasty tumbles – so watch where you’re walking and put in garden paths, handholds or clearances before you go further.

Tree Branches & Rot

It’s important to inspect your trees regularly, especially after storms. Look for signs of rot, cracks, or unusual leaning. If you spot anything concerning, it’s best to call in a professional arborist.

Maintenance Debris

The general act of caring for a garden can bring its own mess. Garden work tends to create a lot of debris, and that might include fallen leaves, pruned branches, grass clippings, and more, sometimes even glass or stones. While it’s tempting to leave cleanup for later, this debris can be a hazard, especially for pets or children. Inspect your lawn as much as you can to notice this, especially after intense wins or gardening efforts.

Loose Gates & Unsecured Fences

Loose gates or unsecured fences can lead to less control over the space, which could be a safety issue. They might allow pets to escape or unwanted animals to enter. For families with young children, a faulty gate could mean a child wandering into unsafe areas, and of course that’s a harm to be avoided at all costs.

Improper Storage

Remember that how you store items matters, even if you don’t have a safety professional looking over you as you may at work. Stacking heavy items too high or precariously can lead to painful falling issues. Chemicals and fertilizers need special attention too – they should be stored out of reach of children and pets, and always in their original containers.

Improperly Maintained Tools

A wheelbarrow with a loose wheel, a lawn mower that hasn’t undergone lawn mower repair, all of this can cause real harm if the item breaks, a chain snaps, or you’re unable to carry weight as you might before. That’s why it’s important to clean and make sure your more dangerous items are serviced and repaired if you can.

With this advice, you’re sure to maintain your garden appropriately and manage the hidden dangers within it.

The post 6 Hidden Dangers When Maintaining Your Garden appeared first on InstantELLA.

10 Ways to Be More Environmentally Friendly

To help us help you, our friends at BiologiQ, manufacturers of eco-friendly plastic resin pellets, have put together this list of tips for becoming more environmentally aware this fall.

Burning

Fall is the season for burning, whether it’s a bonfire, your wood stove, or burning your trash. Keep these two things in mind the next time you go to start that fire: only burn dry wood and never use burn barrels for trash or debris.

Never burn damp wood because it doesn’t burn completely and can release more pollutants in the air. These pollutants will settle around your home, or the site where you are burning, and have been known to cause asthma and other respiratory diseases. Burn wood that has been drying for at least 6 months to ensure that it is completely dry.

Don’t use burn barrels. They don’t burn efficiently and release a lot of smoke toxins, especially if you aren’t burning clean materials. Instead, try to recycle paper, plastic and glass materials; donate old clothing, and grind up old branches and leaves into a mulch or compost for your yard.

Always be aware of your state’s laws regarding burning and burn bans as well. These are set in place not only to prevent wildfires, but to help keep pollution down as well.

Donating Items

Does anyone use the fall as a time to clean out storage? Are you throwing out old toys, clothes, or other items you’ve replaced throughout the year?

Don’t just throw these items away. For one, they take up landfill space, and for two, valuable resources were used to produce those items, so by donating them to someone who needs them those resources are saved.

If you have clothing that your kids have grown out of, dishes you’ve replaced, old toys, find a place to donate them. Homeless shelters and rehabilitation centers are always looking for items to be donated. Search your community to see where that need lies and take in your donation.

If you have other items, like leftover building materials, paint, wood, pallets, nails, etc. there is a place to donate those things too. All it takes is a quick Google search to find where you can send the items that you want to get rid of. Not only will you help the environment, but you can feel good knowing you helped people in need too.

Conserving Energy

One of the leading causes of greenhouse gases that contributes to global climate change is energy production from coal, oil and natural gas. So, conserving and reducing energy usage will only help to lessen that pollution.

5 ways to become more environmentally-friendly for your New Year’s resolution

Some ways you can easily conserve energy in your home are through home heating, hot water, and lights and appliances.

When heating your home, reduce the temperature of the thermostat one degree at a time until you reach a temperature you and your family can be comfortable with – wearing sweaters or blankets to stay cozy. At times when you are away from your home, set the thermostat even lower – about 55 or lower.

Keeping hot water use limited. Take shorter showers, wash your clothes in cold water, and install low-flow showerheads and faucets. You can also turn the temperature on your water heater down or try a solar water heater system.

How To Be More Environmentally Conscious

Turn off the lights when you leave the room. This really does save energy. Use energy efficient light bulbs, turn off appliances and other electronics like computers and printers when they aren’t in use for a long time.

Keep these tips with you this fall as you go about preparing for holidays and family reunions. Help create a better world through these small and simple deeds.

The post 3 Environmentally Friendly Tips for the Fall appeared first on InstantELLA.