	Walk for Water 2016 Help those around the world without access to clean water...by walking! Learn more.
	Composting in the City:A new book shows how to successfully compost in very limited spaces, and with little time!
	Plant Milkweed to Help the Monarch Butterfly:Monarch butterfly populations are in steep decline. Planting milkweed, their sole food source, can help bring them back!
	Clover in the Lawn:Good or Bad?:Instead of fighting it, leaving clover be in your lawn might be the better idea.
	Invasive Species: Autumn Olive: The rapid spread of this invasive shrub is crowding out native plants around the country.
	Ways To Conserve Water In The Landscape: Outdoor watering is the single largest source of water usage in the average home.
	Spring Lawn Care and Snow Mold:Though it looks terrible, dealing with snow mold and other issues is simple with these spring lawncare tips.
	The Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern:MPOWERD's Luci inflatable solar lantern provides reliable light powered by the sun in a portable, inflatable package. Perfect for outdoor accent lighting!
	New Device Reduces Lawn Mower Pollution by 93%:Students at UC Riverside have created an inexpensive device that effectively reduces pollution by 93% in gas-fueled lawn mowers.
	The Hydros Smart Irrigation Controller:Reduce outdoor water usage by up to 60% with the Hydros Smart Irrigation Control System.
	The UrbMat by UrbnEarth:The UrbMat by UrbnEarth is an all-in-one garden system solution, perfect for first-time gardeners or those with limited gardening space.
	Bonide Garden Naturals:Bonide's Garden Naturals is a full line of natural, organic gardening products to help your garden grow and thrive.
	Emerald Ash Borer:The Emerald Ash Borer is killing tens of millions of ash trees around the country. Find out what you can do to protect your ash trees.
	Dog Waste: Eco-Options:Searching for greener alternatives to throwing out dog waste with the trash.
	Spring Lawn Care and Snow Mold:Though it looks terrible, dealing with snow mold and other issues is simple with these spring lawncare tips.
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	Home Composting Products:Supercharge your compost pile with these helpful products!
	Kitchen Gardening:Kitchen gardening means growing fresh, nutritious ingredients for cooking, close to the kitchen.
	Mulching Lawn Mowers:Mulching your grass instead of bagging it benefits your lawn, the planet, and YOU!
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	Water Saving Tips: There are many ways to cut down on the amount of water used such as reducing or eliminating grass lawns and planting drought-resistant plants.
	Water Conservation: New section on saving water in the gardin and landscape - one of the largest consumers of water during the growing season.
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Landscape Lighting

Solar-Powered Landscape Light

The past few years have seen big changes in the area of outdoor landscape lighting. Previously, homeowners who wanted to illuminate areas of their outdoor spaces had to rely on halogen or incandescent lights wired together and plugged into an outlet. Newer technologies like LED lights and solar powered-batteries are allowing for more creative possibilities, using less energy than ever before.

LED Lights

Earlier landscape lighting systems, even those of a few years ago, relied on halogen or incandescent light. As followers of green lighting technology know, these older forms of light consume quite a bit of energy. Newer landscape lighting systems utilizing LED light technology can provide the same amount of illumination while using up to 75% less electricity. (Click here for more info on LED lights.)Due to their energy-saving potential and ever-decreasing costs, LED lights are quickly becoming the standard in landscape lighting. For the homeowner, and the planet, that's a good thing.

LED Solar-Powered Landscape Light

LED lights have other advantages over traditional light sources; LED technology allows light to be created in almost any color, even changing colors, to beautifully and creatively light up outdoor areas. Their low power consumption also allows them to be powered only by the sun.

Solar Power

Due to the low amount of power required by LED lights, and the relatively low levels of light required in landscape settings, landscape lights are easily powered only by the energy of the sun. Walking through the outdoor center of any store and you'll easily see how quickly and thoroughly LED and solar lights have taken over the world of landscape lighting.

There are a few benefits to solar-powered landscape lights. The obvious advantage is that they require no electricity from any source other than the free power provided by the Sun. Most landscape lights that run from the suns' power contain batteries that store enough energy to run the lights for at least several hours each night, and often all night long.

By not having to be shackled to a power source, solar-powered landscape lights are free to be placed anywhere in a landscaped area the owner wants them. This allows for a much greater choice in light placement, which again lets the owner be as creative as they want to be.

LED Solar Post Lamp

Green Homes and Landscape Lighting

A homes' outdoor living spaces are an extension of the home itself. Yards, gardens, patios, and other outdoor areas provide families an opportunity to be closer to the natural world. The creative use of landscape lights can turn those spaces into a magical outdoor oasis at night; done right, they can use very little, if any, energy.

Landscape lights are quickly becoming 'early adaptors' of new LED and solar-power technologies, and as such they are helping to lead the way to a more energy-efficient, renewably-powered future.

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