If you’d like your garden to be a good environmental citizen, the City of Evanston and the Evanston Environmental Association would like to encourage you to participate in the Livable Landscapes Program.
Designed to help community members develop solutions to stormwater management on their property, the program provides community members with assistance in practicing water-absorbing and habitat-friendly landscaping in their yards.
The joint initiative with participating vendors involves workshops, a supporting guide, and a specially designed set of stormwater absorbing plants that can be ordered online.
Free workshops will be held at the Evanston Ecology Center, located at 2024 McCormick Blvd., on Thursdays, April 28 and May 26, and Monday, June 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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The workshops will provide information about how to plant and maintain rain gardens and install rain barrels to help manage flooding and reduce water consumption.
As part of the City’s Residential Rain Barrel Program, in partnership with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), residential property owners can order up to four free 55-gallon rain barrels to use on their property.
Rainwater collected by rain barrels can be used for lawn and garden watering during the hotter summer months, plant watering, and car and window washing. More information is available on the city’s website.