Spare the Sod, Spoil the Wild

By Dan McCord

I am a resident of the Ridgefield Subdivision in Fishers, Indiana. Having an interest in the well being of our community, I volunteered for our homeowner’s association board when it was turned over to the residents approximately three years ago. Like many homeowner associations, Ridgefield was challenged by the ever-increasing cost of grounds maintenance. Adding to our problems, the developer had established homeowner dues inadequate to cover our operating expenses. Since the association’s covenants strictly limit dues increases, and most homeowners were against a significant dues increase, we had to become creative in trying to balance our budget.

Ridgefield has more than 13 acres of common area to mow and maintain. Lawn maintenance was our largest expense. After giving the issue a lot of consideration, our solution was to have a nature park in our subdivision. Our plan was to convert half our common area turf grass into prairie consisting of native grasses and wildflowers, which would not require the ongoing maintenance and mowing that the lawn grass did. Since the native plants had evolved in our area, they have very deep, extensive root systems and are better adapted to our soils, weather, and other biological and physical conditions. In addition, the native plants would not require fertilizers or watering. We projected the conversion to a native prairie would cut our maintenance expenses in half.

In late fall 2005 and throughout the beginning of 2006, we developed our prairie restoration plan and implementation strategy with the assistance of a wildlife biologist from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. After a lot of research, we created a project budget, choose native seed that was compatible with the site and located a company to prepare the site.

Locating a company that would plant the seed at a reasonable cost was an obstacle. The wildflower seeds are extremely small; the native grass seed is hairy and has to be planted very shallow. Therefore, the seed could not be planted with a conventional lawn-grass seeder. Several companies were available that specialize in planting native plant seeds; however, their planting charge was prohibitive given our association’s struggling financial position. Just when we thought our well laid out plan was coming to an abrupt halt, we were introduced to Pheasants Forever.

Pheasants Forever is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to conservation of wildlife habitat. We were lucky that the local chapter of Pheasants Forever had an experienced habitat team and the equipment for planting native prairie. In May 2006, the native prairie was planted by the Central Indiana Chapter of Pheasants Forever at the small cost of membership. Local chapters of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are located throughout the Country and can be a significant resource given their technical expertise.

What started from financial necessity has also provided many environmental benefits. For example, we improved control of storm-water runoff, reduced chemical and pollution runoff, eliminated a goose nuisance at our retention pond and reduced algae growth in our retention pond. In addition, the native prairie has attracted a tremendous amount of wildlife to our neighborhood since it provides needed food and shelter. As a result, the residents not only enjoy the striking floral display, they also enjoy the abundance of songbirds and butterflies in the area. Due to these environmental benefits, local and state government cost-share grant funds were available for our project, which provided financial incentives to our association to implement the plan.

With the planting assistance of the Central Indiana Chapter of Pheasants Forever (http://www.pfcic.org/) and with financial assistance from the Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District (http://www.hamiltonswcd.org/) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild), the cost to plant the prairie was much less than maintaining the area with turf grass. Therefore, the conversion more than paid for itself in the first year. Because we had minimal maintenance expense for the area in the second year, we have significantly improved the association’s financial position. We achieved the goal of reducing operating expenses to a level supported by our annual dues assessment. Furthermore, the cost savings allowed us to build our operating reserve fund to an adequate level while also freeing funds to be used for other community improvement projects.

Our prairie restoration project has been a complete success. We not only saved money, but made a positive impact on the environment and local wildlife populations. As a result of this success, I now help other local homeowner’s associations plan and implement similar projects through a not-for-profit organization: the Hamilton County Urban Conservation Association (http://www.hamiltoncountyuca.org/). We expect 2008 to be a busy year as we have five other communities converting common turf areas to native prairies. If your community is interested in saving money, attracting wildlife, and improving the environment, you should consider a native prairie restoration project.

Dan McCord is the president of the Ridgefield Property Owner’s Association and founder/president of the Hamilton County Urban Conservation Association.

Greg VanDerWerker and Energy-Efficient Home Appliances

Association member Greg VanderWerker has found a way to be environmentally friendly without stepping outside his front door. He recently installed an energy efficient air conditioner that carries an Energy Star certification.

In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced Energy Star, a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy efficient products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This agency works with more than 9,000 public and private sector organizations, including many that manufacture and sell Energy Star labeled environmentally friendly products. According to Energy Star, the average American homeowner spends about $1,900 on energy costs annually.

By changing to more energy efficient appliances, Greg can save not only on energy costs, but also the environment.

Listed below are just some of the practical things that Greg and others at Kiawah are also doing to conserve both money and energy.

Electric Bulbs The easiest way to start saving energy is by replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). The CFLs are more expensive, but they save on costs in the long term by using at least two-thirds less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasting up to ten-times longer. A home can save $30 or more in energy costs over each CFL bulb’s lifetime. CFLs are also environmentally friendly. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified CFL bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.

Refrigerators and Freezers The refrigerator is the single biggest energy-consuming kitchen appliance. Energy Star qualified refrigerators require about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993. Top freezers are generally more efficient than side-by-side models.

Central Air Conditioners About one-seventh of all the electricity generated in the U.S. is used for air conditioning. Air conditioners that are Energy Star qualified have an eight percent higher efficiency rating than standard models. Though Energy Star air conditioners can be more expensive, the cost difference will be paid back over time through lower energy bills. Make sure when you buy a new air conditioner, to get quality installation. It is important to get a contractor who can do the job right. It is equally important to seal your home and air conditioning ducts properly.

Clothes Washing Machines Compared to old models made before 1994, an Energy Star qualified clothes washer can save up to $110 per year on utility bills. These washers use 50 percent less energy and water than standard washers, and they extract more water from clothes during the spin cycle, thus reducing the drying time and saving energy. They are available in both top and front-loading designs.

Clothes Dryers To-date, clothes dryers do not carry the Energy Star name because most of them (both new and old) use the same amount of energy. However, to reduce the amount of energy clothes dryers use, Energy Star recommends the following:

• Use the moisture sensor option that automatically shuts off the machine when the clothes are dry.
• Use the high spin speed or the extended spin option to reduce the amount of moisture.
• Air-dry clothes whenever possible.

Dishwashers Compared to dishwashers made before 1994, the dishwashers approved by Energy Star use at least 41 percent less energy and water and can save more than $30 a year in utility costs. Also, because they use less water, they can save an additional $90 over their lifetime.

Dehumidifiers Energy Star qualified dehumidifiers have more refrigeration coils, compressors and fans than conventional models and can remove moisture by using less energy. The energy savings could power a refrigerator for six months.

Electronic Equipment Home entertainment equipment and other electronic equipment like computers, printers, speakers, etc. are difficult to include in our list of energy-saving appliances because of the extensive variety of models, differing prices and subjective consumer preferences. Suffice it to say, many of these products consume energy even when they are turned off. For more information regarding energy saving techniques, please contact your local electric company to inquire about their energy-saving programs and free audits for saving energy in your home. The local electric cooperative here, for example, has what it calls “The Home Energy Saver” which is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy. This project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the national Energy Star Program.