Yard Waste Yardstick Quiz

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  Where do your lawn clippings usually go?

  • A.
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    What lawn?
  • B.
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    Back into the lawn with a mulch mower
  • C.
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    Around the yard as mulch
  • D.
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    Into our compost pile
  • E.
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    Into paper lawn bags for town compost
  • F.
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    Into garbage bags, duh
• 2.
  A tree has died. You ask the arborist if they can...

  • A.
    Trim branches to make a safe snag
  • B.
    Cut it to the ground and leave you logs or chips
  • C.
    Cut it down and remove the roots with a back hoe
• 3.
  Most often, fallen or pruned branches go...

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  • A.
    Wherever they fall
  • B.
    Around the garden
  • C.
    Into a brush pile
  • D.
    Into paper lawn bags
  • E.
    Into the trash
• 4.
  Your favorite tool for removing leaves is...

  • A.
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    A rake
  • B.
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    An electric vacuum or blower
  • C.
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    A gas blower or vacuum
  • D.
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    A mulching mower
• 5.
  What do you prefer to do with fallen leaves?

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  • A.
    Use them whole as mulch
  • B.
    Shred them to use as mulch
  • C.
    Compost them at home
  • D.
    Put them in paper bags for town compost
  • E.
    Burn them or put them out with the trash
• 6.
  The last fallen leaves are sprinkled lightly over your lawn. You...

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  • A.
    Again, what lawn?
  • B.
    Leave them
  • C.
    Mulch mow them
  • D.
    Blow them into the street
• 7.
  When do you generally cut down flower stalks?

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  • A.
    Never
  • B.
    In late spring
  • C.
    In the fall
  • D.
    What flowers?

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  OUT

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  We'll assume you've had other priorities. It's time you get hip and refresh your lawn waste practices. Scores under 46 reflect out-of-date practices like cutting down perennial stalks in fall and mulching-mowing leaves, putting them in trash, or using a gas-powered leaf blower. Using leaves in your yard instead of trashing or chopping them improves soil quality, nurtures beneficial insects, avoids polluting, and saves money. Did you know the inefficient motors of gas-powered lawn equipment accounts for 5 percent of all air pollution, according to the EPA? And lawn waste in landfill generates methane, roughly 30x more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere compared to the carbon dioxide produced when those leaves decompose in your yard. Moreover, many butterfly larvae overwinter in fallen leaves. And native bees overwinter in perennial stalks. So by changing your lawn waste practices, you can protect these beneficial insects and help reverse their alarming population decline.Do you really want to be THAT person anymore?
• 2.
  Wanna Be

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  Bravo for trying! Perhaps TOO hard? There are easier, more ecological ways to deal with yard waste.Scores of 47 to 93 reflect a mix of ecological and out-of-date practices. Maybe you've switched from gas to electric equipment. Or perhaps you're mulch mowing or composting leaves. Good for you.You may already know the inefficient motors of gas-powered lawn equipment accounts for 5 percent of all air pollution. And lawn waste in landfill generates methane, roughly 30x more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere compared to the carbon dioxide produced when those leaves decompose in your yard. But are you up-to-date with the latest soil and insect research? Using leaves in your yard instead of trashing or chopping them improves soil quality, nurtures beneficial insects, avoids polluting, and saves money.Many butterfly larvae overwinter in fallen leaves; shredding, trashing, and even composting kills them. And native bees overwinter in perennial stalks. By changing your lawn waste practices, you can protect these beneficial insects and help reverse their alarming population decline.Isn't it time you take your yard game to the next level?
• 3.
  IN

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  I'm impressed! Do you do that naturally or do you work to stay abreast the latest research on ecological landscaping?Scores from 94 to 140 reflect current knowledge of ecological and environmental science. Hooray!For example, you're probably aware that inefficient gas-powered mowers and blowers account for 5 percent of all air pollution. And sending leaves to landfill generates methane, which is 30x more efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than the carbon dioxide created when leaves decompose naturally. And I guess you already know that using leaves in your yard instead of shredding, trashing, or even composting them improves soil quality, nurtures beneficial insects, avoids polluting, and saves money. It's likely you're nurturing native insects by leaving overwintering habitat -- perennial stalks for bees and whole fallen leaves for butterfly larvae, for example.Thank you for setting an example in your neighborhood. Woohoo!