Now that Sarasota Bay’s major sewage problems have been taken care of, the next challenge is tackling the issue of run-off from yards and streets.
It’s about the connection of the Bay to everyone’s home. People need to be more conscious and deliberate about their relationship to the Bay.
The community’s participation in Bay-Friendly Landscaping practices is essential for the long-term preservation and enhancement of Sarasota Bay.
Bay-Friendly Landscaping mimics natural systems that recycle everything—water, debris and nutrients.
By paying attention to climate, soil conditions and plant choices, Bay-Friendly Landscaping practices save money, conserve resources and reduce waste. In Florida a significant amount, 40 to 50 percent, of water is used for yards. The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) is doing its part in educating residents about Florida-Friendly plants, which include native plants and some exotics that require less water, less fertilizer and fewer pesticides. They result in less pollution. And Florida-Friendly plants conserve water because they don’t require as much irrigation.
“The first thing I would encourage people to do that want to improve the Bay is to visualize whatever runs off their driveway or into the street as running into a fish tank, an aquarium. And if they wouldn’t want that to go into an aquarium, it shouldn’t be going into the street, because the Bay is our fish tank.“ Jono Miller, Co-Director, Environmental Studies Program New College of Florida
