- The "Think About Personal Pollution Program" will give out $175 grants to up to 25 people.
- The money is to be used to establish rain gardens.
- Watch the video above to hear how rain gardens can improve your home landscape and environment.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
Making the most of rain season by planting rain gardens. I got to look at how rain gardens enhance the beauty of landscaping for neighbors and how effective they can be to the environment.
Preventing water pollution with something you may have already heard about.
"Hopefully every rain garden will inspire someone's neighbor, and they'll see it and say that's a great idea, let me try it."
Courtney Schoen is Program Coordinator for Tallahassee's "Think About Personal Pollution Program," also known as TAPP. She tells me how neighbors can fight water pollution and protect the environment as the rainy season approaches.
"There's so many ways your landscaping can benefit the environment. Rain gardens encompass a lot of those ways. What you're doing is reducing the amount of runoff that's making it to our surface waters, and that prevents pollution."
Courtney also says those same rain gardens slow water down.
So far, TAPP has installed 250 rain gardens across the city.
Now, TAPP and the City of Tallahassee are offering financial assistance to neighbors planting rain gardens this year. 25 applications will be taken. Grants are $175. The money is to help cover the cost of plants and mulch.
"It typically covers the full amount. If you're buying big trees or really expensive plants, that can really eat into the budget. $175 can get you loads of mulch and five to ten plants to get you started."
Milkweed, Virginia sweetspire, sunflower, and other native plants are used in rain gardens. All can be planted in yards in any part of town.
"We just encourage you to get out and plant a rain garden and encourage your neighbor to do ones."
Those with the TAPP program say right now is the time to plant. The application window closes May 31st.
