Community Champions – Page 2

Whether it’s the seafood we eat, the oxygen we breathe, or the joy we find in spending a day at the beach, everyone depends on the ocean in one way or another. However, the ocean needs our help. Our reefs are struggling, fish populations are declining, and most pertinently: plastic pollution is pervasive.

Shell Cleave, founder of Sea Hugger, saw these issues firsthand and noted, “someone had to do something.”

Driven by deep rooted care and concern for the health of our waters, Shell got to work and created Sea Hugger in 2018 with the mission “to reduce our dependence on single-use plastic and to prevent marine plastic pollution,” says Shell. Since its beginnings, Sea Hugger has developed into an innovative nonprofit that places its efforts far beyond band aid-like solutions. Sea Hugger is reducing the amount of plastic in our ocean, empowering communities to engage in marine-conscious practices, inspiring future generations, and ultimately ensuring the health of our waters for years to come through action and education.

Sea Hugger actively reduces plastic in our ocean by sponsoring local community beach clean ups and encouraging people to clean up wherever they are. The nonprofit also has a “Roomba for the ocean” known as the Seabin, which is an aquatic robot in Half Moon Bay that utilizes self-sufficient mechanics to capture plastic, microplastic, and marine oil. In a mere three months (January – March 2021), the Seabin collected 17 plastic pellets, 492 pieces of plastic, 699 polystyrene pieces, and 74 cigarette butts!

Shown in photo:  The Seabin draws water into the bin, capturing microplastic, macroplastic, and marine oil in its fine mesh bag. It captures up to eight pounds of material at a time, and is emptied regularly.

Through their work, Sea Hugger has effectively achieved:

(2019-2020 Data)

However, Sea Hugger goes above and beyond plastic pollution cleanup. They acknowledge the need to address the root of our plastic pollution problem and drive systemic change. The organization thus works to prevent ocean pollution before it even gets into our waters by helping people “break their reliance on plastic by creating awareness and promoting alternatives, upcycling ideas, and reuse tips.” One can find wonderful plastic-free products right on their website, making it easy and appealing to make the switch to zero waste alternatives. Sea Hugger also works to mitigate our plastic usage on a larger scale by promoting bills such as the Plastic Free Bill and mobilizing the effort to bring back reusables to grocery stores.

Furthermore, Sea Hugger not only advocates for the wellbeing of ocean life, but also helps our communities on land.

“In response to COVID, we started an outdoor education camp to help families who were struggling with school closures and distance learning. It has been so successful that we are continuing it for Summer and after-school next year.”
-Shell Cleave

These outdoor education programs help instill longstanding care for our ocean, while providing the youth with a fun and engaging experience away from screens. Through these programs, Sea Hugger is helping students cultivate ocean-conscious habits to carry with them and pass along to friends, family, and future generations. As Shell noted: “We often have parents who tell us their kids have helped them swap out their throw-away items for reusable items, reminded them to skip things they don’t need like lids and straws, and have become anti-litter bugs! This is music to our ears!”

How Can I Get On Board with Sea Hugger?

Try out a DIY Beach Clean Up
Shop the online store for products that minimize your footprint
Volunteer (Locations: Oahu, Half Moon Bay, and Imperial Beach)
Follow on Instagram or Facebook for updates on conservation events, simple tips, and friendly reminders to get outside!
Sign up for the newsletter for ideas on how to decrease your footprint and for more information on how to get involved

San Mateo County has officially entered a severe drought phase according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. After the area’s last drought in 2015, residents throughout the county sought ways to integrate water wise practices into their gardening and landscaping practices.

Here’s an example from one such resident who was kind enough to share her story and project pictures with Flows To Bay. Marlene from San Mateo writes:

“From 2015-2017, we attended sustainable landscape workshops in the Peninsula, South Bay, and East Bay. In 2017, we redesigned our back and front yards merging Asian design elements with sustainable practices. For the backyard, we sheet mulched our lawn, reused existing bricks and sidewalk, acquired rocks from a neighbor’s disassembled rock wall, and channeled the downspout rainwater to a dry creek.

We also added California native plants to attract birds and bees as well as a lemon bush that was sized to reduce green waste. No chemicals were used during or after the landscaping. During the rainy season, the dry creek fills up and acts like a giant rain gauge by the amount it fills up and the rate it empties.

The ground surrounding the dry creek stays quite moist and our large tree stays much greener throughout the year because of the water saturation from the creek.”

*Brick channel that routes rain water from the home’s downspout to the dry creek*

*Wider view of the dry creek and the plants it nourishes*

*What the dry creek looks like after a rain event*

*Close up of the dry creek filled with rain water*

Have Your Own Water Wise Project You Would Like To Share?

Simply fill out the form below and upload your images. You can also email your story and images directly to info@flowstobay.org.

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Drive around the Bay Area and you may spot a group of eco-warriors sporting buckets or garbage bags and doing their part to clean our streets and beaches. Lynn Adams, President of the Pacific Beach Coalition, leads the charge with these volunteers as they strive to fight the pollution problem and raise awareness of the widespread ecological and health impacts caused by litter in our creeks, the ocean and the Bay .

The Pacific Beach Coalition (PBC) is a volunteer organization aimed at preserving the ocean, coastal habitat, and wildlife and ending litter. They achieve this mission through advocacy, education, community building, and citizen action. The PBC is driven by its community. Everything that they do revolves around creating a better community for all.

“Basically we engage, educate and inspire people to pick up litter, restore habitat and ultimately end litter because of the knowledge they receive from taking action and witnessing litter first hand. We clean our beaches but we also clean our streets and ask everyone to do so to help the ocean. Trash can easily infiltrate our waterways, leading out to the ocean, especially when storms pass through.”

Lynn teaches a school group about marine debris – pre-covid.

Lynn Teaching — Lynn teaches a school group about marine debris – pre-covid.

Many participants in PBC’s clean-up events began by just having a high-level interest in preserving the environment and protecting wildlife – not necessarily joining from years of dedicated conservation work. After participating in a clean-up or two, participants often leave learning not only about their efforts’ benefits to the ocean but to themselves and to their communities. Working together with other passionate volunteers has allowed PBC to create an environment of acceptance and joy for their volunteers. Volunteering provides a much needed channel for building a sense of community, and is not at all uncommon to see a group hauling full buckets around with huge smiles on their faces. You could say that taking out the trash has never been so fun!

While cleanup efforts can be a source of fun, not to mention a little exercise, , the PBC also strives to help community members understand that litter from hundreds of miles away can make its way through our waterways and negatively impact downstream communities and habitats. It’s also about fostering responsibility and global citizenship. Whether coming from San Mateo County to Pacifica’s beaches or getting dragged across the Pacific Ocean from far away places, litter can be transported easily by wind and water and impact innumerable creatures and habitats along the journey. For example, Lynn states that studies show “one of the three pieces [of debris] identified in the state of California have come from the 2011 Japanese Tsunami.” While we are seeing some debris from Japan, other countries are seeing trash from our communities. This is why it is so important to eliminate litter from getting into the environment in the first place!

How Can You Get Involved?

While the PBC’s beach cleanup events are currently postponed due to COVID-19, regulations have been implemented for a monthly habitat restoration event at Linda Mar State Beach. Stay up-to-date and learn about upcoming events here. You can also find other groups doing similar work, like the San Mateo Surfrider Foundation, which is currently planning public beach cleanups on the coast side through June using social distancing protocols.

In addition to cleaning the beaches with a group, there are other actions we can all take closer to home! According to Lynn, everyone can pick up litter around their home or on their hikes to help the cause. To make this an easier and lasting effort, the PBC has created the Street to Beach program, which is open to all and allows volunteers to log their efforts over time and join hundreds of Bay Area Stewards to make a difference. PBC can also help “school groups and businesses” to spearhead clean up efforts in their communities. If you’re interested in learning more, check out their Contact us page to organize a cleanup or HR event for your group. Lynn also encourages Bay Area residents to “clean up their own street, park, or favorite location and report their work on the Clean Swell mobile app.”

Other things that you can do to positively impact your community involve:

Build a rain garden at home to collect stormwater and prevent litter from reaching storm drains – click here to learn about rain garden resources, including how to get a rebate for your project
Clean up after your pet or other pet waste left behind to eliminate harmful bacteria from entering our waterways.
Learn about how to properly dispose of your cleaning materials so that you don’t harm local wildlife.
Say no to Single Use Plastic by bringing your own cup, shopping bags, straw and utensils.

Learn more about other ways to make an impact here.

Flows To Bay loves to acknowledge and hear about the efforts of local heros—both individuals and organizations. If you know someone who’s making a difference and helping prevent water pollution, we’d love to hear about them! Nominate a community champion here.

Shaleen of Redwood City was the raffle winner of a new 50 gallon rain barrel from our Rain Barrel Workshop in May.

“It was an amazing experience getting it all together!” Shaleen told us.

She decided to first update her downspout— which after getting materials, took only 20-25 minutes to install—and did most of the installation on her own.

When asked about her interest in owning a rain barrel, Shaleen shared that conserving water was a top priority to her for multiple reasons. “We had planting material that needed plenty of water…which resulted in a higher water bill,” said Shaleen. “We’ve made changes to the planting materials we added during quarantine and succulents/cacti has been the way to go, still keeping our lavender, inpatients, marigolds and such.” Shaleen continued to explain that the versatility of rain barrels provides an available supply for “a water fountain, which attracts birds, but results in needing it to refill.”

*Shaleen documented her installation for us.*

Another usage of the rain barrel included improving the stability of her home and the small body of water nearby. “The landscape around our home seemed to have an erosion problem and all the water coming off the roof was not helping. Plus there were times the creek next to us would overflow,” said Shaleen.

“There were so many uses for the rain barrel at our home that I was so glad I could install one.”

After asking about whether she would recommend a rain barrel to others, Shaleen’s excitement flowed through her words.

“I would definitely recommend a rain barrel to my friends and family, Shaleen exclaimed. “You can conserve water and help the environment—not to mention save on water use and costs. It’s a win-win situation.”

Thank you Shaleen for telling us about the reasons why you wanted a rain barrel and your installation experience!

If you’re feeling inspired, make sure to register for and attend our Oct. 24th rain barrel webinar.

Don’t Miss Out on the Countywide Rain Barrel Rebate!

All residents of San Mateo County are eligible to receive a rebate on a rain barrel through the countywide Rain Barrel Rebate Program, which now offers a tiered program of rebates from $50-$200 depending on the size of your barrel and the area you live in!

As Shaleen told us, rain barrels benefit the environment, your plants, and your budget. How?

With the recent water crisis in California, rain barrels are one of the best ways to save money and water by cutting back potable water used for irrigation.
Rain barrels protect local creeks, the San Francisco Bay, and the Ocean by reducing urban runoff that transports litter, motor oil, copper, and other pollutants into storm drains.
Rain barrels can moderate flooding during the rainy winter season, decrease land erosion, and also reduce the amount of moisture that reaches your home’s foundation.

Click here to read about more benefits of installing a rain barrel. Questions? Drop us a line at info@flowstobay.org.

Dee Harley, owner of Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero, relies on water for her goats and the edible flowers she grows to adorn her delicious cheeses.

Dee proactively turned to rainwater harvesting as a conservation practice to save water and protect her animals and plants during future droughts. She collects rainwater from two downspouts that are connected to the roof of the barn her goats sleep in. The water is then transported into two, 6,000-gallon cisterns that are located in the center of Harley Farms Goat Dairy. Together, they collect 40,000 gallons of water for use every year. When Flows To Bay asked Dee about the farm and her experience of the last drought, she enthusiastically supported harvesting rainwater, saying, “catching rainwater is easy! Any form of water conservation is helpful and anyone can do it. Even catching a small amount from a shed roof is worth it as a contribution.”

The rainy season is the one wonderful time of year where your garden can thrive with little to no water input (given it’s a normal water year). As long as rain keeps the soil moist, seedlings will grow without a hose! And when it is dry for a week or two, there’s the option of having a trusty rain barrel nearby dutifully capturing all the water that falls on your roof!

If you haven’t already heard us sing the praises of rain barrels, rain barrels are low-cost, come in a variety of shapes and sizes (from subsidized 50-gallon barrels to 10,000-gallon cisterns), and allow you to supplement your water supply with a sustainable source to help reduce the burden on local watersheds! When added together, small decentralized stormwater management practices can make a big cumulative difference to the resiliency of a watershed.

Flows To Bay has partnered with the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) to provide a rebate that will cover up to $100 of the cost of a new rain barrel, depending on where you reside. If that’s not enough, we’ve also partnered with Hassett ACE Hardware to offer an additional 20% off the purchase of select rain barrels and accessories — just show this flier at checkout! And of course, once you purchase and install your barrel, make sure to tag it on our map so we can keep track of the rain barrel movement!

Want to learn more about rainwater harvesting? Check out this fact sheet from our partners at Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA).

It’s a new year and a time for change! In need of a resolution? Flows to Bay has you covered! This year, we encourage you to consider using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for your pest control needs.

What is IPM?

It’s an approach to gardening and pest control issues that offers a natural and effective alternative to conventional methods that often don’t work as well as you might hope, or come with unwanted environmental consequences.

Though seemingly convenient, pesticides are generally only a band-aid solution to your gardening ails, and they can even sometimes encourage more pest problems because the underlying causes of infestation remain unaddressed. The IPM process understands this and looks to do away with the immediate and heavy application of pesticides when pests pop up. Instead, IPM focuses on a variety of methods that when taken together deal more effectively with pest problems at their source.

Looking at a pest problem through this lens means that you’ll:

Look at environmental factors that affect the pest and its ability to thrive.
Create conditions that are unfavorable for the pest.
Reap the benefits of a mostly pest-free, resilient, and more thriving garden ecosystem.

To learn more about what IPM really looks like in practice in San Mateo County, we reached out to pest control operators in our county over the past year and learned some lessons from one expert in the field – Hendrick Wong. Impressed by his passion and background in IPM, we invited him to share his insights.

Who is Hendrick Wong?

Hendrick is a Board Certified Entomologist and pest management professional. He has a degree in IPM from UC Berkeley and has been working in the pest control industry for over 30 years. He cites his background in IPM as having given him the unique ability to “understand the biology of the pest,” which is an important aspect of what makes his IPM approach work so effectively.

Hendrick’s commitment to IPM practices is driven primarily by his love for the environment and his desire to decrease the presence of pesticides in the food chains of our local ecosystems. When pesticides are applied to plants, they enter the bodies of organisms that eat plants and then travel into the bodies of animals that eat those organisms. Through this process, persistent chemicals can build up in the bodies of animals across a food chain. As Hendrick stated, “pesticide usage should be the last option, not the first.”

Want to use pesticides more effectively? Hendrick shared the most common advice he gives to people with persistent pest problems:

Recommends removing ground cover (leaves and debris) to discourage ants.
Discourages homeowners from “requesting regular monthly perimeter treatment for insects” because it is unnecessary and leads to an “overuse of pesticides.”
Educates “restaurant owners to exercise better sanitation.”
Instructs homeowners to “trim back excessive vegetation” that’s below their home’s roofline and not on their property.
Encourages homeowners to release ladybird beetles and lacewings into their gardens for biological control.

Why does Flows To Bay support IPM practices? Individual actions DO make a difference, and the decisions we make at home are connected to the broader health of the County! When pesticides are applied haphazardly or in excess they become a water quality concern. Any chemicals and debris that accumulate on our lawns, sideways, roads, and driveways are at risk of being carried into storm drains by rain or overwatering, and from there it is a quick and unfiltered trip to local waterways, the Bay and ocean.

Do you want to learn more about IPM or find an IPM pest control operator in your area? Check out more information on this webpage! Another useful local resource is ReScape California – who’s 8 principles for maintaining a regenerative landscape draw on many of the core aspects of Integrated Pest Management.

Here at Flows To Bay, we love meeting incredible San Mateo County residents who are making a difference in their communities.

This month, we’re excited to introduce Erica Richter, a 34-year resident of our beautiful county. Erica has been a member of the UC Master Gardener Program for the past 9 years and is an expert in eco-friendly gardening and pest control practices. Erica shares her experience and passion for sustainable gardening with local hardware stores throughout the County in partnership with the Flows to Bay program.

Among her many passions, Erica cares deeply about biology, the health of the planet, and public education—but she’s also a grade-A detective. She has honed her skills over the years in one-on-one conversations with residents who come to her with tough pest and garden issues. In the clutch of a difficult garden conundrum, Erica takes a moment to identify the issue and then, almost without fail, offers up a number of effective solutions that also minimize environmental impacts. Often, the issues residents face in the garden are caused by certain practices they’ve adopted that, while well-intentioned, encourage the problem to occur in the first place. Overwatering, for instance, encourages root rot, weed growth, and pests. Reflecting on the many conversations she’s had with residents, Erica points out that,

“Most people want to make the right environmental decisions when they understand they have a choice. Best pest management practices involve working with the environmental factors in yards or gardens by supporting natural predators that attack pests or using traps to catch rats and moles rather than poisons which can also harm birds and other animals as well as children and pets.”

If Erica looks familiar, it might be because you’ve seen her tabling at your local Home Depot or Hassett Hardware store. At these tabling events, Master Gardener volunteers like Erica talk to customers about the impact that individual products can have on the health and productivity of our county’s soil and water. There are lots of products available that won’t harm you or your property, and Master Gardeners can help you figure out just what to use! You can find upcoming events on our calendar, or call the Master Gardeners directly for pressing concerns.

If you care about the environment or love to be in your garden and want to help make a difference, the Master Gardener Program is always looking for people to help teach residents how to care for plants and the planet. You can find volunteering information here.

Have questions about the blog, our programming, or pest control problems you’re having? Contact us here.

It certainly does take a village to help prevent stormwater pollution, and in San Mateo County many residents have made strides to protect our water quality and environment. Read below as these water-wise community champions share their stories, tips, and tricks on how simple it is to make a difference.

Ray from San Bruno:

“We have been trying to minimize our ecological footprint since we moved to the Bay Area years ago. We started by doing an energy upgrade of our house, installing better insulation, more efficient lighting, more efficient appliances and eventually designing and installing a photovoltaic solar system on our roof. But as we lived through several drought seasons, we also wanted to minimize our water usage. We changed our front lawn into a rock garden, replaced our water heater and laundry appliances for more water efficient models, and installed more efficient toilets and faucets.

We heard about the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and, although we missed the lawn replacement rebates, we learned about the rain barrel rebates. We actually bought three rain barrels to see how they worked. It was fairly easy to install them, and they filled up quickly during the last rainy seasons. We use the water when installing new drought-resistant plants, and washing mud off walls, pathways, etc.”

Jennifer from Redwood City:

Like Ray, Jennifer used a BAWSCA rain barrel rebate to pay the majority cost of her barrel and did the installation herself. Jennifer shared some great insights for anyone considering getting a rain barrel through the rebate process:

“The application was pretty straight forward. There were additional photos that I needed to send…like photos of the side of the barrel and a picture of my home (to prove that the barrel was indeed installed at my home and not someone else’s). I found my barrel online at Ace Hardware and picked it up at the store. Note that there is a minimum barrel size (50 gallons) to be eligible for the rebate.”

Heidi & Tom from Brisbane:

With thriving, water-conserving succulent gardens in their front and backyard, Heidi and Tom share the love (and their plants) with friends and neighbors. And to bring it full circle, they help keep everything watered with the two rain barrels they own.

Inspired by their garden, we asked Heidi and Tom a couple of follow up questions…

Flows To Bay: What inspired you to install, not one, but two rain barrels?

Heidi & Tom: “Water is a precious resource that we take for granted; as long as water is coming out of the tap, all is well (or so many believe). With all the rain we are having, many people feel that the drought is over. It is not! Even if we had a reserve of water, we all still need to use water wisely. The rebates helped in our decision. We have 2 downspouts in perfect locations for rain barrels. I wish we had more barrels.”

Flows To Bay: Do you have any words of wisdom for others thinking about installing rainwater catchment systems?

Heidi & Tom: “Take advantage of any rebates. You’d be amazed at how much water collects off of your roof. They are not difficult to install, and you can be proud knowing that you are doing the right thing.”

At Flows To Bay we’d like to salute these everyday community heroes for doing their part. If you are a San Mateo resident with a water-wise project at home, we’d love to hear about it and feature you! Send your name, city of residence, pictures of your projects and a short description to info@flowstobay.org!

Last month, the Frito-Lay Factory in Brisbane saw a lot of attention from local news outlets and members of the San Mateo County community. The source of this hubbub was Jake Scussel. If you hadn’t heard of him before now, you’re not alone. He started popping up on a lot of radars after discovering a treasure-trove of trash behind the Frito-Lay factory. After repeated attempts to get Frito-Lay to address the issue, Scussel took matters into his own hands, filling numbers of garbage bags with trash before reporting the pollution to city officials. He publicized some of his finds on social media, including the below bag from 1992 (images courtesy of Jake Scussel):

Mr. Scussel’s proactive approach and enthusiasm did, in the end, get the attention of the facilities management, and the company made a good-faith effort to turn the situation around by enlisting staff to support the cleanup.

Inspired by the actions of everyday citizens going above or beyond in the name of water-pollution prevention, we reached out to Jake for an interview. What follows are excerpts from this conversation:

FTB: Hey Jake, thanks for taking some time to talk with us. Why was it important for you to take action and clean up the trash behind Brisbane’s Frito-Lay factory?

JS: I would clean up the bags that blew over the fence on a regular basis, hoping that Frito-Lay would fix whatever the issue was. But it never got better. The litter was almost exclusively plastic and was finding its way into a rain channel that flows into the Bay. I’ve heard the stats about how there will likely be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans soon, and I’ve seen the photos of various beaches and marine-animal guts overflowing with plastic. I wanted to do anything I could to stop the Frito-Lay’s garbage from achieving that same fate.

In December of 2018, a friend shared an article on Facebook titled How to Fight the Global Plastics Problem. It was a big inspiration for me (despite the fact that is was published in TeenVogue and I’m nearly 32). A link inside the article to Greenpeace’s Million Acts of Blue Toolkit provided the mental slap my brain needed to realize there were much more effective things I could be doing beyond just picking up the garbage. For example, tagging the brand responsible in photos on social media, reporting them to the city/municipality where they reside, and alerting local media.

FTB: Where does your passion for environmental issues come from?

JS: There are so many stories coming out about how much plastic is getting into the ocean, and climate change, and mass extinctions. I try to do what I can to help as an individual by recycling, giving up meat, buying in bulk and so on, and when I saw this huge company next door seemingly not caring it was really frustrating. I had to do something!

FTB: What else do you do? Do you have any hobbies? Are you active in any groups? Do you do “eco-friendly” things at home?

JS: As far as eco-friendly stuff, I tend to a garden at my office! It’s not drought tolerant, but it’s full of fruits and vegetables that I planted using seeds from kitchen scraps…I currently have avocado, snap peas, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic growing. I also water the garden with rainwater that I collect in 5-gallon jugs from my office’s downspout during storms.

I think one of the most impactful things I do is to not buy anything brand new. That means clothes, electronics, home goods, etc. I always check Poshmark, Craigslist and eBay before Amazon (which incidentally also has a “Buy Used” option). I’d guess that this alone makes a bigger impact than all the other stuff I do to lessen my carbon footprint.

FTB: Do you have any advice for people who might not have a lot of time, but want to contribute to the social and environmental health of their communities?

JS: You don’t have to save the world, just enrich your life! Whether that’s trying yoga, reading a book, or finishing a project—you pretty much can’t go wrong.

From all of us at Flows To Bay, THANK YOU Jake! You never know how big of an impact your small actions can make, and you’ve clearly helped make a positive change at the Frito-Lay factory.

Jake also wanted to mention that if anyone wishes to recycle their own chip bags, you can do this at many Subaru dealerships through their partnership with TerraCycle. Have questions or comments about this blog? Feel free to email us at info@flowstobay.org

Pop quiz, hot shot! Test your knowledge of pesticides and their effects on our community. Answers and quiz winner are announced below!

Question #1: True or False: Pesticides only target bad insects in the garden and leave the other bugs alone.

Question #2: What percentage of the insects in your garden are “pests?” (pests = insects that hurt, damage, destroy, or make us or animals sick)

Is it less than 2%, 10%, 25%, 50%, or 80%?

Question #3: How many aphids (a pest) can a ladybug eat in its lifetime?

Is it 800-1200, 2000, or 5000?

Question #4: True or False: In California, reports of pesticides applied for “agricultural use” include golf courses and cemeteries.

Question #5: How many pounds of pesticides were reportedly used in California in 2016?

Is it 75 million lbs (2 lbs/person), 209 million lbs (5 lbs/person), or 1 billion lbs (25 lbs/person)?

Question #6: True or False: Bifenthrin (a common ingredient in some over-the-counter pesticides) is toxic to aquatic life at 4 parts per trillion. (That’s like 4 square feet of tile on a kitchen floor the size of Indiana.)

Question #1: True or False: Pesticides only target bad insects in the garden and leave the other bugs alone.

Answer: False, pesticides do not discriminate!

While you may mean to target a single garden bug that’s being a nuisance, pesticides can have a negative effect on many of the beneficial organisms that make your soil and water healthy. Food chains and water movement spread pesticides far and wide, amplifying their effects on the environment. In addition to killing good bacteria, worms, ants, beetles and other pollinators, the longer a pesticide persists in the environment, the further it may travel up the food chain. A chemical that was initially applied to a plant can quickly move through the body of a beetle to a bird or fish, and then to the things that eat them, like humans.

Question #2: What percentage of the insects in your garden are “pests?” (pests = insects that hurt, damage, destroy, or make us or animals sick)

Answer: Less than 2%. That’s a lot of good bugs that might be affected by your pesticides! Want to learn more about beneficial bugs? Read our 10 Most Wanted bugs In Your Garden Guide.

Question #3: How many aphids (a pest) can a ladybug eat in its lifetime?

Answer: 5,000! Lady bugs and other native species can serve as great alternatives to pesticides in your garden. Not only are these “biological controls” safe for your health, but there’s more for you to look at!

Question #4: True or False: In California, reports of pesticides applied for “agricultural use” include golf courses and cemeteries.

Answer: True. While most people think that agricultural use pertains to farmland, large stretches of grass such as golf courses and cemeteries also count. Something to think about the next time your teeing off at Peninsula Golf Club or visiting a dear departed at Union Cemetery.

Question #5: How many pounds of pesticides were reportedly used in California in 2016?

Answer: 209 million lbs, or about 5 lbs/person. If it were up to you, would you spread 5 pounds of pesticides on your food? More importantly, what happens to that pesticide when it rains or when you water your garden? More likely than not, those pesticides (along with anything else the water carries with it) find their way to the storm drain and into our creeks, streams, ocean and bay!

Answer: True! That’s why it’s so important to avoid pesticide application when we can, and to closely manage pesticide use when they are necessary. A little pesticide goes a long way.

Click here for more information about pest control and ways to manage pests without harming people, pets, or our environment.

OUR FACEBOOK QUIZ WINNER IS ANNOUNCED!

Congratulations to Liz of San Mateo! Liz is the winner of our Fall Pesticide Quiz and Flows To Bay goodie bag. She got every single question correct!

Make sure to follow us on Facebook for more chances to enter and win one of our stormwater-friendly polls and quizzes.