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How can you green when you don't know what to green? Greeing can mean reducing energy consumption, our saving resources like water. Cities are now having to build a multi-million dollar pipe projects to handle storm water runoff in an attempt to keep the storm water from mixing with sewage. Even a small amount of pervious area in each yard can go a long, long way in preventing excessive runoff into the storm water systems.

Pervious pavers prevent large muddy areas, help dry out saturated lawn areas, and keep pets out of standing water. A driveway that is already in place can still have pervious added, either in the middle (by removing some of the concrete or asphalt area) or around the sides and edges were standing water seems to accumulate.

When the sun is out so many days and weeks in a row, like it can be in California, water becomes an invaluable resource. Every drop in every gallon in every puddle is precious. If the landscaping is designed to simply funnel the rain water to a storm water system element like a grate or a gutter, the water makes its trip to a location where it has to be treated to take out all the contamination that is picked up in its travels. This is not very efficient solution. In fact, it is so inefficient that cities in California have started to give residents rebates on purchases that preserve water or redirect water back into the ground to recharge the aquifer.

Such a product is a Permapave pervious paver ( www.permapavenw.com ). It's a paver that provides the hard surfaces needed for urban dwelling, but is unique in the fact that water flows right through the structure, following the shortest route, getting back into the ground where it belongs. These pavers can be used for driveways, walkways, patios, biking paths- any area where a hard surface is needed, but you don't want to restrict water infiltration.

Now if you live in an area like Portland, Oregon, you face an average of 37 inches of rainfall a year. The conditions are the exact opposite, but the question is the same: what do you do with the water in your yard? Again, pervious pavers to the rescue. A Permapave pervious paver can wick the water off your real estate and into the ground, and more importantly, keep it out of the storm water system.

Just think, if you replace just a small area of impervious area in your yard and your neighbors do the same, you can make a huge impact on the amount of storm water runoff from your whole neighborhood. Maybe enough of an impact that the storm water system does not get over filled, and mixed with sewage water, and dumped into the nearby river. Not only are you helping your yard, but you could be improving the ecosystem as a whole. That has to feel good.

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