KOI POND KEEPING
GOING GREEN!
If you are looking for ways to keep your pond looking its best, but want to do so in a manner that is environmentally friendly you are not alone.  Today efforts to preserve nature and our valuable resources are becoming increasingly more popular.  "Going Green" can also be applied to keeping your koi pond.

Keeping your koi pond or backyard living area in a way that is environmentally friendly is simple and easy to do.  There are three basic principals of waste reduction that can be applied to your "Green" koi pond keeping, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.  Follow these principals and you will be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful your pond looks while helping the environment.   The following are helpful tips to Pond Keeping Going Green:
          Reduce:  We use electricity in our ponds to both maintain and beautify them, as well as to provide for our Koi a healthy living environment.  By using equipment that is solar powered, you can help to reduce energy use.  You will be pleasantly surprised with the ever-increasing diversified selection of pond products powered only by solar energy.  Another smart option is to automate your electrical equipment.  "Intelligent" Transformers shown at right will do just that.  It features a photo cell and timer that activates the connected feature once it gets dark.  The "Intelligent" Transformer also enables you to connect multiple pond lights for an automated lighting system with an adjustable timer. This is a great way to save energy.  As an example, you can have your lights come on at dusk and turned off at night before you retire for the evening.  No more forgetting to turn your lights on and off!  Solar powered fountain pumps, energy-efficient koi pond pumps, as well as low-voltage lighting are all energy-efficient options for "Going Green" in koi pond keeping. 

           Reuse:   Every time you change your pond water, or prune your pond plants you can be helping the environment.  In the summer months, I change my pond water monthly.  When draining the pond, I use this water for the various plants and hanging baskets in my yard.  This helps to cut down on water usage and saves money at the same time.  When I prune my pond plants, I add the clippings to my compost.  Once it is broken down, this material is excellent for your plant beds by improving the quality of the soil as well as providing valuable nutrients to your plants.

        Recycle:  The last of the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle),  recycling can save landfills from tons of material that is dumped each year.  "Going Green" by recycling as much as possible is important.  Good pond keeping by "Going Green" means used plastic containers of Koi pond medication, water conditioners, clarifiers, vitamins, etc., should be rinsed and recycled.  You can also help by purchasing these items that contain recycled materials.  
         
        

Keeping your koi pond beautiful and healthy the environmental way will keep organic waste out of landfills when you reuse pond water,  and composting also protects soils from erosion. The use of solar powered equipment in keeping your koi pond will reduce your energy costs significantly, and recycling will help to supply valuable raw materials to industry.   With the Kill A Watt Equipment monitor, (left) you can cut electric costs by replacing equipment that is inefficient and energy abusing.  Just plug in the appliance and get an instant reading.  You can also use it to test appliances in the home.