One homeowner in Canada recently won a fight against his city to grow a pollinator-friendly yard, CBC News Toronto reported.
"Having biodiversity in terms of the plant life, having a pollinator-friendly yard in this case and a wildlife-friendly yard, you basically are providing food, shelter, and a place to raise their young," Mississauga resident Wolf Ruck said.
Growing native and pollinator-friendly plants is a smart and convenient choice. Despite the fact that they use less water and need less maintenance than a traditional grass lawn, they do more for the planet while adding character to your property.
However, neighbors and homeowners associations are often not on board, caring more about the uniform appearance of the neighborhood than the benefits to individual homeowners or the environment.
You can sometimes work with an HOA to change the rules, but Ruck found that his neighbors were more difficult to reason with, and so were the bylaw officers backing them up.
"Two years ago, they cut everything," Ruck said. "That they would go to this degree of what I would call a form of harassment because they don't like the look of something."
Perk up the winter blues with natural, hemp-derived gummies Camino's hemp-derived gummies naturally support balance and recovery without disrupting your routine, so you can enjoy reliable, consistent dosing without guesswork or habit-forming ingredients. Flavors like sparkling pear for social events and tropical-burst for recovery deliver a sophisticated, elevated taste experience — and orchard peach for balance offers everyday support for managing stress while staying clear-headed and elevated.
Learn more → |
However, like an iconic Maryland couple who fought for the legal right to rewild their yard, Ruck took this decision to court. After years of effort, he won on the grounds that his yard fell under freedom of expression.
Not only did Ruck gain the right to grow out his lawn as he saw fit, but the section of the code that led to his yard being mowed down in the first place has been struck down. Homeowners in the area are no longer limited to 20 centimeters of lawn growth.
The neighbors are unhappy, but Ruck says he doesn't care: "I've stood my ground on principle. For me, that's much more important than a neighbor's opinion."
Commenters on Reddit supported his decision. "Never let people tell you that your native garden is insignificant," one user wrote. "It's a lifeboat to the insects and birds that depend on it — it matters. KILL YOUR LAWNS!!!"
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
$200 or more 💰 
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
