GREEN MARKET

WHAT'S ON your community's wish list this holiday season? No matter whether you consider your neighborhood street, university, office, hiking group or favorite coffee shop your closest posse, here are some suggestions on environmentally conscious things you can do that will benefit the communities you hold close.

Say no to pesticides in your yard and place a Pesticide Free Zone sign among the grasses and plants outside your home. Washington Toxics Coalition distributes the free, eye-catching signs if residents pledge to maintain their yards in the least-toxic way and spread the word about the benefits of keeping a yard pesticide-free. Signs can be requested online and are given out on the honor system to Washington state residents. Get more information about what it means to go pesticide-free on the organization's website: www.watoxics.org. Click on "Healthy Living," then navigate to the garden and yard information. And be on the lookout for the colorful ladybug signs around your neighborhood.

Commit to buying and eating local produce, meats, poultry, eggs, herbs and other items from around the Puget Sound region. The organization Puget Sound Fresh, which supports local farming, offers information for consumers on finding farms and farmers markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs and events that feature local farms and their products. In an effort to help people eat with the seasons, the organization also provides a harvest schedule explaining when various vegetables, fruits, nuts and herbs are in season in Western Washington, as well as a database of recipes, searchable by ingredient, source and type of dish. Check it out at www.pugetsoundfresh.org.

Buy a rain barrel or two as a gift to your school, place of worship or community center. It'll help lower their water bill and conserve the resource. Make sure your recipient can accommodate a rain barrel, then shop around to find one that fits their size and space needs. Rain barrels capture and save rainwater runoff from roofs and gutters, then allow gardeners to use that water to keep flowers, trees, house plants and vegetable gardens happy without dispensing more water from the hose or tap. You can make your own barrels out of plastic drums or garbage cans, or consider purchasing them from a number of local businesses. King County offers information on building or buying rain barrels: www.kingcounty.gov/environment. Click on "Northwest yard and garden."

If you're planning a major house or yard project, consider replacing traditional concrete, blacktop and shingles with materials that better deal with rainwater runoff. This will help your neighborhood streets' storm drains with a smaller load when winter's relentless rain arrives. The approach, called low-impact development, advocates installing rain gardens, barrels, permeable pavers, living roofs and "green" retaining walls to help manage stormwater runoff. These materials take in water, disperse it into the ground, filter pollutants and contribute less water to storm drains. Do your part to help protect your community's water resources. More information is available from Puget Sound Partnership: www.psp.wa.gov (navigate to "Science and Technical Data," then "LID & Stormwater") and from Washington State University Extension: www.raingarden.wsu.edu. Click on "Low Impact Development."