Yeah, In My Back Yard

Americans digging eco-friendly home improvements

If your weekend plans involve puttering in the yard, you'll dig these eco-trends. Interest in sustainable landscaping is up, with some professionals in the field seeing a 15 to 25 percent increase in business over last year. With native plants, rain barrels, recycled decking, and solar lighting catching on, DIY retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's are adjusting their lawn-term strategies: Home Depot makes sustainable-gardening experts available for house calls, and Lowe's has increased the number of lawn and garden eco-products it carries by a third since last year. Developers are waking up to the benefits of beneficial yards, too; a project in Santa Fe will provide rainwater-recycling systems for each new home. And finally -- OK, this isn't a trend. But how could we resist pointing you to President Bush's African dance routine in his own Rose Garden this week, in which he shook his booty for Malaria Awareness Day? May you have a happy weekend, and may you beat your bongos with abandon.