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Dina Freedman ReportingWe're always looking at new ways to save water in Utah. Now there's a campaign called "Rip your Strip."
It's an easy name to remember, Rip your Strip. It's talking about the parking strip, the area between the sidewalk and the street that can seem so hard to keep green.
Mark Danenhauer: "Since 1995, Utahns have done a great job of water conservation, reducing their water use by 17%. But we still use about 60% of it outdoors, and a lot of that is wasted."
We're all trying to be mindful of saving water, using it in more efficient ways and planting new landscapes that use less.
Matt and Tamara Mateus, Homeowners: "It's a bit of a chore at first, but once it's established, it's so much easier to deal with."
She's talking about the parking strip, taking out the grass and weeds.
Your typical parking strip is hard to maintain. By converting over to a xeriscaped landscape, you can save water; it barely uses any and it often looks a lot nicer.
Mark Danenhauer, Utah Rivers Council: "The parking strip is actually owned by the city, yet it has to be maintained by the homeowner."
The home owner who rips the strip will save an average of 5,000 gallons of water per year. If you mixed your lawn with drought tolerant plants, you can save thousands of dollars in the lifetime of your home.
Matt Mateus: "I love all the plants. I'm really surprised. They flower and they are all native plants. I thought all native plants would be like cactus and stuff that wasn't very good looking."
If you sign up online to take the pledge to rip your strip you will get information on how to do it right and get coupons for special plants too.
Tamara Mateus: "I would take probably a couple weekends. I would start with the hardscape first. And then the second weekend really do the finishing touches, the planting. Or else it might be a little overwhelming. It depends on how ambitious you are." Homeowners
This is a great idea if you're the type of person who doesn't like or doesn't have time to do a lot of yard maintenance.
