【推荐1】Hardscaping refers to non-organic features of a landscape such as pathways, driveways, walls, steps, and other human-made structures. The three Rs, which are common to many sustainability efforts, apply to hardscaping: reduce, reuse, and recycle.     1    

Reduce Runoff

You can reduce rainwater runoff by using permeable (可渗透的) materials that allow rainwater to get into the soil below.     2     Because, to use permeable materials, you need to dig deeper to set into multiple layers (层) of sand,tiny stones,and other materials that allow rainwater to permeate well, using them under a tree can disturb or even destroy roots that keep trees healthy and upright. It’s also a good idea to slope (倾斜) any impermeable surface to direct rainwater to your garden to save from watering it.

Use Recycled Materials

Consider using materials that are recycled from reclaimed (再生的) concrete, glass, or other construction materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill.     3     Your local landfill might sell other usable materials as well. Recycled wood can be used to make borders between different areas. Just make sure it hasn’t been treated with chemicals, especially if you grow food nearby.

Support Local Wildlife

    4     Using permeable hardscape makes the soil below beneficial to them, whether they are earthworms, ground-nesting bees and other beneficial insects, important microorganisms, or plant roots. Between hardscaped areas, plant native trees and flowers to create wildlife habitats.     5    

With careful planning and action, you can enjoy the convenience brought by hardscaping and at the same time be considerate to the environment and local wildlife.

【推荐2】In this age of social media, everyone has followed the review trend. Nearly every business or website persuades customers to leave reviews as they can drive traffic to the site or business. The online business directory Yelp, which gets 178 million monthly visitors, invites anyone with a cellphone to leave a review of a business or restaurant. But by no means are negative reviews always honest. Some people threaten to give a bad review to extort (敲诈) discounted or free food from a restaurant. Some then follow through when their demands are not met.

But there are two sides to every story. One Denver chef decided to respond to bad reviews at his restaurant. As it turned out, some customers who left bad review s deserved bad reviews themselves. One customer’s terrible review claimed that the food at the restaurant was so awful that he didn’t eat a single bite. The chef looked through the monitor and found clear evidence that he had eaten every bite! In response, the chef called out the dissatisfied customer in his own negative review. Since the chef started responding to all his negative reviews, business at his restaurant has nearly doubled.

Telling people what you think of them as the result of a bad review can backfire on you, especially when a bad review is justified. Reviews are important because 94 percent of diners read online review s before they decide where to eat.

But bad reviews appear for many reasons. The reviewer may be having a bad day, or the chef may be sick and the substitute (代替者) couldn’t fill his shoes, so the cuisine suffered. Or perhaps the service wasn’t as good as usual. The worst-case scene is that the reviewer wants to punish the restaurant on purpose for some slight, real or imagined. So one or two bad reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. Many negative reviews, however, indicate a problem.

So what is a restauranteur to do? First give an honest assessment of any negative reviews. Take a step back and ask if the writer has made any valid points. Are there areas for improvement? If the answer is yes, make adjustments. Reviewers themselves need to be honest and constructive. The goal should be to improve the situation, not just blow off steam.