October signals thoughts of pumpkin pie, family get togethers at Thanksgiving and jaunty drives to take in nature’s beautiful fall colours.

But as realists, we all know those leaves eventually make their way to the ground for homeowners to rake, bag and grumble about. Did you know there is a lot more to autumn leaves than meets the eye? Let’s look at a few ways we can treat our foliage more kindly than bagging it up for the curbside. And just maybe, we can spare the environment in addition to our backs.

Compost

Leaves are our friend, especially when making rich organic fertilizer for your flower beds and gardens. Once you’ve raked up the leaves, you can shred them into smaller bits so use your lawn mower to do so. Though shredding is not absolutely mandatory, it will quicken the composting process. Add the carbon-rich leaves to materials that are rich in nitrogen such as grass clippings, coffee grounds or fruit and veggie scraps. The balance between carbon and nitrogen is key here. Mix well and be sure to turn over your compost pile every few days so can ensure a good breakdown. The compost should be ready in about two months, when it’s dark brown and earthy smelling.

Mulch

Believe it or not but leaves make for a great ingredient in mulch. Again, you’ll need to shred the leaves. Add grass clippings and wood chips. Use the mulch to top your flower beds and gardens.  As mulch decomposes, you will need to eventually make more with which to replace it.

Insulate

Consider trying leaves as insulation for tender or new plants in need of protection from the ravages of winter. So the leaves don’t blow away, you’ll need to circle the plant with some kind of wire fencing that creates a protective framework. Fill it with leaves.

Leave ‘em

Yes, you can do this. But again you’re best to run your lawn mower over them as you don’t want a blanket of leaves that will smother your lawn. You may have to do this a few times. Leaving leaves on your lawn is good because it feeds your grass.

Make leaf mold

This all-leaf compost is a soil conditioner that is high in minerals and loved by gardeners. Gather leaves into plastic bags or wire bins and makes sure to keep them moist, which allows the fungus to grow.

Preserve them

Remember grade school art projects? Exactly. Leaves are a thing of beauty all by themselves. You can dry them and press them between the pages of a book. Glue them onto paper or try topping a leaf with tracing paper and then lightly pencil over top to create an imprint.

Jump in

If the mood hits you can always pile them up high and dive in. Kids and grandkids welcome.

Sources: www.ksenvironmental.com.au, www.thespruce.com,

A hard-fought and lengthy battle between the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) and the Competition Bureau ended in late August with a Supreme Court of Canada decision that will permit TREB’s 50,000 Ontario agents to publish home sales data on their websites.

The country’s top court refused to hear an appeal from TREB, Canada’s largest real estate board, which wanted to put an end to members posting sales numbers on websites. But the court dismissed TREB’s application.

The board wanted to keep the data in the hands of realtors as it believed publishing the numbers violated consumer privacy. However, critics say TREB was not concerned with issues of privacy but rather market control and ensuring that only realtors with access to the MLS would know the full story behind home sale prices.

What this decision means for consumers is that they will be able to have greater access to information, such as finding out the selling price of homes in certain neighbourhoods or on specific streets, the history of a house and property market trends. This will only serve to make decisions about buying and selling real estate much easier.

Before the only way to access sales data was through real agent requests. And those requests had to be made via fax, email or in person. Others would also look to online property value services or local land registry offices, which charge a fee.

Those who supported removing the restrictions say this has been the case for some time in the U.S. and rather than hinder the real estate market, some say it has actually fueled home sales there and enhanced transparency.

“Today’s decision will allow greater competition and innovation in the real estate services market in the Greater Toronto Area, and concludes seven years of litigation in the bureau’s case against TREB,” the Competition Bureau said in a news release.

“The order requires TREB to remove restrictions on its members’ access and use of real estate data – including restrictions on the display of historical listings and sale prices online through virtual office websites.”

Sources: CBC.ca, Financialpost.com