Sustainable landscaping comprises numerous practices that address environmental issues related to the design, construction, implementation, and management of residential and commercial landscapes.
It is a field that is developing and expanding in response to environmental concerns, and is centered around numerous issues, some of which are inter-related. The response to these issues in the landscaping industry is widespread. Individual companies specialize in some of the newer technologies being used, and there is a larger effort, supported by the American Society of Landscape Architects, to introduce standards of practice within a points-based system. This system is known as the Sustainable Sites Intitative.
ISSUES
Sustainability Issues for Landscaping include: Global Climate Change; Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Water Shortages and Drought; Stormwater Management; Pesticide Toxicity; Fertilizer Run-off; Non-Renewable Resources; and Energy Usage.
NON-SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Non-sustainable practices result in contamination of soil, air and water; persistence of toxic compounds in the environment; non-sustainable consumption of natural resources; greenhouse gas emissions.
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Some of the solutions that have been developed are:
Reduction of stormwater run-off through the use of bio-swales, rain gardens, and green roofs and walls;
Permeable paving materials to reduce stormwater run-off and allow rain water to infiltrate into the ground and replenish groundwater rather than run into surface water;
Reduction of water use in landscapes through design of water-wise garden techniques, sometimes known as xeriscapingTM;
Water conservation techniques through rainwater harvesting;
Landscape irrigation using water from showers and sinks, known as gray water;
Bio-filtering of wastes through constructed wetlands;
Integrated Pest Management techniques for pest control;
Creating and enhancing wildlife habitat in urban and managed environments;
Energy-efficient landscape design in the form of proper placement and selection of shade trees, and creation of wind breaks;
Use of sustainably harvested wood, composite wood products for decking and other landscape projects, as well as use of plastic lumber;
Recycling of products, such as glass, rubber from tires and other materials to create landscape products such as paving stones, mulch and other materials;
Soil management techniques, including composting kitchen and yard wastes, to maintain and enhance healthy soil that supports a diversity of soil life;
Integration and adoption of renewable energy, including solar-powered landscape lighting;
Incorporating less-polluting landscaping tools and equipment, especially in the maintenance stage.
SOURCES:
Aquascapes Rainwater Harvesting System. http://www.aquascapeinc.com/index.php?page=news&n_id=42. Viewed 1/22/2010.
American Society of Landscape Architects. Sustainable Sites Initiative. http://www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=25064. Viewed 1/22/2010.
Bender, L. and L. David. 2006. An inconvenient truth. [videorecording]. Paramount Classics and Participant Productions. Hollywood. 96 min.
Bisgrove, R. and P. Hadley. 2002. Gardening in the global greenhouse: the impact of climate change on gardens in the U.K. Technical report. UKCIP, Oxford.
EPA. http://www.epa.gov
Gore, A. 2006. An inconvenient truth: the planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Rodale Pr. Emmaus, Pa.
Loehrlein, et al. Sustainable Landscaping. http://www.wiu.edu/users/susland/. Viewed January 2010.
Tilman, D. and C. Lehman. 2001. Human-caused environmental change: impacts on diversity and evolution. Nat. Acad. Sci. vol.98.no.10.pp.5433-5440.
