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P2 in Gardening and Landscaping
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What we plant in our yards and the way we maintain these plants can cause significant pollution and/or other environmental problems. |
Vast, highly-manicured lawns and formal gardens are among the most problematic because of their reliance on power landscape equipment, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation and other life-support measures to keep them healthy. Air, noise, and water pollution; consumption of natural resources; increased flooding; and loss of biodiversity, are some of the environmental impacts that often result from our seemingly harmless pursuit of gardening or merely maintaining our existing landscape. Because of these concerns the Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental and non-profit agencies are advocating for better alternatives, namely beneficial (or natural) landscaping.
The principles of beneficial landscaping include using a greater variety of plants that are primarily native (local to your area) and appropriate for your site conditions; reducing the size of high-maintenance plantings such as lawns and formal gardens; adopting informal design based more on nature; relying on integrated pest management (IPM); changing maintenance practices to conserve water and other natural resources (fossil fuels, peat moss, etc.); planting to provide wildlife habitat; increasing plant diversity; on-site composting; and avoiding/removing exotic plants known to be invasive. Additionally, beneficial landscaping calls for using plants to shade and shelter your home from summer sun and winter winds to reduce heating cooling and needs.
Because urban sprawl, fueled by our insatiable appetite for new homes
and large lots, has been consuming so much of our most valuable farmland
and remaining natural areas, the importance of beneficial landscaping
is greater than ever. Personal decisions as to where we live and what
we do with our yards have significant impacts beyond our property boundaries.
We all need to evaluate our own actions and make changes if we want a
safe and healthy environment for ourselves, our children, and future generations.
By adopting beneficial landscaping we can help to achieve this goal and,
through reduced maintenance, save money, too.
For additional information on green, beneficial, sustainable or environmentally
friendly landscaping link to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/.