Sustainability -Here are some environmentally sensitive ideas to think about including in a project that can reduce energy use for the construction of your garden - and can also significantly reduce carbon emissions in the maintenance of your garden. Often these ideas can save you some money too... Plant more Trees About half the dry weight of a tree is stored carbon. The more trees we plant, the more carbon we store and the more shade we create. [Only not in front of your solar panels..] As trees add value to any site it's a wonderful way to go. Plant low water use plants Low water use plants, perhaps from the Mediterranean, often are very colorful and feel more appropriate to our climate in Southern California. They also take very little care as well. In using less water we save directly on emissions - and save money too. Reuse and Recycle Materials It is costly to truck out bulk waste so if it can be reused in some way it saves work and energy. Sometimes it is possible to reuse broken concrete for low planter walls or reuse lumber on a site for a different purpose. If you have an old loose brick patio it is possible to use Craig's list and have it removed and recycled for free sometimes. Reducing or Eliminating Lawns Lawns take a lot of water and energy to maintain. The E.P.A. estimates a lawn mower puts out as much pollution as 20 cars. With a smaller lawn or using drought tolerant plants instead you can save both ways and make the world a little quieter. Use an Electric Mower They have improved immensely and the AQMD has even been giving them away recently in an exchange program. 'Electric' means of course no emissions at point of use. Try some Inert Paving Like Decomposed Granite. For low priority or difficult to maintain areas like parking strips this can work very well. The porosity allows rain to penetrate and gas to exchange with the root systems of trees underneath. -And the color is gorgeous. Artificial Turf This requires no mowing, irrigation and very little maintenance and can last a very long time. It can be especially great for outdoor recreation for children in the shade. Some conditions where a play area is desireable but impractical for ordinary turf can work really well with artificial turf. Organic Mulch Using organic mulch is very helpful to keep moisture in the ground and deter evaporation which saves resources. If used regularly it also helps reduce bulk to our landfills. Check Irrigation Regularly Rare is the gardener who inspects irrigation systems very often - but these systems are incredibly important to both the welfare of your garden and to eliminate unnecessary waste of water. Every system should really have at least a cursory inspection every month. Use High Efficiency Irrigation In California 20% of all electricity used is for pumping water. So if we irrigate more efficiently we save water, maintenance costs, electricity and emissions. Using in-line drip technology is very effective and also very durable. Using stream rotor technology for popup sprinklers decreases spray misting and has an application rate much more consistent with our soils capacity to absorb water. Use More Local Materials Some landscape materials, like others trucked long distances, have a high carbon footprint. By using more local materials for things like slate, flagstone or boulders it can save the inherent transportation cost both financial and environmental. LED Landscape Lighting This is becoming enormously popular especially because of the extra long life of the LED from 30-50,000 hours. It is very efficient. For comparison a single 40-watt incandescent bulb on for 10 hours a day, will generate 196 pounds (89 kg) of CO2 every year. A 13-watt LED equivalent will only be responsible for 63 pounds (29 kg) of CO2 over the same time span. Since LED lighting requires much less maintenance it can save inherent costs here too. Solar Shading For 20 years S.C. Edison has had a program promoting planting shade trees on the South-East and South-West of buildings to reduce solar gain early and late in the day. If this is done reasonably effectively it can significantly reduce the load on air conditioning, saving electricity and costs. It's a great low tech simple technique. Permiable or Porous Paving Recent editions of interlocking paving allow much greater penetration of water during a storm. This helps by ultimately allowing better recharge of our local aquifers and reducing the normal flushing of oil and debris out into the ocean to contaminate the Santa Monica bay. Storm Water Capture 90% of storms in Southern California yield 1/2 inch or less of precipitation. Using recycled plastic 'Eco Rain' crates can help eliminate storm runoff and allow the water to naturally percolate into the ground. As a by product, this system can perhaps help eliminate site drainage problems. Recycled Wood Furniture Urban foresters harvest trees and a craftsman turns them into beautiful outdoor furniture. This saves a lot of emissions. Courtesy of West Coast Arborists - Jason Dablin 714-863-1036 Plant a Fruit Tree Or even a vegetable garden. A medium size Eureka or Meyer Lemon tree planted will quickly produce enough fruit for an entire family. This saves purchasing and transportation costs - and you get to enjoy convenience and a beautiful process. Composting Our old favorite. More and more people are doing it and helping their gardens in return with recycling nutrients and less waste.