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    NOTES-9A - Sustainable Landscaping - 20100915

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    jiunn yeep Chan
    Sustainable landscaping involves designing landscapes that require few inputs, such as water and fertilizers, and that provide environmental benefits. It incorporates native plants suited to the local climate that require little maintenance. Benefits include reducing pollution, conserving resources, and providing wildlife habitat and spaces for enjoying nature. Key principles are using naturalistic designs, indigenous plants, efficient watering, and maintaining ecological functions to create attractive, low-impact landscapes.

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    NOTES-9A - Sustainable Landscaping - 20100915

    Uploaded by

    jiunn yeep Chan
    64 views8 pages
    Sustainable landscaping involves designing landscapes that require few inputs, such as water and fertilizers, and that provide environmental benefits. It incorporates native plants suited to the local climate that require little maintenance. Benefits include reducing pollution, conserving resources, and providing wildlife habitat and spaces for enjoying nature. Key principles are using naturalistic designs, indigenous plants, efficient watering, and maintaining ecological functions to create attractive, low-impact landscapes.

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    NOTES-9A_Sustainable Landscaping_20100915

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    Sustainable landscaping involves designing landscapes that require few inputs, such as water and fertilizers, and that provide environmental benefits. It incorporates native plants suited to the local climate that require little maintenance. Benefits include reducing pollution, conserving resources, and providing wildlife habitat and spaces for enjoying nature. Key principles are using naturalistic designs, indigenous plants, efficient watering, and maintaining ecological functions to create attractive, low-impact landscapes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    64 views8 pages

    NOTES-9A - Sustainable Landscaping - 20100915

    Uploaded by

    jiunn yeep Chan
    Sustainable landscaping involves designing landscapes that require few inputs, such as water and fertilizers, and that provide environmental benefits. It incorporates native plants suited to the local climate that require little maintenance. Benefits include reducing pollution, conserving resources, and providing wildlife habitat and spaces for enjoying nature. Key principles are using naturalistic designs, indigenous plants, efficient watering, and maintaining ecological functions to create attractive, low-impact landscapes.

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    SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE

    Sustainable landscaping is low impact, low maintenance, low resource use and
    frequently low-cost landscaping that fits each particular site and climate - virtually
    taking care of itself. The landscape is unique among the construction elements
    because it involves a living and therefore perishable finished product. A
    significant part of the built environment is landscape, not structures. As land itself
    becomes scarce and ever more precious, outdoor spaces need to be designed to
    deliver value in as many ways as possible, i.e., increasing land values, rewarding
    the senses, promoting environmental quality, and enhancing mobility.
    Sustainable landscapes incorporate and balance the human desire for beautiful
    and functional landscapes with the imperative to preserve valuable resources.

    Implications of Traditional Landscaping:


    • Air, noise, water pollution
    • Flood damage/erosion
    • Harm to biodiversity
    • Consumption of natural resources, including potable water for non-potable
    needs
    • Impacts to public health and safety
    • Cost and labor Intensive
    • Monotonous landscapes

    Benefits of Sustainable Landscaping:


    • Reduce/ prevent pollution and waste disposal; reduces environmental harm
    • Requires fewer inputs (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides) and conserve natural and
    financial resources;
    • Maximize ecological function and benefit wildlife
    • Requires less maintenance
    • Looks attractive and provides seasonal interest
    • Safer environments for our families
    • Quieter neighborhoods (from reduced use of power equipment)
    • Water conservation that benefits the homeowner and community
    • Reduced flooding and costs for storm water management
    • Greater opportunities to enjoy nature
    • Reduced landscape maintenance labor/more free time
    • Reduced landscape maintenance costs
    • Less strain on municipal waste collection and water treatment
    • Cleaner water bodies for fishing, swimming, drinking
    • Lower cooling bills - Trees providing shade and wind breaks can reduce
    building energy needs (up to 50% for home cooling)
    • Noise reduction (buffers)

    Page 1 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009


    SUGGESTED ACTIONS AND STRATEGIES
    A sustainable landscape requires informed and thoughtful decision-making about
    every aspect of the development site: topography and layout, hardscape and
    lighting, vegetation and irrigation systems. Sustainable landscaping should
    address issues on two key areas: (a) efficiency for the private landowner, and (b)
    improved quality of the surrounding community and environment. For a given
    issue, there is a design solution that can optimize conservation potential and
    sustainability.

    Sustainable Landscaping Principles


    • Use naturalistic design
    • When planning a landscape, avoid products that require frequent replacement
    or regular maintenance (to reduce future waste)
    • Choosing indigenous plants over exotic varieties can help reduce the need for
    irrigation, as well as environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers; they also
    hold soil and water. Invasive non-native plants can harm the local ecology
    • Use the right plant in the right place.
    • Perform a soil/climate analysis to determine appropriate landscape types
    • Plant for the long term by selecting healthy and long-lived plant varieties
    • Strive for diversity, and biomass by establishing and protecting areas of
    biological richness through use of endemic species/native plants.
    • Use landscaping to conserve energy and prevent air pollution
    • Use deciduous trees to provide shade in the summer and permit warming
    sunlight in the winter
    • Coniferous trees planted to block prevailing NW winter winds can reduce
    heating costs.
    • Use plants to capture airborne pollutants.
    • Encourage storm water retention, design slopes and surfaces to reduce runoff,
    replenish groundwater, and use plants to capture water-borne pollutants.
    • Design plantings and irrigation for efficient water use
    • Plant low-water ground covers or drought-tolerant grass and use absorbent soil
    mixtures to promote storm water infiltration and reduce additional costs related to
    managing storm water.
    • Design so that site work lessens soil compaction and precludes unnecessary
    soil compaction while construction is on-going.
    • Reduce energy use by designing sites that do not require energy intensive
    maintenance to remain healthy and attractive, and by minimizing shipping
    distances for materials and supplies.
    • Maximize ecological value by enhancing ecological functions and services.

    Page 2 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009


    Sustainable Landscaping Maintenance
    • Integrated Pest Management
    • Monitor and assess
    • Cultural controls first
    • Least toxic chemicals
    • Follow label directions carefully
    • Spot treat rather than broadcast
    • Careful Application of Nutrients
    • Test soil to determine appropriate fertilizer
    • Use organics and slow-release
    • Apply sparingly and at correct time, according to directions
    • Little to none needed for natives
    • Water Conservation
    • Use mulch, native and drought-tolerant plants;
    • Water plants and grass with rainwater from an on-site cistern to limit the use of
    potable water; Consider using storm water, greywater, and/or condensate water
    for irrigation
    • ·Choose a micro-irrigation* system, instead of traditional sprinklers, to deliver
    water to your grounds more efficiently. During watering, micro-irrigation delivers
    85 to 90 percent of the moisture supply to plants, compared with just 40 to 50
    percent delivery for typical broadcast sprinklers.
    • Water early in the day
    • Energy Conservation, where feasible:
    • Use hand tools rather than power tools
    • Electric tools rather than gas tools
    • 4-cycle engines rather than 2-cycle
    • Keep power tools well-tuned
    • Consider indirect impacts
    • Composting / Mulching
    • Focus on the “4 Rs” when acquiring materials and supplies — reduce, reuse,
    recycle, re-buy (i.e., re-think conventional products and look for those that are
    environmentally preferable).

    * Micro-irrigation (also known as drip, trickle or dribble irrigation) is a method of


    irrigation in which water is applied directly to the root zone of the plant in small
    but frequent quantities in such a way as to maintain the most active part of the
    soil at a quasi-optimum moisture.

    Professional Advice and Guidance - Sustainable landscaping is a new and


    innovative area. Too often, it is assumed that because a space is green, it is also
    sustainable. Expert and professional services by landscape architects who
    specialize in sustainable landscaping may be necessary to ensure application of
    the foregoing principles in a cost effective manner.

    Page 3 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009


    MALAYSIAN TREES

    Page 4 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009


    Page 5 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009
    Page 6 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009
    Page 7 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009
    Page 8 SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE / 5/14/2009

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