User:Flwrpr1/Sustainable landscaping

Sustainable landscaping is an emerging field that encompasses the following: finding solutions to problems of environmental harm caused by human practices in the process of constructing, implementing, and managing residential and commercial landscapes.

Sustainability Issues for Landscaping include: Global Climate Change; Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Pesticide Toxicity; Non-Renewable Resources; Energy Usage.

Non-sustainable practices encompass: Contamination of soil, air and water; persistence of toxic compounds in the environment; non-sustainable consumption of natural resources; Greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of the effects of non-sustainable practices are: Threats to health, well-being, and even survival of humans and other life forms and their habitats.

Some of the solutions being developed are: Reduction of stormwater run-off through the use of bio-swales, rain gardens, and green roofs and walls; Reduction of water use in landscapes through design of water-wise garden techniques, sometimes known as xeriscaping; Bio-filtering of wastes through constructed wetlands; Landscape irrigation using water from showers and sinks, known as gray water; Integrated Pest Management techniques for pest control; Creating and enhancing wildlife habitat in urban environments; Energy-efficient landscape design in the form of proper placement and selection of shade trees, and creation of wind breaks; 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; 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.