Carbon Positive Landscaping
Carbon Positive Landscaping
By D. S. Mitchell
Past Behavior
I have been planting native species plants and using water conserving drip irrigation for at least a decade. But I want to take it to the next level. I opened the March/April 2021 issue of Sierra magazine and found an article that motivated me to get busy. To be carbon positive, just means your landscape/plantings remove more carbon dioxide than they generate. Planting a tree that will grow large can remove hundreds of pounds of carbon from the atmosphere over its lifetime. Conversely, adding a concrete patio can add hundreds of pounds of carbon to the atmosphere. Lydia Lee’s article offered some great suggestions on how to create a truly green landscape.
Do a Carbon Audit
There is a free carbon calculator at climatepositivedesign.com/pathfinder, just enter details about hardscaping, plants, and maintenance equipment into the free carbon calculator. For example, stone pavers score poorly because of the intense amount of energy required to cut and transport them. You can also download the Climate Positive Design Toolkit, which lists 50 strategies for improving your landscapes footprint, such as planting bamboo.
Avoid Concrete
Concrete is essentially artificial rock. Using concrete for a walkway or a patio dramatically increases your garden’s environmental footprint. Concrete is created with cement which during manufacturing needs to be heated to 2,500 degrees F. It would be better to use decomposed granite or gravel when creating paths and patios. A new product, Trugrid (truegridpaver.com) is a permeable paving system that holds gravel in place. The product is made from post-consumer recycled plastic. It even allows rainwater to drain into the ground rather than run off.
Goodbye Lawn
If there is one resource guzzler when it comes to the average home it is the lawn. Lawns are notorious resource guzzlers. They require frequent mowing, fertilizing and heavy irrigation, none of which are positives. There are millions of Americans that are required because of HOA restrictions forced to have a lawn. One recommendation is to install low-growing fescues, buffalo grass, or ground cover such as kurapia. For more options, check out stepables.com to find the best lawn substitutes for your climate zone.
Gain Outdoor Space
Landscape architect, Sarah Sutton author of The New American Front Yard: Kiss Your Grass Goodbye wants us to take a new look at the front yard. Ms Sutton recommends turning your front yard into outdoor rooms with seating areas. She thinks it is time to reclaim that front yard space so “you don’t have to do everything in the backyard.” We’ve forgotten porch sitting in the 21st century. Sarah’s version of porch sitting involves sitting in the front yard and watching the world go by.
Trees Please
One of the easiest ways to increase your yard’s carbon-capturing capability is to add trees. Arborist Allegra Mautner recommends planting younger seedlings rather than full-grown trees. Her reasoning is simple, “if it gets started as a smaller plant, it will adapt to your yard better.” She also suggests when you are deciding on the tree species look for the largest, most long-lived species that is adapted to your area. Make sure also that it has the space to grow to its mature size to avoid constant pruning. The U.S. Forest Service has a tool (design.ittreetools.org) that allows you to estimate your tree’s carbon-sequestration power along with the energy savings from its shade and other benefits.
Native Plants
A landscape plan centered around native plants, which have adapted to flourish in your area without much intervention will create a yard more economical to maintain and be more naturally aesthetic. Most big box stores are not the place to find native plants. Fortunately, each state has a native plant society which is more than happy to help you select the best plants for your yard and even help you find where to buy them. Go to plantnative.org for a nationwide directory of nurseries that can assist you.
Say No to Commercial Fertilizer
Because fertilizers contain synthetic nitrogen they take a lot of energy to produce. Also, once a fertilizer product is applied there is a sudden large burst of nitrogen that feeds the plant. However, it also stimulates soil microbes to produce extra amounts of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Basically, whatever is not used by the plant is going into the rest of the environment. A reasonable alternative is to use a sparing amount of an organic slow-release fertilizer such as compost to keep plants healthy and productive.
Blowing In The Wind
Gas-powered leaf blowers which rely on fossil fuel, contribute to both noise pollution and air pollution. Think about giving up on the leaf blower and going back to raking leaves the old fashioned way with a leaf rake. It’s good exercise, it is quiet and it gives you time to think.
