It's all well and good to talk about sustainable design … rain gardens … native plants … permeable pavers … green roofs … you know the drill. But there's much more to "green" design than simply coming up with a design, and landscape architect and writer Adam Regn Arvidson lays it all out for us in Greening the Landscape: Strategies for Environmentally Sound Practice
As Arvidson writes in the introduction, "Anyone who designs, plans, installs, maintains, grows plants for, or otherwise cares for a landscape has some responsibility for doing so in a more environmentally friendly way." That includes consideration of the fuel used by the big delivery trucks and bobcats, the disposal of plastic plant containers, water, fertilizers and pesticides, nitrous oxide emitted by gasoline-powered garden equipment.
He notes that designers, for instance, might specify bare-root shrubs or plants that come in peat or paper containers; or specify that plant containers be recycled. Nurseries might upgrade old equipment, compost green waste and recycle rainwater for irrigation. And he advocates that all green industy professionals work to promote environmentally sound policies at state, local, and national levels.
Throughout the book, Arvidson offers case studies of green industry firms that have changed their practices and business models to make production more efficient and apply techniques that will help protect the planet. As the author notes, "Researach suggests that humans are altering the Earth's climate in a way never seen before …. the problem of climate change can only be solved through comprehensive change at all levels of society and industry."
Arvidson's companion website, www.GreeningtheLandscapeBook.com, has additional resources and case studies.
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