5 tips to design eco-friendly landscapes
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Eco-friendly landscape or green landscaping refers to a method to design, create and maintain your landscape. It results in effective management of time, money and energy. Eco-friendly landscape design nurtures ecosystems; reduces air, soil and water pollution; and helps in maintaining healthy surroundings. It is the need of the hour to minimize the ever raising global warming. Architect Hrishikesh Phadke lists simple tips to design eco-friendly landscapes.
1. Hardscape:
a. Use materials found in the basic 10 kilometre radius of the site, hence reducing the transportation cost.
b. Observe methods of manufacturing, hence reducing the demand for artificial materials and elements.
c. Use porous paver blocks and earthen materials for pavements instead of concrete and plastic to help raise the ground water table.
d. Minimize the 'pukka' roads in the landscaped area.
e. Avoid usage of wood and paper.
2. Softscape:
a. Use indigenous plants, ie local plants to ensure better adaptability to the surroundings. This fits perfectly in the food chain and enriches the eco system to attract birds, animals and butterflies.
b. Trees have a tendency to depend on each other. Restricting yourself to one tree (monoculture plantation) reduces the interdependency, hence rendering it unhealthy and increases the cost of maintenance.
3. Lights:
a. The complete expanse of landscaped area should not be lit up at all times.
b. An artificial light of below 20/15 lux ensures effective life processes.
c. Metal fixtures should be preferred against plastic materials.
d. Use LED lights.
e. The throw of the beam of lights should not be downwards. The downwards throw negatively affects certain fauna, insects and birds. Their lifecycles are disturbed as it gets difficult for them to identify day and night.
f. Using solar-powered lights can reduce the overall electricity used.
4. Water and growth medium:
a. Basic filters fixed on wash basin, bathing and washing machine water outlets helps in reusing of water by divert them to landscaping, watering plants and car wash. Since these have basic chemical content, a basic filter does the needful.
b. Water used for car wash can be further reused to grow plants like banana that grow on waste water.
c. Drip irrigation systems ensure delivery of water directly to plants hence reducing the wastage during the commute.
5. Reuse, reduce, recycle:
a. Reuse the tiles, doors, knobs and wood used in home furniture to create a rustic look for the landscape and a garden art.
b. Non-biodegradable materials have 'low' reusable limit. Usage of earth materials ensures safe return of elements to mother earth.
c. Storm water drain system reduces the strain on city's water management system and natural water bodies.
d. The simplest solution is to keep the surfaces clean with a broom or brush, hence reducing the dependency on chemical treatment or repainting.
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Hrishikesh Phadke
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