By Gardens have an amazing potential to improve sustainability that few homeowners have yet fully realised and, as there grows a greater interest in the reduction of carbon footprints within the home, they are an increasingly valuable asset in the pursuit of environmentally friendly living.
Now, there are an increasing number of groups seeking to promote the ways in which residential gardens can be used to mitigate carbon emissions of a home and even help residents to lead a more ecologically sustainable lifestyle. To show you how, we’re sharing some of the best and most popular garden design ideas that will help you to reduce your carbon footprint.
Conquer Food Waste
Food waste continues to be one of the UK’s most significant contributors to carbon emissions. As such, homeowners can make a significant contribution to reducing their carbon footprint by conquering their food waste. To do this is relatively simple and one only needs to start by creating their own compost system.
A number of local councils are offering subsidies and support for those wanting to establish their own food waste systems too. So, before you begin composting, be sure to enquire with your local authority for potential support! Others might even be able to offer composting services for your home too, which can be useful for those without garden space of their own.
Sustainable Structures
With the increased popularity of outbuildings, from log cabins to annexes, homeowners have an even greater potential to establish a sustainable structure. These buildings can become platforms not only for relaxation and comfort but also small rooftop gardens, solar panels, and even rain-water collection.
When designing your outbuilding, consider how such a structure might also lend itself to carbon neutrality. There are a number of complementary features that can be adjoined to your structure that tandem with its design to improve the local environment.
Grow Wild
While pesticide usage is on the decline, there remains a culture of removing weeds and trimming grass. This ongoing desire for neat and tidy gardens only benefits a homeowner’s interest in aesthetics and is actually detrimental to local wildlife, especially pollinators, who require plants and long grass for their survival.
It is possible to cultivate a space that is both beneficial to the wild and still aesthetically pleasing but it requires a change in perspective. What was once considered to be a weed should be questioned and the use of outdoor space should be seen not only from a homeowner’s perspective but also nature’s.
Growing Food
Whether you wish to establish a number of raised garden beds for growing crops of vegetables or you simply want to have a wall dedicated to a vertical herb garden, choosing to grow your own ingredients at home is a fantastic way to reduce your carbon footprint, and even your supermarket spend too!
Growing one’s own ingredients will also improve nutrition and potentially even tastes too, with many starting off simply, choosing to grow common vegetables, but soon after getting drawn into more extravagant fruits and vegetables.
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