Landscape & Urban Design Issue 37 2019 | Page 50

Environmentally friendly finishing touches More and more consumers are becoming conscious of the environmental provenance of their products, creating a space for sustainable garden furniture. As this market grows, the appearance and quality of environmentally friendly garden products is able to compete with their more traditional counterparts, but with the added benefits of diverting waste from landfill and repurposing non- recyclable materials into durable products. Look into more sustainable alternatives to traditional garden furniture. For a luxury and environmentally friendly addition to any patio we recommend Galleon all-weather rattan garden furniture. Created using a handmade rattan weave made from 100% recycled polyethylene you can relax in the knowledge your furniture not only looks good, but has helped repurpose materials in the fight against plastic waste. Whether turning food waste into a healthy mulch for plants, repurposing black plastic containers into seedlings pots, or simply mowing your lawn less often, there are many ways you can make your garden more sustainable. Small but sustainable choices will not only will it improve the overall health of your garden, but also help to secure Low-maintenance gardening Consider mowing your lawn less frequently than every two weeks. Not only will you cut down on energy consumption from the lawnmower, suited to your garden because they are extremely well adapted to the local area and climate. Not only will they need less water to thrive, they will also attract the greatest numbers of bees and other pollinating insects, the future of our planet. Aidan Bell is the co-founder of sustainable building materials company Envirobuild. Bell’s mission is to use recycled plastic materials to key components of a thriving garden. design sustainable cladding, decking a healthy habitat for insects. If you Although it could be tempting to environment’s contribution to climate have the space, set aside a small area replace your lawn with artificial of unmown lawn or a patch of nettles grass, installing artificial grass to provide ongoing plant food and a will result in a substantial loss of breeding area for butterflies. habitat for insects such as bees and but it will also allow flowers to bloom and be pollinated while cultivating Native flowers and plants which are often considered to be weeds, such as brambles, dandelions, buttercups and ox-eye daisies, are actually the best 50 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 37 2019 butterflies as well as other wildlife, not to mention the creation of plastic, non-biodegradable waste. and furniture to help mitigate the built change. For more information on Envirobuild and its sustainable design solutions, please call the team on 020 8031 2638 or send an email to [email protected]