5 Principles of Sustainable Landscape Maintenance
Sustainability is not limited to any particular industry. All types of workers can make more sustainable daily choices to help protect the environment, and landscape maintenance is no exception. If you’re looking for a green landscape maintenance service, it’s helpful to understand the top principles in sustainable landscaping, as described below.
Our top five principles in sustainable landscape maintenance are based on federal guidelines. The federal government has a stake in this issue because it manages or controls 41 million acres of land. Granted, some of this is land that will never need to be landscaped; however, the feds also oversee hundreds of buildings, from military facilities to state offices – each of which is surrounded with landscaping. To ensure these properties are sustainably maintained, the Council on Environmental Quality has developed a list of guidelines, including:
1. Use and preserve native plants. Native plants require less water and anti-pest sprays.
2. Aim for sustainable site maintenance. This includes earth-friendly Integrated Pest Management, careful pruning practices, and the use of organic fertilizers. As a local Portland and Hillsboro landscape maintenance service, we fulfill this requirement by offering organic lawn, tree and shrub care. We’re also expert pruners who encourage hand pruning for natural growth of the specimen at hand, rather than simply shearing bushes and trees.
3. Remove invasive species whenever possible. Invasive species can destroy entire eco-systems. Sustainable landscape maintenance calls for their removal.
4. Use trees and other vegetation to cut energy costs. When properly placed, plantings can keep buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, thereby slashing energy costs.
5. Increase fuel economy by choosing hybrid vehicles and alternative-fuel landscape maintenance tools. While the feds don’t ban their offices from using fuel-hungry power tools such as leaf blowers, they so encourage landscape maintenance service providers to choose alternative fuels and hybrid vehicles.
Here at Landscape East & West, we go above and beyond these eco-friendly landscape maintenance requirements. We choose low-energy lighting solutions and specialize in storm water bio-retention through green roofs, rain barrels and rain gardens. We also offer all-organic lawn, shrub, and tree care. Few Portland or Hillsboro landscaping companies demonstrate this commitment to the environment. If you want your yard to help save the planet, contact us today for more information about green landscape maintenance service.
