Is your garden costing the Earth?Print
Some gardening practices can be surprisingly harmful to the environment. Here are some of the biggest culprits – and some greener alternatives.
According to a report by Natural England, almost three quarters
of England's deep peatlands are now damaged or
degraded.[1] And of all the peat used in the UK, 70% is
by amateur gardeners[2]
The report estimates that damaging peatlands causes them to
release almost three million tonnes of CO2 into the
atmosphere every year - that's around the same amount as all the
buses in the UK[3],[4] - not to mention the
damage caused to peatland habitats and wildlife.
Peat is formed over thousands of years through the build-up of
plant material that hasn't decomposed completely thanks to boggy
waterlogged conditions. During this formation process peat captures
CO2. But when peatland is disturbed, much of it is
released back into the atmosphere. The UK' s peatlands currently
store approximately 580 million tonnes of carbon; the
CO2 leaking from damaged peatlands is equivalent to the
average CO2 emissions of up to 350,000
households.[5] What's more, the process of extracting
peat is itself responsible for more CO2 emissions each
year than 100,000 average homes.[6]
"England's peatlands are a crucial buffer against climate change
but have been extensively damaged by centuries of inappropriate
management. We have to stop the rot and ensure that peatlands are
properly looked after as one of our most precious environmental
resources," explains Helen Phillips, Natural England Chief
Executive.[7]
Give peat compost the heave-ho
If you're still using peat compost, simply switch to a peat-free
alternative. If you want to be even greener, why not make your own
compost? Turning your food scraps into compost cuts down on
landfill rubbish. It also reduces CO2 emissions from
transporting compost to and from your local garden centre.
According to the Waste and Resources Programme (WRAP), UK
households bin around 8.3 million tonnes of food waste every year,
40% of which is fruit and veg waste that could easily have been
turned into compost.[8]
Starting your own compost bin is a simple way of recycling your
old food into new soil. A lot of food waste can be turned into
compost rather than thrown away - you can even throw things like
egg boxes in the mix.
Three ways to cut down on peat
- Use a peat alternative (often made from bark or coir)
- If you want to use peat, opt for products that only contain
small amounts
- For the ultimate eco option, create your own compost from
organic food scraps
Is this the end of the road for power
tools?
Manual gardening tools are more environmentally friendly than those
powered by fossil fuels or electricity. Not only are they quieter,
air quality isn't affected.
These have come a long way from the labour-intensive machines of
the past and are now often light and easy to operate.
The uncomfortable truth about patio heaters
One unexpectedly powerful carbon culprit is your garden's patio
heater. An average model emits on average the same amount of energy
as a gas hob gets through in six months, emitting around 50kg of
carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. [9]
Gardening reduces your carbon footprint
On the whole, tending a garden could help reduce your CO2
emissions. Celebrity gardener Chris Beardshaw says: "It's time for
the green-fingered gardener to help the environment by learning
about the benefits of recycling their garden waste and at the same
time buying products for the garden that contain recycled
materials."[10]
