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Conventional Landscaping Commercial, public and residential landscapes can benefit the owner and the community through their beauty, the recreation they offer, and their positive environmental effects. Trees, for example, can provide shade and reduce energy consumption, absorb greenhouse gases, reduce stormwater runoff and add to property values. On the other hand, landscaping can cause damage to the environment, consuming fossil fuels, contributing to pollution of the soil, air and water, and burdening landf II space. Conventional landscaping often relies on large lawns, non-native plants, abundant irrigation, and heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. It frequently requires significant mowing, blowing, trimming and removal of plant debris. Removing all plant debris from the site is one example of an especially damaging practice. It removes food and habitat for birds, insects and beneficial soil organisms. It mines our local soils of nutrients and degrades soil health. Often, the result is an increased dependency on fertilizers and irrigation, as well as greater stormwater runoff, erosion, pollution of the Bay and global warming. ^ Foster living soils ^ Increase the organic matter in the soil ^ Improve soil structure and reduce compaction ^ Retain and restore topsoil ^ Create healthier plants ^ Reduce the need for irrigation, fertilizers and pesticides ^ Conserve landfill space ^ Reduce air pollution and the emission of greenhouse gases from transporting plant debris long distances to be processed or landfilled ^ Reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by plant debris decomposing without oxygen in landfills ^ Restore the soil's ability to absorb and filter water, improving water quality and reducing stormwater runoff into local creeks and the San Francisco Bay While it may not be possible to keep all plant debris on site, there are more opportunities to reuse plant debris in our landscapes than are commonly practiced. ~~ • • ~ .}~ To continue working with standard landscape practices is to continue to poison the earth. Reducing resource consumption and waste output are things we must learn to do. We have no choice but to adopt ecologically friendly techniques if we wish to thrive in the long term. " - Ivlid~ael "I hilgen, Landscape Architect and Contractor, Four Dimensions Landscape Company, Oakland ~tOuy' urban landscapes are really a major cause of environmental degradation and depletion. " - Bob Perry, Landscape Architect, Professor Emeritus Cal Poly, Pomona SurveySays... Almost 90% of single-family households agree or strongly agree with the statement: "Lawn and garden products r. II~ can have an impact on the I`. water in the bay". r ;~ 4