As a natural byproduct of modern human life, pollution continues to be
one of the biggest environmental concerns around the world.
For instance, virtually all of the air in the world has been affected by the pollution caused by fossil fuel combustion and the toxins that are constantly released by industrial factories.
The most common pollutants in modern air include the following.
OZONE
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
CARBON MONOXIDE
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
PARTICULAR MATTER
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
SULFUR DIOXIDE
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
LEAD
The nitrogen oxides that are found in industrial machinery and in cars form ozone when they are exposed to sunlight. Organic compounds that come from solvents, gasoline, inks and paints may also form ozone when placed in the sun because of their volatility. Inhaling ozone can be poisonous, triggering a variety of health problems, including asthma, throat irritation, chest pain, emphysema, congestion, bronchitis and coughing.
In traditional landscaping processes, any or all of these pollutants can be, and often are, created. Part of sustainable agriculture is reducing or eliminating the prevalence of these byproducts of the process of landscaping.
The proper disposal of waste is a huge issue in the landscaping industry.
The problem gets worse the more developed the neighborhood, because there is more work to be done. There are many byproducts that landscaping creates that are different kinds of waste, requiring different types of disposal.
In traditional landscaping waste disposal, solid garbage is either incinerated or placed into landfill sites. Incineration of solid waste may form any of the problematic substances mentioned above. When it decomposes, it causes an extremely bad smell and may pollute groundwater, not to mention the air pollution that smoke from burning waste causes.
Climate change may not seem like an issue for landscaping professionals to worry about, but it is connected.
The effects of climate change include a huge imprint on agricultural productivity, increased levels of carbon dioxide and higher temperatures. Other issues such as soil moisture, the availability of water, tainted water and landscaping erosion cause landscaping companies to use more energy when doing their job. This means higher energy consumption, which leads to more pollution.
Believe it or not, seemingly harmless landscaping that is done in a traditional way
has the ability to cause great harm to the surrounding environment.
This includes the use of fertilizers, chemicals and even lawn mowers. Just because a lawn looks lush and green does not mean that it is healthy. Many modern lawn care solutions are more concerned with the look of a lawn rather than its health.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 100 percent of people surveyed (9,282 random people from around the country) tested positive for pesticides inside their blood and urine. The average person carries 13 pesticides. More than 100 million pounds of pesticides are used in homes and gardens every year, and many studies have found that the hazardous materials used in landscaping efforts have begun to contaminate indoor air and surfaces. Children in many of the tested households were exposed to hazardous lawn chemicals at levels 10 times higher than preapplication levels.
Many modern fertilizer formulations include benzoic acid herbicides, pyrethroids, carbamates, phenoxy and organophosphates.
All of these chemicals can be extremely detrimental to the health of any living organism, but especially to young children and older adults. Many pesticides that control insects and weeds are actually broad-spectrum biocides that are also poisonous to a wider variety of living things.
Earth Easy found that 19 of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides are linked to cancer-causing agents. Fifteen of them are neurotoxic, while 13 have the propensity to cause birth defects; 21 cause reproductive effects, and 26 are associated with kidney damage. Seventeen of these pesticides have been detected in groundwater; 24 of them are toxic to sea animals; and 11 of them are toxic to bees and 16 to birds.
People can be exposed to lawn care chemicals by breathing in sprays, vapors or dusts. Poisons can also be stored by the mouth and through the skin. Whether you are applying the chemical or simply standing by, you can be poisoned quite easily. Additionally, if a chemical has been applied previously and you touch a contaminated object, you may also be poisoned.
Pesticides are made even more dangerous by the fact that the industry is not required to release health information on its products. This makes doctors less knowledgeable about the way that pesticides actually poison the body. In many cases, pesticide poisoning is misdiagnosed as the flu, allergies or other common illnesses. Doctors also confused symptoms of poisoning with psychosomatic symptoms. Still others may be afraid of a misdiagnosis that causes legal ramifications.
The bottom line is that unchecked landscaping causes more injury than any of us probably know.
States like California are leading the charge toward sustainable landscaping becoming a viable solution to fight the problems that occur in traditional landscaping. In 2017, the California Lawn Rebate program encouraged homeowners to remove turf from their lawns and replace it with landscaping that require less water. California was fighting a water drought as well as the effects of traditional landscaping, which made the rebate program even more important.
The program was budgeted $24 million and had a goal of reaching the conversion of 50,000,000 ft.² of turf. The total rebate given was maxed out at a total of 2 dollars per square foot of turf replaced. California also put money into making the process easy, which encouraged even more people to participate.
Sustainable landscaping is the practice of eliminating or reducing the input resources and waste output in landscaping. Although tactics may vary in this practice, there are some overarching strategies that are generally accepted.
A great deal of landscaping has to do with reorganizing the water around a property.
Any changes that are made to the surrounding area change the water a great deal. This includes water becoming contaminated with the poisons of fertilizers and the toxic chemicals that are created through traditional landscaping techniques.
The amount of water that is used during landscaping can also cause a problem if it is used in too high a volume. California is perhaps the most famous example of just how much water being wasted can affect the entire ecology of a location.
The soil of a property could be considered its “soak blanket.”
Any substances that are used in any part of the landscaping will eventually find their way into the soil. These include the airborne poisons and the other toxic chemicals mentioned. The secret to sustainable landscaping is keeping the soil as clean as possible so that wastes are not transferred into the water supply or back into the air.
Bringing in new plant life can cause more damage than it is worth.
Preserving the current ecology requires fewer input resources, reducing the need to produce toxic chemicals through traditional landscaping. This leads directly into the next tip — conserving materials wherever you can.
The less materials used during the landscaping process, the less source material is available to create toxic chemicals.
Reducing the amount of input materials also keeps the ecology in its most natural state. In short, Mother Nature has her own sense of balance. Your job as a sustainable landscaper is to upset this balance as little as possible.
Garden beds can be mulched to recycle plant material and preserve the current ecology.
Broken concrete or metal that you salvage can be used without bringing in the new toxins that come with new materials. Installing permeable paving, planting perennials and using a landscaping design that centers around solar power are other great suggestions.
New innovations in sustainable landscaping come quite often. New technologies and regulations that curb bad practices continue to move the needle forward on the concept. All trends point toward conservation of the natural ecology and the resources used to create beautiful landscapes. One of the most important things that every homeowner can do is partner with a knowledgeable sustainable landscaper to maximize the techniques used to beautify properties.
