Landscaping - THE Sustainable Industry in the UK. - LJN Blog Posts

We are restructuring CSL and in doing so one factor keeps cropping up - how do we continue to advertise our sustainable credentials effectively. One route was to start utilising the words 'Traditional and 'Heritage' to header the work we do.The reality is that no new wording is required, indeed for us to use 'sustainable' as a selling header is in itself a little daft. 'Green-space companies are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they are "green" in the environmental sense too', was the subtitle for a recent Hortweek article. which on further reading left me a little deflated in that many in the 'self proclaimed' echelons of the industry and obviously the media base of the industry also, have gone so far down the wrong route that it is further disjointing the whole industry and confusing potential clients.We are now surrounded by Environmental operatives, Environmental enhancement specialists, Nature and Conservation engineers. Once confined to governmental remits such titles are now broadly in use often as a way to distance certain people from being termed 'landscapers'. And rightly so when, the landscaping industry, dragging horticulture behind it appears to continue to head into an alleyway of being a secondary industry, the poorly paid cousin of the construction industry, by the public. Yet many new landscapers come from a 'environmental science' background. As the traditional subjects related to the industry take a tumble in applying students, universities and higher education establishments more than 20 years ago started to adopt 'Environmental and Conservation' issues into their existing curriculums and to create more and more courses based just on these studies. Resulting in an influx of students into the landscaping industry due a lack of specific jobs in this newly devised sector, as was the case from agricultural, horticultural, forestry and construction courses before. And after a while these practitioners realise that the perceptions of the industry are false and are often glad to start to classify themselves as landscapers and proud to be a landscaper.This further blends into the fact that landscaping is THE green industry, it is by default sustainable and always has been. It is widely acknowledged that a well kept garden is rich in biodiversity, it also will assist in localised CO2 sequestration, slowing run off, preventing erosion, and allowing for the social benefits green spaces are known to enhance. The only real issues are the products used, many of which haven't changed since before their harmful effects were realised or for latter products because of a growing void between practitioners and the industry chiefs.The media is running around looking a little confused; 'gardeners world' for example appears to not know which way to head in as its majority 'grey headed' market are split with many feeling dubious about the whole sustainable angle, (often as a result of the word being so often misused). Newspaper and Magazine articles still use 'sustainable' as a buzzword - something quirky and contemporary, which it isn't.Reading the now antiquated books for the industry the information on sustainable practice is there within every practical skill, (ignoring the chemical usage sections). And if re worded onto a new glossy font will be as relevant today as it was when it was written before someone somewhere tried to redefine 'the landscaping industry' into a just another service industry.Reading through almost all the threads on the LJN it is very apparent that the vast majority of the members, if not all, are by their nature and their chosen profession sustainable.www.paysagedurable.com

Hi Steven, it is a truly huge issue, my own opinion is that by having a stronger 'hard landscaping'
industry the sustainablity issues can be mitigated by ensuring that the relationship with the 'soft landscaping' remains strong. This parellel is vital to the industry and would be strengthened if hard landscaping backs off a little from the construction industry as a whole.

I think the great 'greenwash' debate has been truly warped by politics and particularly the subsequent reporting by the media - for example: Planting a tree to offset CO2 - the UK government have allowed a position to develop where CO2 sequestration by way of planting can only be recognised through multi national trading. This has meant that the fact that if you planted your own CO2 offset it is not official and therefore doesn't seem to count. This is nonsense - plant 6 young trees a year to offset your vehicle's emmissions, (in your clients gardens or your own).

The present state of the industry requires an industry based show, the PR drive of the last two decades has left a lot of the shows and media in a position where they have deliberately created an echelon to the industry which is both no longer relevant to the masses of smaller outfits, (the core of the profession), and truly unsustainable. With the new force that is the LJN together with the shows and media stepping in to replace the old traditionals that now appear to simply further polarise the whole issue there can now be a real showcasing of landscaping and its sustainable credentials.

As such I believe the traditional industry media can now be very easily ignored by the average practitioner, it is simply been left behind and as such most of the legislation is also. There are now many smaller outfits discovering and sharing sustainable techniques, (the Rammed Earth blogs an example) and subsequently the legislation is also being pre empted by the practitioners in many cases from the simple fact that there was a void before.

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Comments

The Perfumed Garden December 19, 2009 at 10:38am

Totally agree
Steven Callaghan December 19, 2009 at 11:34am

A very interesting post. This is something we have already come up against with the show, the allegation from the eco Taliban being that by it's mere existence we are encouraging the covering of the country in high CO2 emission concrete paving, etc.. etc.

On the flip side, the vision of you all cycling to the job towing a small trailer, cutting lawns with a scythe and doing all reshaping jobs with just a shovel does not come easily.

It's something we want to feature a lot at the show as it's a fascinating debate - for example, the growth in gravel and grass stabilisation products have created far more hard surfacing options than when I was contracting in the paving business, the famous front garden drainage legislation and, of course, the cost implications to all of this which I suspect are at the heart of many decisions - will your customers pay you to do all trimming, cutting and digging without using any power tools?

It would certainly do something to stimulate employment but one imagines the minimum wage would have to be reviewed PDQ?

The feedback I get is the consensus view seems to be that often eco legislation is conceived in what might best be termed an economic vacuum - too often the practitioner feels totally remote from what he or she reads.

Or maybe `i'm wrong?
Sustainable Land Management December 19, 2009 at 2:36pm

Hi Steven, it is a truly huge issue, my own opinion is that by having a stronger 'hard landscaping'
industry the sustainablity issues can be mitigated by ensuring that the relationship with the 'soft landscaping' remains strong. This parellel is vital to the industry and would be strengthened if hard landscaping backs off a little from the construction industry as a whole.

I think the great 'greenwash' debate has been truly warped by politics and particularly the subsequent reporting by the media - for example: Planting a tree to offset CO2 - the UK government have allowed a position to develop where CO2 sequestration by way of planting can only be recognised through multi national trading. This has meant that the fact that if you planted your own CO2 offset it is not official and therefore doesn't seem to count. This is nonsense - plant 6 young trees a year to offset your vehicle's emmissions, (in your clients gardens or your own).

The present state of the industry requires an industry based show, the PR drive of the last two decades has left a lot of the shows and media in a position where they have deliberately created an echelon to the industry which is both no longer relevant to the masses of smaller outfits, (the core of the profession), and truly unsustainable. With the new force that is the LJN together with the shows and media stepping in to replace the old traditionals that now appear to simply further polarise the whole issue there can now be a real showcasing of landscaping and its sustainable credentials.

As such I believe the traditional industry media can now be very easily ignored by the average practitioner, it is simply been left behind and as such most of the legislation is also. There are now many smaller outfits discovering and sharing sustainable techniques, (the Rammed Earth blogs an example) and subsequently the legislation is also being pre empted by the practitioners in many cases from the simple fact that there was a void before.