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Rose spray
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Comments
Where I live there is an outfit supplying high grade Douglas Fir cut to any desired size. The forest from which the timber comes from is behind the mill. You can actually choose the living specimen. This is very sustainable, but yet there is no publicity in this regard at all and no FSC stamp or similar. In the absence of an ideal situation like that it is vital for all landscapers to be able to trace the timber - knowing the FSC scheme; to be able to put that stamp on the timber requires considerable research to determine sustainability of the source.
Oak is coppiceable and can come from a reliable sustainable source. And quarrying whilst not sustainable allows for a permanence of a material base. Permeable surfacing is without a doubt the closest system to a sustainable surface that can be achieved to suit modern demands.
We and future generations will always suffer from the inventions of just before our time, in particular those products that use crude oil as the base material, but given the new climate and determination of companies to ensure their products are truly sustainable, maybe the future generations will be able to look at our time as the beginning of the time when the true sustainability of manufacturing began.
I wish we had such a mill around here although if I had to pick a specimen I think I might end up not using the timber as I would find it a bit like picking your lobster before its carted off to be cooked, the guilt might be just to much :)
However connecting with the natural world is an important part of the realisation of sustainability - unfortunately people need to be able to home and enjoy certain comforts and knowing what can be used without destruction of resources can be difficult after people have had the luxury of having it gift wrapped and presented to them. Some companies are well on the route to providing the products which deliver both but it is so difficult to tell those apart from the huge amount of greenwash bulls**t that is out there. But there are some really useful guys out there who can help - Common Ground , Groundwork Trust amongst others including Nick Mann of Habitat Aid (an LJN member) exist to help practitioners and the general public.
I really belief that our industry is at the forefront of how sustainability can be achieved and heightened more than any other.
Our industry seems divided - there are many die-hard folks out there unwilling to change to more sustainable practices and other that embrace it.
I am lucky to be involved in the development of a product to assist in bringing sustainable gardening into the Paris metropolitan area and in doing so the biggest issue is the pricing - it appears (and this is true also in the UK) that in order to allow for the potential customer base to accept the product the research shows that the prices have to be upped in order to appeal at all!
I also don't believe that the landscaping industry is divided on this issue, whilst it is on most other issues sustainable practice is the norm for many. There are certainly many practitioners who would advocate products that are far from sustainable but the manufacturers have been pivotal in ensuring that the products meet with standards (often self regulated) in order to match with the sustainable image the industry has and will continue to have. The problem comes in advertising these facts directly to a customer and again it is necessary to up the prices to encourage the desirability. The empowerment and consequent recognition of the professionalism contained within the industry as a whole is the sole method of allowing the sustainable issue to be introduced - albeit often without any reference to sustainability.
Laura I used to be of the same opinion until I started working in this field and making a conserted effort to introduce sustainable products and practise into my work. My experience now is that the prices of new sustainable products are comparable to their quality counterparts. Unlike organic food this type of consumer product is encoraged by large manufacturers and therefor more people buy and the price goes down.
The landscape industry is the obvious leader in improving sustainablility due to the nature (scuse the pun) of the work although having said that I have come accross several companies uwilling to change the products they use but these have been pavers or builders who have always used these products and I doubt they have had the exposure to or influence of a network such as this to enable education in current practises.
I am curious about your product Pip and when its not so hush hush would love to hear more.