In our past two blog posts we explored the economic benefits of landscaping and the psychological benefits of landscaping. Now it’s time to take a step back and see how landscaping can help us contribute to the world around us by helping the environment. So, let’s learn about the environmental benefits of landscaping!
It seems like every day we hear more and more about how the environment needs our help. Landscaping your property can provide enormous benefit with minimal effort. Trees, shrubs, and flowers, even plain old grass, all play their roles in helping keep our planet healthy.
We all learned in grade school that plants take in carbon dioxide and put out oxygen but did you know that a “single 10-year-old tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon per year”? If you think that’s amazing check out these other facts from Ncgreenprints.com:
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* Trees also reduce the “greenhouse effect” (C02 increases) by shading buildings, reducing energy usage and decreasing fossil fuel consumption.
* Trees and shrubs reduce air pollutants, including ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxides, cadmium, lead, nickel and chromium.
* Well-planned and maintained landscapes filter dust and other pollutants out of rainwater.
* Plants purify the air of smoke, dust and other pollutants.
* Indoor plants remove organic, volatile chemicals from the indoor air.
* Trees and shrubs purify toxic soils.
* A well-designed and maintained home landscape reduces erosion, sediment losses and storm water runoff. A 5% increase of tree cover reduces erosion by 2%.
* Plants reduce noise pollution by absorbing sound.
* Trees, shrubs and flowers create habitats for beneficial wildlife, reducing the need for pesticides.
* Trees and shrubs feed, attract and sustain essential pollinators.
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And that’s just some of the ways that plants help the environment. The addition of trees to your property means the addition of cooling shade. With the right placement of trees, you can save money on your electric bill each summer.
Between absorbing CO2, reducing noise pollution, providing shade, and purifying the soil, landscaping is one of the best things you can do for both your property and the planet. And let’s not forget the fact that investing in landscaping now can lead to financial gains later as well as improve the mental health of you and your employers. There are zero reasons not to invest in landscaping and countless reasons why you should. The decision is simple.
Now that you know all about the environmental benefits of landscaping it’s time to get started on your own property.
