Reducing Carbon in Landscape Designs
We explore how landscape architects are taking a leading role in reducing the environmental impact of the built environment’s embodied carbon by actively taking steps to reduce the environmental impact of their projects. While we often think about pollution from cars and factories, the construction and materials used in the built environment also contribute significantly to climate change. This hidden impact comes from the energy used to extract, manufacture, transport, and dispose of building materials, and it’s known as embodied carbon.
A Focus on Embodied Carbon:
- Traditionally, the focus has been on operational emissions, like energy use in buildings. However, landscape architects are now shifting their attention to embodied carbon, the emissions generated throughout the lifecycle of building materials, from extraction to disposal.
- Studies reveal that embodied carbon makes up about 75% of emissions in landscape projects, highlighting the need for significant changes in design and material selection.
Strategies for Decarbonization:
- Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs): These assessments are crucial for measuring the environmental impact of a project, considering the embodied carbon of materials, energy and water use, and potential for reuse or recycling.
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): These documents, created by manufacturers, provide transparency regarding a product’s carbon footprint, allowing designers to make informed choices.
- Design Strategies: Landscape architects are implementing various strategies to reduce embodied carbon, including:
- Building less and reusing more: Utilizing existing elements in the landscape whenever possible.
- Designing for efficiency: Optimizing designs to minimize material use and maximize functionality.
- Selecting low-carbon alternatives: Choosing materials with lower embodied carbon footprints, like recycled content or local options.
- Minimizing site disturbances: Protecting existing vegetation and soil health to preserve stored carbon.
- Increasing carbon sequestration: Planting trees and other vegetation that absorb and store carbon dioxide.
Collaboration is Key:
- Landscape architects play a vital role in storing carbon through well-designed landscapes. Wetlands, salt marshes, and forests have particularly high carbon storage capacities.
- Collaboration with other professionals like architects and engineers is essential to achieve comprehensive decarbonization throughout the design and construction process.
The Path Forward:
- Landscape architects are actively seeking solutions to reduce the environmental impact of their work. Tools like the Carbon Conscience and Climate Positive Design’s Pathfinder are aiding them in assessing and minimizing embodied carbon in projects.
- By adopting these strategies and fostering collaboration, landscape architects can significantly contribute to a more sustainable built environment.
From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc landscape architects and designers proudly serves both commercial and residential sustainable landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.