6 Eco-Friendly Ways to Design Your Backyard
Designing a beautiful, eco-friendly backyard oasis doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of budget-friendly ways to reinvent your backyard design while also protecting the environment. Therefore, before you start your backyard remodel, you should consider using some of these inspiring, eco-friendly ideas.
1. Pave it up
A lush green lawn stretching across your backyard is certainly appealing, but it’s not that eco-friendly. A lawn requires a lot of maintenance and water, so you should definitely consider paving your backyard.
You don’t have to replace your entire lawn, but simply cut back on its size. You can install lovely pavers or use gravel instead. These solutions will help you reduce your outdoor water consumption without affecting the visual appeal of your backyard haven.
2. Create a lush green wall
Installing a lovely green wall is one of the most inspiring ways to go green. This is a popular trend that will actually provide you with numerous benefits. If you turn one side of your house into a green wall, you’ll provide it with additional layer of insulation, which will help you reduce your energy consumption.
In addition, this is a space-saving solution if you have a small backyard – you can have a vertical garden that won’t take up too much space.
3. Reinvent your irrigation system
If you want to have a lush, healthy garden, you need to install a proper irrigation system. However, it’s important that you pick an appropriate solution that will help you save water and energy in your home.
Aside from collecting rainwater and using it for your plants, you can also install a smart sprinkler system that you’ll easily program and control. A drip irrigation system is also a great option because it doesn’t waste water on plant foliage, but targets the root.
4. Shade it properly
The only way to truly enjoy your backyard sanctuary is to create a lovely, comfortable seating area. You can bring out some cosy lounge chairs, set up a coffee table and decorate it with chic embellishments. However, you should ensure that your outdoor seating area has the key component – enough shade.
By shading your outdoor space, you’ll be able protect a side of your house from heat gain, keeping it more comfortable during summer, which will help reduce your energy consumption. In addition, you’ll also protect your materials and furniture, so you won’t have to replace them due to sun damage. For the best effect, you should go with durable custom shade sails made of recyclable materials.
This solution will cover more space than a sun umbrella and provide you with greater benefits. Shade sails can be easily installed and adjusted to meet your needs and the particular features of your outdoor area.
5. Light it the green way
Outdoor lighting is another simple, yet effective way to an environmentally-friendly backyard. Beautiful lighting solutions will not only set the mood and create an inviting look, but also elevate your outdoor décor. However, it’s important that you go with eco-friendly lighting options that will help you reduce your energy consumption.
For instance, you can install solar fixtures or use LED lights instead of regular incandescent ones. A smart outdoor lighting system can also help you save energy by allowing you to control it remotely and configure it to turn on and off depending on the time of day.
6. Choose salvaged and repurposed materials
Whether you’re planning to build a deck, pave your backyard or set up a lounge area, it’s important that you go with sustainable, salvaged and reusable materials. You have a range of stylish options, including bamboo, salvaged wood, cork, natural stone, brick, etc. These materials can be used for your furniture, decorations and landscaping, giving your backyard a beautiful, natural flair.
You can also buy vintage pieces instead of new ones, which is both budget- and eco-friendly. Finally, you can even repurpose some of your old items. For example, you can give your old indoor chairs a makeover and use them for your backyard seating area.
Conclusion
Designing a beautiful backyard can be both affordable and eco-friendly. You just need to focus on implementing solutions that will provide you with long-term benefits while also protecting the environment.
Salman Zafar is an ecopreneur, consultant, advisor, speaker and journalist with expertise in waste management, waste-to-energy, renewable energy, environment protection, conservation and sustainable development. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Salman is the Founder of EcoMENA, a popular voluntary organization based in Qatar. He is also the Founder and CEO of BioEnergy Consult, a reputed consulting firm active in biomass, waste-to-energy and waste management segments.
Salman is a professional environmental writer with more than 350 popular articles to his credit. He is proactively engaged in creating mass environmental awareness in different parts of the world.
Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org or salman@bioenergyconsult.com
Wow i love your blog its very informative and can fuel up some ideas, it’s really helpful for us shade sail installers.
How can I make my yard more environmentally friendly?
The idea of “going green” is appealing, but can also be overwhelming. Do you need to use nothing but all-natural fertilizers and completely overhauling your veggie-growing process in order to make a smaller impact on the earth?
How can I make my backyard beautiful on a low budget?
A good quality shade sail that is correctly installed will be able to withstand high winds. Shade sails are designed to form a tensioned structure; under tension the sail adopts a relatively solid shape and should not flap in the wind. … The quality of the shade sail also has an influence on its durability.
Sail shades can be made almost exclusively out of fabric.
Getting help from experts will greatly help especially if you really wanted to transform your backyard yet you don’t know where to start. Great ideas!
I definitely with the list provided. These are eco-friendly and repurposing things are always good. However, if you need to get rid of things, you just have to do it.