Plastic Lawns, Ecological Landscaping
and Enviromental Responsibility

Have you heard about plastic turfgrass? Touted as the latest and greatest “environmentallyfriendly” landscape innovation, it is lush and realistic-looking, comes in different designer shades of green, and requires no fertilizers, pesticides or water. Since it doesn’t grow, you can also put away your greenhouse gas-emitting mowers and trimmers. Next year, it will be plastic perennials, PVC shrubs and vinyl trees, all in my favourite all-season colours!

Faced with the realities of global warming and environmental degradation, there is an obvious need to rethink many aspects of our lives, including our landscaping practices. Unlimited and wasteful water consumption, the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and the use of exotic invasive plant species, for instance, are simply no longer acceptable. Clearly, we need new approaches to help reduce our ecological footprint”. This is especially true for property owners on the Oak Ridges Moraine, where the need to protect existing habitats and
ecosystems is now a priority. However, I just don’t think sterile, lifeless plastic lawns are the answer.

Myself, I prefer a living, breathing alternative, where the early bird can still get its worm!

In recent years, there has been a substantial growth of interest in what I would generally term “ecological landscaping” here in Ontario and abroad. Ecological landscaping encompasses a
wide variety of innovative practices and technologies that, in simple terms, work with - rather than in opposition to - nature
to create beautiful, ecologically healthy landscapes and gardens.

Native species plantings, low-maintenance lawns, xeriscaping (i.e., water-efficient landscaping), habitat (eg. bird and
butterfly) gardens, and naturalization are more common examples of ecological landscaping.

Ecological landscaping is this, and much more. As a broad concept, it includes low impact on-site water conservation
and stormwater management features such as green roofs, bioswales, water collection systems, permeable pavements and rain gardens. It can entail the use of ecological restoration and management practices to create, enhance and/or restore natural habitats such as woodland, wetland, shoreline and aquatic habitats. Ecological landscaping can also include the use of trees and shrubs to promote energy conservation in our homes, solar powered landscape lighting and pond pumps, vegetated “living walls” to shelter gardens and outdoor living areas, and green “bioengineered” retaining walls to stabilize slopes. Engineered wetlands designed to filter storm runoff and grey water are another aspect of ecological landscapes, as are chemicalfree “Natural Swimming Pools”, another innovation rapidly gaining popularity in Ontario. Ecological landscaping also extends to the use of sustainable harvest and recycled plastic lumber for landscape carpentry projects. It even promotes the
use of local building materials, giving rise to new applications for old technologies, such as rammed earth walls constructed from local soils.

So, whether you live on a small urban lot or a large country estate, there is obviously much you can do to be environmentally- responsible, without having to resort to plastic lawns. For more information on ecological landscaping, check out “Landscaping Guide for Home Landscapes”, published by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation and available online at www.cmhc.ca.