Environmentally friendly and ethical landscaping

What are humanitarian the costs to import Indian sandstone from across the world - are we putting food on poor peoples tables or are we using 'ethics' to brainwash consumers into buying to boost profits?

Perhaps the word ethical is so commonly used these days or overused to the extent it has lost a bit of clout?

In landscaping and gardening there are two kinds or ethical operators. The first is genuinely concerned about the worlds resources and our use in re-creating parts of the world, using these resources, in corners of our gardens or environments.

There is the other ethical operator who goes with the flow and pays lip service to get the deal done.

There has been a debate raging since I started in horticulture about the use of Irish Moss Peat in horticulture. The questions were asked by consumers about what value Irish Moss Peat has to the garden and quite frankly no more than many other products which are available to condition your soil which could do as well. The Irish Bogs were 'raped' of the peat for ridiculous profit.

I am a great believer that the land should be harvested for life. In other words, small communities cutting peat, drying it and using it for fuel and roofing. The bogs are quite resilient really and will regenerate fairly quickly until supply outstrips demand.

The hardwood forests in Africa which supplies the timber such as Iroko for the decking and furniture industry is now sought from registered farms that implement re planting programmes and proper management of their land.

The mind-set of the producer is moving towards a key-holder and custodian policy rather than advocating a blanket reaping of any resource. After all we are only owners in our lifetimes, the world needs to be sustained beyond this for future benefit.

How does any product get from the place of harvest to our garden and what costs, other than financial, is involved?

Indian Sandstone has become a mainstream product in the industry within the last 10 years. Until then, it was expensive to buy or import and only reserved for the rich.

Once the marketers got hold of it and arranged for mass importation, the product grew in popularity and availability. What was only available from specialist suppliers like Pink's Hill (formerly of Guildford but now Farnham Surrey) can be obtained from nearly every landscaping outlet in the UK.

York Paving used to be the 'in thing' but limited by supply, the price became unreasonably high, but now you can have a very similar product and a third of the price.

However, some questions are now being asked about the methods of production. Evidence suggests that large quarries in India are exploiting child labour in the rush to satisfy demand in conditions that are, at best, not safe for a skilled and mature adult to work in, let alone a child.

Now the landscape industry is awakening to this abuse and the industry suppliers - the ethical ones - and are raising awareness of the brand.

I have written about the fantastic paving site of A J McCormack before and I am pleased to bring it back into the spotlight after reading this post. It is not a post written as a passing but a deep rooted passionate belief in getting the balance right.

In partnership with Rock Unique, McCormack brings the supply industry into focus with a blog. However this is no ordinary blog because the writers,Chris Van Halewyn, MD of Rock Unique, and David Dodd, of the Outdoor Room have travelled to India to see the quarries, meet the companies and the people that work in the daily Indian Sandstone business for themselves.

Bookmark Are there cowboys in India, you never know their findings might eventually lead to implications for the landscape industry.

Comments

[Richard Loader]

Phil - interesting subject and the blog from Chris and David fascinating.

My first reaction is that whatever their findings it will take a lot to convince me that there is any justification for shipping heavy material like stone halfway round the world. I find the concept ridiculous.
Garden designers genuinely concerned about the environment will be dedicated to using local materials and keep hard landscaping to a minimum - using plants and landforming to create structure.
Cheap materials like Indian stone may be affordable to the consumer but can the Earth afford this kind of extravagance?

[Philip Voice]

Hi Richard

Thank you for your comment.

I quite agree with you about hauling products across the world to satisfy our desires.

I am one for using and exploiting local resources where possible but unfortunately times seem to have changed forever.

The visit to India by Chris and David is a clever one from a marketing perspective and I am sure will benefit the industry as well as their respective business's.

If it is going to happen then at least subject it to scrutiny and self governance.

The problem for me is where we draw the line?

As you say an interesting subject.

All the best

Phil