Garden Design Using the Peace Concept

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Lucy Melton
5 years ago
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1 Welcome

2 Garden Design Using the Peace Concept

3 Assess the site Assess available resources Establish a budget

4 Choose a theme or style Look at magazines and books for ideas and concepts Borrow ideas from your travels and holidays

5 Use Energy Efficient Design Check for services BEFORE you dig Be council wise for approvals

6 DIY or Contractor? Help from friends and family Insurances

7 Some important reasons for using the PEACE concept

8 A few statistics on recycling habits... Compared to European countries, Australia is way behind in the volume of organic material going to landfill Recycling uses more valuable resources to re-process It kills the embodied energy it originally took to process it

9 Planning and Design Consultations Fees and Mark-ups

10 Salinity salinity= cancer of the earth billion trees lost from the Murray River basin alone (size of Victoria) 10% of old growth remains since white settlement 5 million land birds killed annually from land clearing Australia is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas per person. As a nation Australia has the worst loss of Biodiversity to species destruction in the world

11 Green Waste What is waste anyway? Worthless materials?

12 1 million tonnes of green waste 4-6 m 3 1 m 3 green waste = mulch 4 m 3 mulch 1 million tonnes mulch = = 1 tonne mulch 16 Million m 3 green waste

13 Putting an environmental overview on design This is NOT about recycling consumables (plastic, paper, glass) The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines rubbish as waste material, debris, refuse, litter or junk. Waste means different things depending on how you look at it to use extravagantly, to squander, to decrease, to wither, to be unused, of no worth, unproductive and the list goes on. But when you consider the items that you regard to be rubbish or waste, are they really worthless? Can we reuse more of the objects we recycle.

14 But these materials are NOT worthless

15 I see $$$ dollar signs! Cuttings Re-using plants Cut flowers

16 It s about saving these valuable resources About green waste and building materials, not everyday consumables

17 Most of Us Recycle Many people feel this is their only way of making a positive contribution to the environment. Yet, few people are aware that recycling remains a very costly process, using vast amounts of resources and continues to contribute to our ever increasing problem of landfill. Recycling has it s merits, but must only be considered once all possibilities for reuse have been exhausted.

18 Re-use B4 Recycle Changing the mindset on rubbish Re-using materials is not just about environmental and financial benefits. There is also the recognition of the embodied energy used to collect the raw materials and manufacture the object in the first place. By recycling these materials you are destroying this energy all that valuable knowledge and resources have now been wasted.

19 My background

20 The bullies called us scabs!

21 One of the gang So I moved away to the South Coast

22 I had to please her Dad! And went from rags to riches

23 Starting my own business

24 My first nursery I set a good foundation

25 I found it didn t cost more to be creative so I started collecting materials

26 Bronte Display Gardens

27 11 themed display gardens

28 I started only taking jobs where clients wanted to use re-used material Eventually becoming a self-sufficient landscaper

29 I built up a salvage business Collecting everything from roof tiles to sandstone blocks

30 From Building to Plant Material

31 You have to be flexible and have an open mind But the results can be astounding

32 Re-use B4 Recycle There is no such thing as rubbish in my eyes. I believe that almost anything that can be thrown away can be put to good use. To me rubbish is a misnomer, inaccurately describing items that are in transition, valuable objects awaiting another life.

33 Now I consult on Garden Design & Environmental Issues

34 Have you ever thought how much better our environment would be if we could reduce the amount of rubbish and waste we generate The need to promote this re-use concept. To me it s just as important as conserving wildlife and native plants. To me they all interrelate.

35 Are your children aware of where our rubbish goes? Are You? If we mix waste, we contaminate it, which makes it hard to reuse Think first, even a pizza box in your paper box can make it worthless for recycling, but it could go in your compost or worm farm

36 Reuse is about Giving, Sharing Community, which all contributes to world peace Recycling is about taking, wasting Energy and Resources and lining the pockets of individuals. Greed creates Wars

37 ABC Gardening Australia LIVE, NSW 2001 Natural Bali Med scrap Entrance

38 The scrap

39 Natural

40 Balinese

41 Mediterranean

42 I used the same materials for my next landscape Before

43 Using their character to create a Santa Fe/Mexican look After

44 Gardening Australia recognized my passion for re-use and invited me to be part of the team to further spread the word.

45 We as individuals can manage this environment. Not Big Business. The Challenge is to respect not humiliate the planet

46 Incorporating the Salvage Landscape Themes, colours and furnishings are all an important part of creating gardens out of salvaged materials. When designing these gardens, try to make using salvaged materials your first choice.

47 Too many designers clear areas BEFORE they design Whether it s a big or small job Most designers only see the site once or twice Some suggest recycling Some just clear and start from scratch

48 Don t let designers come in and Blitz your Backyard TV and media promote waste But at what cost to you the consumer

49 My Philosophy To create stylish, yet practical and pleasurable places of interest in a professional and environmentally conscious manner

50 Peace Design The Art of Recycling Re-use

51 P is for Practical

52 Make things multi functional

53 Assess available resources

54 Include Permaculture Concepts Necessity is the mother of all invention

55 Consider Your Families Needs

56 If you cant stand there don t pave it

57 What will you get back from it?

58 E is for Environmental

59 Maximise the Aspect

60 Choose the correct plant material Wet Dry

61 Maximise Land and Materials

62 Turn Problems into Features Reuse your water and use Water Tanks

63 Try composting, worm farming and mulching

64 Create Habitat for Wildlife Re-use continues the sight of our past

65 Equal respect to all people resources, materials and animals

66 A is for Attractive When designing in general and creating individual themes, the base raw construction materials are basically the same. Like bricks, blocks, mulches and plants. It s the colours and the furnishings that you add to them when nearing completion that creates the particular look you are after

67 Presentation is the name of the game Design in sympathy with your house and surrounding area Create a feeling that it has been there forever

68 Enhance your Design with Colours

69 Limit the Variety of Materials used

70 How to make re-used products sexy! Dress up every day materials

71 Add your own character and feeling

72 Create Illusion and Depth Use books and magazines for confidence Use ideas from your travels Create illusions, use depth and screening

73 See the faults in materials and appreciate them as being features. Like a tree with one side missing from it. It may not be the perfect specimen plant, but when it is growing in a corner, or used in dense planting, hanging down over a creek or stream it adds character that would otherwise take years to achieve

74 Most of the time when these materials are cleaned up they end up looking fantastic and produce better than new results, both physically and aesthetically

75 C is for Cost Effective Antiques receive great regard and respect from certain people, though a load of old timber or a clump of plant material can be of similar age and are probably worth the same price, but are not given anywhere near the same recognition

76 Add Value with Reused materials Cut-off logs from development at Homebush Cost for transport $3,500 Value of logs = $50,000 $80,000

77 Be creative with existing materials

78 Buy Plants you can sub divide collect seeds & cuttings

79 Buy New Materials Shop at the Tip wisely

80 Share with your Community Join the Australian Open Garden Scheme

81 When designing your garden around the reuse concept, it s important to get your purchasing policy right: Buy reused, recycled or repairable materials. The character you get from these materials is impossible to find in new things. Check all websites, like ResourceNSW, Trading Post, for salvage items you may need. Don t forget to check the streets on Clean Up night, it is amazing what you might find

82 E is for Education

83 Pass your knowledge onto the next generation Show children how to make plants from cuttings and re-used materials, even their toys

84 Use creative designs and share the knowledge Taronga Zoo Educational Centre G.A.L. Brisbane (I slept at the tip)

85 Create interactive and educational and fun designs For your children and you

86 Be involved with your local school Enter the froggies awards

87 Join Garden Clubs and Permaculture Groups Do Eco Friendly Garden Courses Have street parties, share materials and ideas

88 Go to Talks Read and listen to the right Media Garden Industry AIH Conference

89 Find people with Spark to keep Re-use going = KIDS Kids are like sponges Teach them to re-use

90 Encourage your children to experience the outdoors. Research has shown that opportunities to be in the natural world with modeling by a responsible adult is the most effective means of instilling lifelong environmental awareness

91 Recap on Re-use & PEACE Practical Environmental Attractive Cost Effective Educational

92 So how can we go about making this change to re-use materials? Firstly never underestimate the power of individual action. United, empowered individuals can effect extraordinary changes within our governments and businesses. Apply the PEACE concept to your garden.

93 Things to remember and do Change the way we think They re garden resources, NOT waste! If you do recycle, don t mix resources Lobby your council for things like Recycled Saturdays Educate your children on re-use Encourage gardening at school Get involved in community gardening Spread the Word!!!

94 Things to remember and do Buy from second hand dealers or tip shops Check the Trading Post or Trader Ad s Share resources with neighbours and friends Be creative and have FUN Check streets on clean up nights, it s amazing what you might find

95 It s for all Walks of Life not just HIPPIES!!

96 My aim is to empower enough people to keep RE-USE going. Just the way my mum taught me and now hopefully you will too!!!! Thanks Mum

97 JUST TO PROVE IT WORKS

98 Before Old fishermans cottage in Tamarama = $540K

99 To go on to build this at Tamarama 3 years later, SOLD for $1.8M

100 4 Years on

101 Before My Penthouse Purchased for $375K

102 3 years later... Bali High - Bank valued = $1.1M

103 Leichhardt - Bali High

104 The Earth is an unconditional giver of all. The lack of respect will not hurt it s feelings only diminish it s opportunity to fulfill our needs Re Use, the Earth s antidote for happiness Andrew O Sullivan

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