Archived press release

Be a greener gardener this weekend

28 May 2004

Friends of the Earth is calling on gardeners to make the environment a priority this weekend. This Bank Holiday weekend is expected to be one of the busiest of the year for garden centres, and the environmental campaign group is urging gardeners to avoid products that wreck the environment, and choose less-damaging alternatives instead.

"This weekend is expected to be one of the busiest of the year for garden centres. We are delighted that so many people enjoy their gardens, but gardeners should be green-minded, as well as green-fingered. This means avoiding products which are damaging the planet such as peat, pesticides and unsustainable timber products, and seeking out less damaging alternatives instead.

"All garden centres should take a hard look at the products they promote to their customers to assess what the environmental impacts are. Some already do this, but others are not. If companies continue to push products that damage the environment, then the Government should legislate to stop them."

Friends of the Earth's green gardening tips include:

DON'T BUY PEAT

Don't use peat on the garden. Peat bogs are some of our most precious wildlife sites and control flooding, but some of these are being destroyed by the peat industry.

Commercial peat extraction is destroying Bolton Fell Moss and Solway Moss, both peat bogs in Cumbria. Both have been recommended as sites of European conservation importance by English Nature, the Government's wildlife advisory body. The RSPB and Friends of the Earth are campaigning for an immediate end to peat extraction at these sites.

A range of peat-free alternatives are available. Peat alternatives can be made from composted materials. Using these encourages composting which also reduces the pollution caused from landfilling or incineration (see also garden waste, below).

SAY NO TO UNSUSTAINABLE TIMBER PRODUCTS

Forests around the world are being destroyed or damaged by the timber industry to satisfy our demand for timber products, including garden furniture. If you are buying wooden garden furniture ensure it is either reclaimed timber or carries the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo which shows that the forests have been sustainable managed. Beware: many non-FSC logos and certificates claiming that forests have been sustainably managed are not worth the paper they have been printed on.

AVOID GARDEN CHEMICALS

Many garden products (such as pesticides and wood treatments) contain chemicals which may harm the environment and threaten human health too. A number of chemicals that are regularly used are known to build up in our bodies or disrupt human hormones and have been linked to health threats such as increases in cancer rates. Unborn babies, infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to these chemicals as their bodies are developing so fast. Friends of the Earth is pushing for tough legislation to ensure that those that pose a threat to health and the environment are banned.

Avoid garden pesticides - garden organically instead and choose low toxicity timber treatments.

GIVE PATIO-HEATERS THE COLD SHOULDER

Don't buy these. Carbon dioxide (which is created by burning fossil fuels) is the main cause of climate change, the biggest environmental threat the planet faces. We need to save energy, not waste it. If it's cold outside, why not put on an extra jumper and wear a coat!

GARDEN WASTE

Rather than burning garden waste or binning why not compost it instead. This can then be used as an alternative to peat on your garden or as a soil improver. Alternatively, a growing number of local authorities will collect compostable waste from your house - as part of a door step recycling scheme - which they will then turn into compost for use on local authority land. Ask you council what service they provide.

GROW NATIVE

Grow native species in your garden. Ask, stockists if you are unsure. These will make your garden more attractive to wildlife by providing food and shelter for mammals, insects and birds. A pond, bird and bat boxes attract wildlife as well

GR0W YOUR OWN

Even a small vegetable plot can be very productive and can provide vegetables any time of the year. Fruit trees love sunny walls. Fresh fruit and vegetables picked fresh from the garden will be richer in important vitamins and you can guarantee they are pesticide residue free!

DON'T WASTE WATER

Rather than using a hose, collect rain water in a water butt and use this to water your garden. Some wildlife sites are under threat because of over-abstraction of water. Yet 40,000 litres of rainwater fall on the average house every year. Bath water can also be used in a drought using a siphon tube.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust