4 Unique Ways to Green Up the Outdoors of Your Eco-Friendly Home

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The eco-friendly movement has taken the world by storm. Nowadays, recycling is no longer the only way you can show Mother Earth some love. The green movement made its way into every aspect of our day-to-day lives, from the way we do things to our living environments. That’s why, for many people, it’s no longer enough to simply turn the lights off when leaving a room or take shorter showers. Instead, many of us want to do more than that, and that is how the eco-friendly landscaping was born.

house with backyard

If you’ve already made improvements in your home, making it as eco-friendly as possible, there really is no reason to stop there. The beauty and functionality of a green home will only be further emphasized by a matching outdoors. So, if you’re thinking about greening up the outdoors of your eco-friendly home as well, here are some unique tips that will help you stay on the right track.

Create a green deck

A green deck will not only look extremely beautiful, but it will also act as a perfect transitional point between your indoor living space and the outdoors. This area should include the best elements of both areas, making the transition from the indoor to the outdoor area practically seamless.

patio

To create a green deck, you should first choose green building materials. Reclaimed wood is always a better way to go than using new timber, but that’s not all. Make sure that all the protective sealants and paints used are non-toxic and eco-friendly. Finally, instead of spending money on freshly produced pieces of furniture, try visiting local thrift stores and flea markets and find furniture pieces you can offer new life to.  

Choose your lighting fixtures wisely

One of the crucial points of every decent landscaping effort is outdoor lighting. Not only will it enhance the look of your yard in an instant, but it will also create a cozy environment perfect for enjoying those warm summer nights.

Here, you shouldn’t look any further than solar lights if you truly want to stay eco-friendly. These lights are a perfect choice because they come in many different shapes and sizes (which allows you to go with any design you want) and the only resource they use is the sunlight, which you have plenty of as is every single day.

Take care of other landscaping elements

If you want to be left with a truly green outdoor space, every single aspect of it should be eco-friendly. Therefore, consider planting only native plants because they’re already used to the climate conditions, so no additional irrigation or complicated maintenance will be required. Furthermore, you can install a drainage system and use rainwater for irrigation. Finally, by planting native plants you’ll be providing the local wildlife with additional shelter, thus improving the local ecosystem.

house with frontyard

Next, if you’re living in a particularly sunny area, such as Australia, installing something along the line of quality Sydney Shade sails will only add functionality and aesthetics to your outdoor space. Creating a beautiful environment you are not able to enjoy because of too much sunlight doesn’t make much sense.

Design your own pathways

Instead of opting for expensive flagstone pathways, you can take care of this step on your own. Decide on the position and width that will work best in your yard, prep the terrain by digging holes where you want the pathway to go and simply pour some easy-mix concrete.

Additionally, you can turn this project into a fun family DIY and ask your kids to help you out. There are decorative stepping stone kits available at any craft store, so choose the design, buy some concrete paint and let your kids have fun by allowing them to add some color to your new pathways.  

As you can see, spreading the eco-friendliness throughout your living area is easy; you just need to pay attention to the materials you wish to use and, just like with everything green, always keep the three Rs in mind – reuse, recycle and repurpose. Finally, the best thing about taking your green efforts outdoors is that you will be left with a beautiful, eco-friendly environment that is working with nature instead of against it.

by Derek Lotts

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