I’m a big sucker for pavers.  The Old World look that they give, the geometry…yet, here is another green alternative to concrete that I have fallen in love with: GraniteCrete.  Whether you’re in need of a new driveway, landscape path, or even a patio area, consider using the organic feel of GraniteCrete.

One of the reasons that I love pavers is because of their porous nature.  GraniteCrete is also porous, allowing water to naturally seep into the ground and preventing unnecessary runoff to drains and sewers.  Oil and other chemicals on our driveways can be broken down naturally by the bacteria in our soil before reaching our water table.  Keeping our groundwater clean is important for the root systems of our trees. GraniteCrete will also reduce the affects of flash flooding, and lessen the urban heat-island effect.  Runoff can cause erosion to the land and your landscape over time.

With all of that said, GraniteCrete has been installed in residences as well as harsher settings such as the California coastline (which, amazingly enough, did not require maintenance for 5 years at the high tide line).   It is made up of the remains from stone quarry manufacturing.  You can install GraniteCrete on up to a 30% slope, and it exceeds OSHA’s friction standards.   You’ll find support and LEED credits available when you choose to use the natural path surface of GraniteCrete.

For the DIY installer, you should be able to obtain the material from your local landscape contractor.  The ready mix can be purchased by the bag.  Because no rebar, special equipment, or professional skills are required for installation, you’ll find it easy to install a professional surface on your first attempt.  Amazingly, GraniteCrete is less expensive than both concrete and pavers at just over $1 a square foot.

GraniteCrete currently offers 6 standard colors: natural, adobe, sand, brown, used brick, and new brick. Custom colors are also available.  To see more GraniteCrete examples, click here and watch an informative video.

I can’t wait to try GraniteCrete on our next landscaping adventure.  Maybe I’ll even create a patio with a combination of pavers, natural stone, and GraniteCrete.  What other alternatives to asphalt and concrete are GetWithGreen readers using, and how do you rate them?

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Several weeks ago, I was walking Magneson Loop (neighborhood street near my home), and the green grass of a charming little bungalow caught my eye. The lawn was perfectly groomed as if cut by artists with scissors.

After further close inspection, I determined that the lawn was actually synthetic grass! While GetWithGreen hears of these products often from manufacturers, this was my first real life experience with this type of eco-friendly product, and from a distance greater than two feet I could not tell the difference between this artificial sod and traditional sod.

According to the Association of Artificial & Synthetic Grass Installers, homeowners installing artificial lawns reap the following benefits:

• Goes where no natural lawn dares to and thrives under almost any condition
• Low maintenance just keep it clean with a blower
• No need for watering, No need for mowing
• Never trim, edge, aerate, seed, thatch, or feed the lawn again!
• Thrives in full sun or shade
• Won’t stain, fights fading & discoloration
• Can handle high traffic and heavy weight
• Great installed on practically any type of surface
• Safe and environmentally friendly
• Non-allergenic

So who makes synthetic grass? NewGrass, is one leading manufacturer. The company offers four varieties of artificial lawn; Premium Rye ($5.99sq/ft), Rye ($4.99sq/ft), Fescue ($3.99sq/ft), and Sport ($3.79sq/ft).

NewGrass claims their products are 100% recyclable, and if/when you decide to replace your lawn they will come out to your home, and remove it for recycling — free of charge (NewGrass carries a 10-year warranty). The company’s EnviroCel backing material replaces traditional petroleum-based polymers found on previous generations of artificial grass, with bio-based compounds derived from domestically-grown soybeans. In addition, for every square foot of NewGrass installed the company makes a donation to the Carbon Fund.

New grass is installed presently across the U.S, so weather is not an issue for these types of alternative grasses. Existing sod is removed, crushed aggregate serves as a foundation for NewGrass, the grass is then put down. (See an installation of NewGrass on Bob Villa)

How else can you save? It turns out that many communities across the U.S. offer rebates:

• Arizona – Flagstaff, Tempe, Glendale, Phoenix and Scottsdale
• California has several active and pending programs
• Colorado has several active and pending programs
• Oregon has programs under consideration
• Washington has programs under consideration
• Nevada has several active and proposed programs
• New Mexico has rebate programs

The NewGrass website offers a list of NewGrass installers and distributors.

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Soil moisture sensors and weather-based irrigation controllers (such as our favorite Cyber-Rain) allow for much more efficient watering of your landscape.    But, did you know that there are certified professionals Nationally who can help you optimize your landscape watering with these technologies to save both your pocketbook AND the environment!?

It is true, there are designers, contractors, and auditors across the US, who have been certified under the EPA’s WaterSense program for their expertise in building landscaping systems that make efficient use of water.   The WaterSense program offers a list of these landscape experts, and the criteria by which they were certified.  Clicking on the following link will take you to EPA’s list of WaterSence certified professions.

According to the EPA, homeowners could reduce irrigation water use by 15%, or 9,000 gallons annually, by designing landscape irrigation systems using certified professionals.  That is just about equivalent to leaving your hose running nonstop for nearly a day!

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Rain Bird Corporation announced today that they have opened registration to win a $10,000 backyard makeover in their Why is it Always Greener contest.  One grand prize winner will receive a gift card to the home retailer of their choice, and a first prize winner will receive a $500 gift card.  The sweepstakes only requires you to fill out their form electronically and submit.   GetWithGreen.com thinks this could be a great way to get in on transforming your backyard to a greener solution — using products like automatic sprinkler shut-off sensors.

The deadline for entries is midnight on August 31, 2008. Winners will be announced in October 2008.

Additionally, the Rain Bird team is still accepting nominations for its Intelligent Use of Water Award.  This award is open to homeowners (and organizations) whose innovation, leadership, ingenuity, and overall committment, to improved landscape water efficiency has raised the standard for outdoor water conservation.

Both homeowners and professionals (industry and non-industry) are encouraged to submit their nominations for the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award by completing a nomination form at http://www.rainbird.com/iuow/award.htm. The deadline for nominations is June 30, 2008.

Following the close of the nomination period, an independent panel of experts will select the finalists and winner based on their demonstrated leadership, innovation and implementation of water-efficient measures.  The recipient of the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award will receive $10,000 in acknowledgment of their contributions toward protecting Earth?s most precious resource. They will also be featured in a short film highlighting their contributions to outdoor water conservation, which will be shown at the final screening event of the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition (www.iuowfilm.com) in Los Angeles on October 11, 2008.

The 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award will be judged by an esteemed panel of landscape and water-efficiency experts, each with a unique understanding of the relationship between better landscape designs and reduced landscape water waste.   Returning as judges for the second annual Intelligent Use of Water Award are:

• Elizabeth Cutright, Editor, Water Efficiency, The Journal for Water Conservation Professionals
• Dan Stark, Executive Director of the American Public Gardens Association
• Ron Stoltz, Director of the School of Landscape Architecture at The University of Arizona

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Look out!  During your remodel your existing landscaping could be in for a beating!  

Construction workers, Bobcats, piles of lumber, nails, gravel, etc.  You can imagine, or maybe you already know what I am talking about.  Well there are precautions you can take to reduce the damage to your wallet, to your trees and plants, and to limit the impact on the environment overall for the energy it takes to replace them!

Here are a few things you can do to preserve:

• Agree with your contractor before the project starts that your landscaping is important.
• Install temporary fencing around roots, and trees.
• Don’t allow materials to be stacked under trees, as the weight can damage roots systems.
• Watch for washing of wheelbarrows in planted areas, as the lime in the mix can create harmful pH levels.
• Schedule waterings on weekends, or when workers are gone so they are not walking through wet soil.

There are many more ideas in Tom Dominguez’s recent article:  Tips for your landscape during construction projects.

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This month Better Homes and Gardens magazinehas compiled a nice list of things you can do with your landscaping to get more eco-friendly during a yard makeover.

To save you $$’s on energy, Landscaping That Makes Sense, describes how:

• A well-positioned tree can save up to 25% on heating and cooling
• Tree shaded yards with lawn vs. pavement can keep temperatures down 6-25 degrees
• Shading your roof can increase your air conditioners efficiency by 10%
• A single tree can equal the cooling power of 15 air conditioners
• Three house-shading trees can cut your cooling bill by up to 50%
• Windbreaks can cut winter heating bills by 10-30%

Regional Strategies for Energy-Efficient Landscaping discusses how if you live in:

• The Northeast: Take advantage of the sun in the winter by planting deciduous trees on the south- and west-facing sides of your house. And in the summer the leaves from these trees will also provide shade. Planting trees or shrubs to the north or northwest will prevent winter winds from draining the heat from your home
• The Midwest: Plant large deciduous trees on the south or west side of your home to reduce the need for summer A/C. Planting trees or shrubs to the north or northwest side of your home can provide a winter windbreak
• The High Plains and MountainWest: Planting a windbreak on the north side of your home can help winter heat loss, and planting deciduous trees will offer shade in the summer months
• The Pacific Northwest: Keep your home warmer in the winter by avoiding the planting of evergreens on the south or southwest side of your home. Instead, plant deciduous trees that will let the sun in, and shade during the summer
• The South: Plant large evergreen trees on the south or southwest side of your home to shade the heat. Decrease humidity by planting drought-tolerant plants next to your home.
• The Southwest: Plant shade trees on the sunniest sides of your home, and use windbreaks to block the wind around your home
• Southern California: Plant big shade trees on the south and southwest side of your house. Block warm summer winds by planting windbreaks around your home to deflect them

Landscaping to Reduce Winter Heating Costs direct us toward the following landscaping strategies to minimize our heating costs:

1. Plant evergreens to block northwest winter winds. Correct planting can cut winter heating bills by 25%
2. Place planters, walls or berms near your home to create “dead air space” which acts as insulation
3. Deciduous trees can screen 70-90% of the hot summer sun, and in the winter these same trees will loose their leaves and allow sun to filter through
4. Create open lawns on the south side of your home, allowing the accumulation of snow. Light reflecting off the snow can offer radiant heat effects on your home.
5. Build tall fences to slow winter winds. (also provides protection for less cold-hardy plants
6. Inclusion of eco-friendly hardscape surfaces around your home can soak up heat during the day and reflect it during a cool evening.

Landscaping to Reduce Summer Cooling Costs provides the following tips to assist your A/C during the summer months:

• Build a pergola, add an awning, or provide some other type of shade structure on the west side of your house. Filters light during he hottest part of the day, and covered with vines still allows cool breezes
• Position porches, decks, and patios on the east, as they will offer morning sun and shade in the evening
• Light colored ground covers will reflect more heat, making it hotter, darker wood chips will absorb the heat
• Place trees where they will shade your windows (e.g. on the south and west sides) from the direct sun
• Funnel breezes through your property by planting a row of trees on one side of the house, and a wall on the other will create a wind tunnel
• Add a water feature because it can psychologically cool your landscape. Upwinds from ponds will cool the air around your home
• Plant clusters of trees which can create a cool zone for breezes to filter through

So as you are planning your new backyard, adding that eco-friendly playground equipment, and putting in trees, take the above into account and build some of the tips into your plans!

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