Reducing carbon when transforming your site from grey to green

Sofia Metcalf-Riener

"Gardening has potential to make a positive impact on some of the biggest challenges we face globally, such as climate change, the biodiversity crisis and the human health crisis".
Professor Alistair Griffiths, RHS Director of Science and Collections

As part of the Nature Park your learners will be leading the way in transforming your outdoor space, creating new habitats and turning ‘grey’ areas of your site into green, nature-rich spaces to benefit both people and wildlife.

Here are some high-impact ways you can reduce carbon when transforming your site from grey to green.

Reduce resource use

Limit the use of new resources when transforming your site by looking for second hand tools and equipment on Freecycle, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Local community gardening groups may also be happy to share tools with you.
Look for recycled materials when purchasing or building any equipment/planters.
Choose the right plant for the right place to ensure that the plant will live for a long time and won’t need to be replaced. Check out our planting for a purpose package to help you with these decisions.
Make pots for seedlings out of newspaper to reduce plastic use, or why not do a call out for pot donations from your community?
Re-use green waste or food waste to create your own compost and save on buying lots of bags of compost. If you can’t make your own, ask your local community if they have any compost— your local council is a good place to start. You could even involve learners by making a mini wormery.
Use electric gardening equipment if possible instead of petrol or diesel.

Go peat free

Peat is a natural resource that forms over thousands of years in peat bogs, which are an important carbon capture and storage area. Globally, peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests combined in an area ten times smaller, and so it's really important we take steps to make sure we can preserve these vital areas.

Buy peat-free compost — look for the words 'peat-free' on the bag. Buy peat-free plants — check this list to find your nearest peat-free nursery.
Make your own compost and investigate directing your food waste for composting on site. The carbon impact of waste in your setting can be calculated with the Eco-Schools Count Your Carbon tool.
Spread the word! Educate your school, college or nursery community about going peat-free. Can you have a conversation with your grounds maintenance team?

Pledge to save water

Every litre of mains water you use adds to your carbon footprint, as energy is needed to process this and it increases pressure on our water supply. Ways you can save water include:

Use a water butt to collect rainwater and use it to water your plants, making you self-sufficient during periods of drought or hosepipe bans.
Water the roots of plants rather than the leaves.
Is flooding an issue in your area? Swap your paving for plants and use our guidance to develop a rain garden or our Water permeability activity.
The carbon impact of water usage in your setting can be calculated in the Eco-Schools Count Your Carbon tool.

Create space for nature

A great way to help nature is to manage it less — saving you time and money!

Create a grassland — put away the mower and help wildflowers to grow, creating a haven for butterflies, bees and insects. Plus, longer grass is more tolerant of drought! Check out our Nature Park guidance to add a flower-rich grassland.
Plant trees or hedges — increased vegetation can help limit the local impacts of extreme high temperatures, poor air quality and heavy rainfall, helping make your grounds more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
Embrace no-dig gardening to support soil health — a win for carbon storage and healthy plants!