Sustainable Playgrounds

What is a sustainable play area and how is it achieved?

A sustainable play area is designed and built to have the minimum long-term impact on the environment while still providing a safe, engaging and durable space for children to play.

The core principle of sustainable gardening is simple: natural resources should not be consumed faster than they can be replaced.

This is achieved by

Using reclaimed building materials wherever possible, such as bricks and cobblestones, to reduce waste and demand for new resources
Sourcing recycled materials for key safety features, for example recycled rubber chippings for impact-absorbing play surfaces
Ensuring all timber comes from responsibly managed forests that are actively replanted and sustainably maintained
Designing ongoing maintenance routines that follow sustainable gardening principles, reducing unnecessary waste, chemicals and resource use

SchoolPlaygroundDesigners.co.uk follow a strict code of practice when it comes to both the construction and long-term maintenance of sustainable play areas.

Famous School Playground Designers

Good Sustainable Methodology

Rain Water Storage

Rain water from roofs and pavements can be harvested.

Rain Water Harvesting

It can stored either above ground in oak barrel water butts attached to drainpipes and in under ground tanks. Using these methods hundreds of gallons of water can be stores and used throughout the summer.

Composting

All garden and kitchen waste should be composted. This, as well as rotted farmyard manure is invaluable for all Sustainable Gardeners.

Garden Sustainability

A good supply of Compost means there is no longer any necessity to add peat or artificial fertilisers to the ground.

Mulching

A layer of mulch (such as rotted leaves straw, grass clippings, wood chips, sawdust or cocoa shells) across open soil is invaluable.It helps retain moisture, suppress weeds, helps soil structure, stops soil erosion and protects plant roots in extremes of temperature.

Insect Repellants

The canny sustainable gardener will intersperse the plants with those which either have their own inbuilt “pest deterrents” or ones which encourage natural predators. Popular plants in this range include Marigolds, Wild Garlic, Onions, Chives and many herbs

Weed Control

Weeds can be as great a bane to the Sustainable Gardener as garden pests. Weeds take nourishment and moisture out of the soil and need to be removed as quickly as possible and definitely before they produce seed heads!

Non Tidying

Non tidying: it is not necessary to remove all spent or dead items from a Sustainable Garden. Piles of leaves or fallen twigs will quickly create Natural Habitats for valuable insects, invertebrates and wild life.

Lawn Care

Constant watering of lawns in dry weather is wasteful and is not necessary for the perpetuation of a lawn. It can quite happily turn brown but will revert to a lush green sward, after the first Autumn rains.

Wild Flowers

Wherever possible, Wild flowers should be placed in a Sustainable Garden. They will grow in the most appalling soil conditions and they are probably “The Best Friend” of a Sustainable Gardener.

Tree Selection

It would be unwise to plant a Coastal Tree in a sheltered Inland Valley. One should always examine a particular area and choose Trees which are Native to that area. They settle in quicker and require less maintenance

Plant Selection

It would be pointless to plant a Zantesdeschia (a damp and shade loving plant) in the centre of a sunny, dry area. Sustainable Planting means keeping plants happy by putting then in conditions to which they are accustomed.

Fruit and Vegetables

Fruit and Vegetables: home grown produce contains more essential nutrients than any which one can purchase in normal stores. Fruit and Vegetables are pure Sustainable Gardening as after having enjoyed the produce, the Sustainable Gardener replants the seeds (potato eyes etc) and up “pops” another even bigger crop!

Specific Watering

Where watering is required, the Sustainable Gardener should only water the essential part of a plant, which are normally the root systems. This can be easily achieved by the hand use of a watering can or if essential, the use of a drip feed water system which delivers water directly to the root systems of each plant.

General Watering

Leaving a water sprinkler “whirring” away in the middle of a lawn, on a sunny day, a large proportion of the water is being wasted by evaporation and by falling on a stone patio or a pathway. This Input of water to the ground is not being matched by the Natural Replenishment of the water. The best time of day to water is late evening.