The Garden Design and Landscape Architecture professions are in a unique place to make a difference to one of the main drivers of sustainable development through the impact we make on our environment. At the London College of Garden Design we are training some of the leading future professional garden designers, not just in the UK but overseas, and we therefore take our responsibilities towards sustainability seriously. This includes –
- Encouraging students to reflect on sustainable design throughout their course, whatever that might be.
- Considering the impact that we have as a business through our training.
- Encouraging social equity not just through our training but practising what we teach through supporting charities such as Greenfingers, Perennial, Global Gardens and Thrive.
Key to this training we will encourage students to take account of the following in their work.
- Designing to reduce energy inputs by minimising materials, thoughtful plant selection and reducing maintenance.
- Considering soil and water as finite resources.
- Maximising opportunities for biodiversity.
- Minimising the impact on native habitats, nature, wildlife and other systems.
- Minimising use of resources that have a negative impact at source.
- Creating resilience when designing with plants and materials.
We will continue to review how we can make a positive impact and develop our training accordingly.