Gardening and The Carbon Cycle

Carbon is present in all living organisms and is a major chemical component of the building blocks of life. Carbon will change chemical states as it is degraded, metabolized etc through a multitude of chemical, geological and biological processes.

Carbon moves between its four major reservoirs- the atmosphere, the terrestrial landmass, the oceans and the sedimentary reservoirs which includes in particular, fossil fuels.

Environmentally, the key issue becomes understanding how human activity has impacted upon the balance of Carbon found in the various reservoirs, and how we can address our current methods of activity to rebalance the scales.

In terms of Global Warming, the imbalance exists because we have essentially converted carbon locked away in the form of fossil fuels and vegetation, into atmospheric Carbon which then impacts the Greenhouse Effect. (see Greenhouse Made Easy). The rate of change in atmospheric CO2 as a consequence of industrialisation is illustrated in the graph below.

Individuals Can make a Difference

To counter the impacts of increasing atmospheric carbon levels we need to be conscious of our purchasing decisions, and consider what negative or positive environmental consequences are attached to the products we purchase.

Many people will be aware of the concept of large businesses ‘offsetting’ the negative environmental aspects of their business by purchasing Carbon Credits via tree planting programs and the like which attempt to remove Carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of trees. This is something all gardeners can do in their own backyards however there are many other very positive actions that gardeners can take to store Carbon in their backyard.

Carbon and Garden Products

Consumers are now being encouraged to understand the environmental baggage or the Carbon Footprint (see Your Gardens Carbon Footprint) that products carry. Products are therefore being described as being;

• Carbon negative – where there has been a reduced greenhouse gas impact from the use of the product
• Carbon neutral – where there has been no net greenhouse impact
• Carbon positive – where the products in some way increase atmospheric Carbon or greenhouse gases as a consequence of their manufacture and use.

Carbon Gardening

Carbon Gardening is a concept developed by Australian Native Landscapes to assist gardeners to be Carbon negative or Carbon neutral. The objective is not only to actively avoid products that carry a greenhouse load, but to actively use products that are comparitively Carbon negative.

The Carbon Gardening product range is comparatively Carbon negative. In other words, these products are greenhouse friendly in comparison to alternatives and provide inherent and quantified greenhouse benefit as a consequence of the materials from which they are made and how we process that material into gardening and landscape products.

In using these products, consumers are able to offset part of their household Carbon Footprint. (see Carbon Gardening Products).