Yard & Garden: Eco-Friendly Checklist

Improving the environmental impact of your yard can be something that people overlook. There are many ways to make your home more sustainable from the outdoors.

So much about sustainability revolves around making the best use of your space, optimizing it to perform at top efficiency and avoid pollution or waste.

Here is a list of items to get you thinking about how to transform your property into something more sustainable. While some aspects of improving your landscape might seem obvious, there may be some you hadn’t though of!

Want to check out more than just this topic? See our full eco-friendly home checklist!

Checklist

  • Use landscape lighting fixtures that use solar energy for power
  • Organic or DIY insect spray
  • Food producing landscape
  • Native or adapted landscaping
  • Drip irrigation
  • Natural lawns or maintenance-free landscaping
  • Gas free landscape maintenance tools
  • Natural shading

Download & Print

You can make a copy of this checklist in Google Sheets, allowing you to customize however you see fit. You can also print a copy from Google Sheets once it’s copied if desired.

View the sheet first and make a copy via File > Make a copy or simply click the “Make a Copy” button below.

Google Sheets Checklist
Make a Copy

Use landscape lighting fixtures that use solar energy for power

 Impact: Low
 Effort: Easy
 Cost: Cost will vary depending on the type and amount of outdoor lighting.

Outdoor lighting can really bring a backyard to life, but running electricity can be costly and wasteful. Instead, opt for solar powered outdoor lighting.

Organic or DIY insect spray

 Impact: Low
 Effort: Easy
 Cost: Recipes for insect repellents either for plants or for humans often consist of natural oils, alcohols, vinegars, or peppers - all of which can be found very cost effectively. If you're buying organic insect sprays, those can be more expensive - likely a few dollars per bottle.

Buying organic insect spray can avoid harsh chemicals that are often produced in ways that harm the environment. Making your own insect repellent is even better because you can use bulk, organic ingredients and reuse spray bottles instead of throwing them out.

Food producing landscape

 Impact: Medium
 Effort: Easy
 Cost: You can take several approaches to planting food-bearing landscapes. You can buy plants which will be most expensive, buy seeds, or save seeds from previous plants or food for free!

Including plants in your yard that produce food has many benefits: your health, the air, the environment, and your wallet! Growing your own food at home reduces the emissions caused by shipping food to stores, you driving to get the food, all of the wasteful packaging it so often comes in, and allows you to focus on low-carbon footprint foods.

Native or adapted landscaping

 Impact: Medium
 Effort: Somewhat Difficult
 Cost: If you're a savvy gardener and love to transplant, you can find plenty of native plants for free. Just be cautious of minimizing damage to the source location and beware of protected plants in your area.

Native plants are well-acclimated to the local environment, so they do not require fertilizers, extra watering, or additional maintenance like non-native plants do.

Drip irrigation

 Impact: Medium
 Effort: Challenging
 Cost: Cost for a drip irrigation system will largely depend on the size of the area and whether you're planning to install it yourself or hire someone. According to Home Advisor, the average residential drip irrigation system costs around $350 (1).

Drip irrigation can conserve impressive amounts of water and fertilizer compared to hand watering or other irrigation systems. By placing the drip irrigation strategically to nourish the plant, you're avoiding overwatering or aggressive water pressures that can wash away soil and valuable nutrients.

Natural lawns or maintenance-free landscaping

 Impact: High
 Effort: Somewhat Difficult
 Cost: Cost can vary significantly depending on the size of your lot and your specific design.

Avoiding grass that needs regular cutting and maintenance can save on harmful emissions from lawn equipment, enhance the natural landscape, and save you money. Consider natural lawns with wildflowers or tall grasses, hardscaped areas, mulch beds, or rocks.

Gas free landscape maintenance tools

 Impact: High
 Effort: Somewhat Difficult
 Cost: You can typically find an electric lawn mower and weed whip for around $400 or better, depending on your needs and location.

Emissions from lawn equipment like gas powered mowers, weed whackers, edgers, etc. can contribute significantly to harmful environmental impact. Opting for electric lawn equipment, either plug-in or battery powered, can help you avoid contributing.

Natural shading

 Impact: High
 Effort: Somewhat Difficult
 Cost: The cost of planting or moving trees to shade your house will vary drastically based on how much coverage you need and the size of the trees you're planting. You can spend far less money on younger trees, but they'll take a long time to provide full shade coverage.

Planting trees to shade your home can do wonders to keep your home cooler and reduce the energy and money you put into air conditioning and fans. According to Energy.gov, temperatures directly under trees can be up to 25°F cooler than temperatures above blacktop in the same area (2).

Article Sources ↓

Natural Replacements references research from industry experts and reputable industry publishers to support claims or data in our content when applicable. Learn more about our publishing standards and practices in our editorial guidelines.

  1. Home Advisor - How Much Does A Drip Irrigation System Cost To Install?
    Accessed: August 27, 2022
  2. Energy.gov - Landscaping for Shade
    Accessed: August 27, 2022

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Citations for This Article

APA

Plonkey, Jim. (October 30, 2022). Yard & Garden: Eco-Friendly Checklist. Natural Replacements. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://naturalreplacements.com/learn/yard-garden/yard-eco-friendly-checklist/

MLA

Plonkey, Jim. "Yard & Garden: Eco-Friendly Checklist." Natural Replacements, https://naturalreplacements.com/learn/yard-garden/yard-eco-friendly-checklist/

Chicago

Plonkey, Jim. "Yard & Garden: Eco-Friendly Checklist." Natural Replacements, Last modified October 30, 2022. https://naturalreplacements.com/learn/yard-garden/yard-eco-friendly-checklist/

Jim Plonkey

Jim Plonkey is a Co-founder of Natural Replacements. A digital marketing professional with a passion for sustainability, Jim lives in Southeast Michigan and enjoys traveling to new places, spending time outdoors - kayaking, hiking, and gardening, and yoga.

Content on the Natural Replacements is produced under the guidance of our editorial standards.

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Written By: Jim Plonkey

Updated: October 30, 2022

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