How Landscape Architecture has shaped my future

Shown above is the first page of an essay I completed during the first term of my second University year. I wanted to write about something I was interested in and also a subject that was current, what I didn't realise at the time was that researching for this essay opened up and provoked many different thoughts and opinions from me, not just about the essay topic but also climate change and my role within making the world more sustainable.

Climate change is not a new idea, it has been around for many years now, but it wasn't until the start of University life that it became a big issue for me. As a child going through school it seems less of an issue, topics like this covered in school are purely academic, there is a lack of any thought given to the subject because the courses are based on right and wrong questions. At University however I have been allowed to develop new interests and explored different areas of life which has led me to become quite concerned and feeling rather helpless with regards to how much potential damage I have done unknowingly. As a result of this and my studying at university and development as a person I now find myself constantly questioning my decisions and actions with regards to environmental sustainability, which I assume is a good thing? However if left to spiral, these decisions, thoughts and constant assessment could easily get out of hand, mentally it is hard to know when to stop and realise that you are doing the best you can. 

One of the problems is that it is hard at University to act on concerns for the environment and how sustainable a life you can live because in a shared house of 6 we produce so many bags of waste each week, with only a small amount of this going to recycling. I think this problem is amplified because I have come from a small family of 4 and I did not do the recycling or take the bins out, but it makes you realise how much global waste is produced. Often I find items that could be recycled in the domestic rubbish bin, objects that with just a little bit of care could be recycled, but again, students at Uni are hardly going to prioritise this. We have no garden, no space to create a home for nature, what little outdoor space we do have is tarmac and gravel. Food waste is also a problem, sometimes it is more convenient to throw away food that is only a day past its sell by date because it is easier not to take a risk. A lot of the problems revolve around the use of single use plastics, it is ASTOUNDING the amount of items that use single use plastic where there is absolutely no need to. Ultimately I feel as if (Especially within my University house) understanding and knowledge around these subjects is lacking, especially with regards to recycling and waste. Similarly alternatives to single use plastics are too expensive, especially for University students. In the end it may come down to how much the person wants to change their ways for the sake of the environment, and unfortunately in my experience there are not many people who want to.

With University coming to an end soon I am hopeful that when I move out, I can make the area I move to a more sustainable space. There are ideas I want to try out, sustainable practices I want to employ, just simple things like installing water butts, exploring meat alternatives and allowing unkept/untidy areas in the corner of gardens. At the end of the day these ideas are only small, however if they go some way to welcoming nature back into where it belongs whilst also improving my mental health, then every little change has got to be worth it? Surely?

These points have led me on to my final thoughts which centre around Landscape Architecture. My background before studying this was initially working with my Dad as a gardener/landscape assistant, undertaking gardening projects in the summer. I then went on to complete a design apprenticeship with a small Landscape Architecture company, working on landscapes for residential care homes. The trouble I have is that after 3 years studying at University, it has made me realise that neither of those jobs were really looking out for the best interest of the environments they were within. The apprenticeship for example, included the design of small shrub beds, huge lawns and occasional tree planting, which at the time I thought was great, I'm designing and enhancing the sustainability of the space, or so I thought. The problem is that with projects like that it is all about cost reduction, so much money has been spent before the landscaping starts that there is no money left at the end. So many times I found myself constantly reviewing the designs, taking out the most sustainable parts because there was simply not enough money. Similarly whenever I go back to work with my Dad, I am always evaluating our practices against the moral and sustainable agenda in my head. Mowing and hedge trimming in private gardens is a good example, both are done to make the space look neat and tidy however there is little or no thought even given to its ecological value. A good example of mowing is one house which has 4 large lawns, the upper lawn, the lower lawn, the orchard lawn and then the meadow. All 4 are mowed weekly, even twice a week sometimes in the summer despite the clients a) not being able to see the orchard and meadow lawn from their house and b) hardly ever go out to visit the orchard and meadow lawn. Surely these could be left or at least mowed less frequently (A topic I explored in my dissertation subject). 

I find myself wondering if I want to work for a big Landscape Architecture practice? Do I want to be another graduate so desperate to earn money that I am willing to sacrifice my environmental beliefs for the sake of moving up a company ladder? More often than not I now picture myself working for a small design and build team after University, or at least somewhere I can make a real difference, maybe it wont be in the field of Landscape Architecture? Maybe it will be in conservation? A combination of the two perhaps? Either way Covid-19, desk work as an apprentice, working in my room at a desk 10 hours a day at Uni has made me value my work outdoors with my Dad even more, getting my hands in the soil, planting trees, growing plants. Good Design with environmental sustainability at its forefront, that's what I want to do.