Creating Sustainable Landscapes

The importance of beautiful open spaces and landscaped areas to the health, wellbeing and social cohesion of local communities is becoming increasingly evident as the movement to regenerate brownfield sites and refurbish derelict ground gains momentum.

Raising Standards

Those involved in the landscaping industry bear a heavy responsibility for ensuring the work they carry out is done with both environmental and ethical sensitivity.

The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) is the UK’s premier trade association for landscapers, grounds maintenance contractors and garden designers.

Established in 1972, BALI’s mission has been to raise standards of workmanship across the industry and place the emphasis on training, health and safety, and professional best practice.

Sustainable Landscaping

BALI, therefore, encourages its members to practise sustainable landscaping. This means using recycled and reclaimed materials in landscape construction; recycling landscaping waste and using composted green material to improve the soil and prevent erosion. It also means mulching flowerbeds for moisture retention and weed suppression; and ensuring quarried materials are sourced from ethical suppliers and timber comes from sustainable forests.

Additionally, in garden and landscape design, consideration is given to using such techniques as water harvesting, rain gardens, green roofs and permeable paving to conserve water and prevent storm water run-off, which has caused so much distress to flooded homeowners in recent summers.

Introducing Children to Landscaping

BALI member companies and individuals are actively working with their local communities to introduce children to landscaping, gardening and horticulture.

BALI members do this by visiting schools and talking directly to the children or by helping to create outdoor spaces where children can develop an interest in and passion for gardening, landscaoing and horticulture.

By showing children the importance of sustainable landscaping and gardening, landscapers are encouraging the next generation of gardeners to work with nature, and more and more children are now enjoying growing their own vegetables in their school gardens and making wildlife-friendly gardens.

BALI Members

All BALI contracting and designer members undergo rigorous pre-membership vetting and must submit to a regular Quality Standard Review to retain the right to display the coveted BALI logo.

By selecting a BALI contractor to undertake landscaping, grounds maintenance or tree surgery works, schools can be assured that the work will be carried out to exemplary standards by fully trained and insured staff working to established best practice guidelines that consider the environmental impact of the works being undertaken.

For more information about BALI, or to search for BALI members please visit www.bali.org.uk call 02476 690333 or email contact@bali.org.uk