.webp)
Sustainable planting design
You might have noticed that here at Vantage we are big believers in the benefits of biophilic design in the workplace! Humans have an innate connection with nature, and we know that incorporating planting into the built environment can promote health and wellbeing and productivity.
We also care deeply about our impact on the planet, and we take steps wherever we can to ensure that our practices are as sustainable as they can be. For example, most of our fleet vehicles are now electric and our London interior planting technicians visit premises using public transport – you may have seen them. Here are some of the other things we do as a matter of course, because we think they’re important.
Our recycled planters re-use ocean plastic
We use a variety of high quality, environmentally-friendly planters. Our natural ground fiberstone planters are made out of fiberglass (silica is a naturally abundant and non-depleting product) and crushed stone – they are lightweight and strong and have an authentic stone feel. We also use planters that are made out of 100% waste material, including marine debris. Marine debris is one of the biggest problems affecting our precious marine life, with lost and abandoned fishing gear making up the majority of ‘large plastic’ pollution in the oceans. More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded every year, the same weight as 55,000 double decker buses. As well as polluting the water with plastics, fishing nets are particularly deadly as they can pose a threat to wildlife for decades – washing up on coastlines and remote islands, entangling coral reefs and littering the seabed.
Along with recycled marine debris, these pots also contain recycled synthetic cork, which makes them lightweight, robust and easy to transport. They pots are built to last, with a lifetime warranty, but they are also 100% recyclable. They come in a range of muted colours and look elegant and under-stated in any office environment.
We only use sustainably harvested moss
Moss plays an important role on our planet. It is our oldest terrestrial plant and, surprisingly, offsets more carbon on a global level than trees. We use three types of preserved moss at Vantage: bun moss, reindeer moss and flat moss. All our moss is naturally and sustainably grown in Poland, where it is carefully harvested, allowing the living moss underneath to continue growing, replenishing itself over and over. Cultivation is regulated and has no negative impact on the natural environment.
Our moss walls add an eco-friendly living element
Our moss is totally natural, preserved using only salt and natural food colouring, allowing it to retain its soft appearance. It has no ongoing care requirements, other than an occasional dust. It will last for years, looking as good as the day it was installed, making it a very sustainable choice. Our preserved moss walls and preserved foliage walls are an ideal eco-friendly way to add a living element to your indoor space, creating a lush and natural-looking green wall that requires minimal maintenance.
80% of our projects use sustainable hydroculture plants
Our EnviroLeaf system uses hydroculture to sustain plants rather than traditional soil-based planting methods. Plants grown in this environmentally friendly way are anchored in an inorganic solid growing medium (clay-type pellets) which sit over a water reservoir. The hydroculture pellets allow the roots access to water and nutrients without letting them sit in water at the bottom of the pot (fatal for plants). The roots of the plant adapt to this method of growing and the plant typically flourishes. A water meter in the hydroculture container indicates when and how much water is required. Hydroculture plants tend to be healthier, stronger plants that live for longer – another reason why this is a more sustainable way of growing.
We only use peat-free compost
Where we do use compost, we ensure that it is entirely peat-free. A large proportion of traditional compost still incorporates some peat, which is harvested from peatland. Peatlands are the world’s largest natural terrestrial carbon store, storing twice as much carbon as forests. They are critical for preventing and mitigating the effects of climate change. They can minimise the threat of flood and drought, preserve biodiversity, lower the ambient temperature in surrounding areas and help to preserve air and water quality. They are truly miraculous ecosystems that many of us take for granted.
Harvesting peatlands releases carbon that has been sequestered for thousands of years into the environment, further impacting climate change, so it’s important that peatlands are restored and left undisturbed. Although the campaign to use peat-free products has been long-running, they are still widely available (although the Government has recently announced a ban on the sale of peat and peat-containing products in the retail horticultural sector by 2024). We never use compost containing peat.
We believe (and know) that plants foster an affinity with nature
There is another important element to consider when thinking about sustainable biophilic design. For each of us to make individual decisions that protect the planet, we need to feel connected to it, yet many of us work day-to-day in an urban environment, surrounded by buildings with little access to nature. One might argue that biophilia in office design is a way to reconnect those of us who have become disengaged with the benefits of being in nature. By bringing living plants and nature inside, we can connect people to the living world and cultivate an affinity with nature. Because when we care about something, we take steps to protect it.
Keep an eye out for our interior planting technicians in London if you’re on the Tube! And if you’d like to talk to one of our friendly planting experts about how to bring sustainable biophilic design into your environment, contact sales@vantagespaces.co.uk to find out more.
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.svg)