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5 ways to go green in your patio or deck space

Will Blesch
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Your outdoor space is super important. Most people enjoy spending a hefty percentage of time outside entertaining family and guests. However, not everyone considers the importance of making these spaces as environmentally friendly as possible.

For example, by using Earth-friendly building materials, you can create a healthy environment for your family, pets, and the area’s plant and animal life! In today’s day and age, many companies out there can help you build an eco-friendly patio or deck. Moreover, you can customize many to fit within your budget.

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Suppose you’re looking to create a patio or deck and want it to be as environmentally friendly as possible. In the following article, you’ll find out some interesting ways to do just that.

Wooden furniture on patio
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How much are green decks and patios?

The truth is that being environmentally conscious isn’t cheap. Building the green patio or deck of your dreams is likely to be more expensive than if you chose to use more traditional materials and methods. Another downside is that you can’t recoup some of the costs by using alternative energy sources like you would if you chose to install solar panels on your roof, just for example.

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With that said, you can still potentially save money with a green deck or patio. For instance, if you chose to use recycled, composite building materials for your deck, you may never need to seal, treat, or paint it like you would standard wood decking. Like many other green technologies, you’d spend more upfront, but you’d end up saving over the long term.

For many who choose to go the green route, however, the value of an environmentally friendly outdoor space is about much more than a return on monetary investment.

Use reclaimed wood to build your deck

As the name implies, reclaimed wood is old timber that’s been re-purposed from other sources. The process of using recovered lumber for new construction helps to eliminate some waste. It offers a more unique, more attractive product at an affordable price point. Environmentally friendly patios and decks can be made better by utilizing recycled resources in their design where possible.

The best place to find reclaimed wood? Try your local salvage yards or search on Craigslist or a similar site. Another thing to try is calling up demolition companies or lumberyards. If you live near the coast, also consider getting in touch with a boatyard. When you use reclaimed wood for building your deck or other outdoor structures on your property, you’re helping to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Use green patio furniture

Another way to “green up” your patio or deck is to use furniture and patio sets made from sustainable sources. These can include materials like recycled aluminum or plastic, bamboo, acacia, larch, and reclaimed woods (as mentioned above).

Refusing to buy anything new at all is one of the best ways to fill your green patio or deck with furniture. Instead of buying new, look for deals at garage and boot sales. Perhaps try looking into second-hand stores or even the Salvation Army store.

Remember that this is still reusing materials and preventing them from ending up in a landfill when no one else purchases them. Plus, you can always re-touch, re-paint, or refurbish whenever you want.

Create an eco-friendly cooking space

Why not make sure your cooking methods are environmentally friendly by getting yourself an eco-friendly barbecue grill? When looking for grills that are greener than their traditional cousins, be sure to consider those that smoke less. A great option here might be a charcoal grill that uses natural lump charcoal.

Better yet, although some might consider them a problem still, purchase a natural gas grill. They don’t use charcoal at all and give off even less smoke.

However, if you want to be as green as you can get when it comes to grilling, think about buying a corn-powered grill or a solar-powered one. Or try being crafty and create an outdoor solar oven.

Furniture made from sustainable materials
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Send a message to builders and developers

At the end of the day, creating environmentally-friendly outdoor spaces on your property is about helping our planet last longer. It’s about leaving a good legacy to younger generations. It might seem like building a green patio or deck isn’t something that’ll matter in the long run, but even a tiny pebble creates a ripple.

By choosing eco-friendly, sustainable building materials, you reduce the demand for valuable resources that are in limited supply. You also send a message to builders and suppliers that using alternative building materials is a trend that isn’t going away.

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Will Blesch
Will Blesch
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Blesch is a copywriter, content writer, and someone passionate about anything that lets him discover more about this…
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