On a walk in the neighborhood recently I noticed the similarities amongst the front walkways. The mix consisted of clay colored bricks, concrete, and stone.
What is the most forgiving to the earth I wondered?
Bricks, although they are made from naturally occurring clay, are formed and dried in kilns that usually use natural gas (or wood fire kilns) which contribute to air pollution. One neighbor had a nice brick pathway that looked a bit more rugged or perhaps mismatched which led me to believe that they were compiled from recycled bricks. If this is an idea you would like to consider, make sure the bricks are hard bricks designed for outdoor use vs. soft bricks that will absorb water and crack or flake when its cold outside.
One clay type option that is not seen here in the North East much is terra-cotta or adobe walkways. Since these are also made of natural clay but dried in the sun, they are an eco friendly option but due to the fact that they are very porous, I think they will be most successful in dryer climates.
I read about these waste bricks products called Scenic Scape Brick Nuggets that are old bricks converted into 4 different size nuggets that folks use for pathways as well. These, recycled broken concrete, or recycled glass are nice options if you don’t really need to do a lot of shoveling as the “nuggets” could get tossed around.
Concrete walkways are common around here. A mix of quarried gravel and other stone materials are used to create the concrete. Mining and crushing the materials requires a fair amount of fossil fuels and in many cases chemical additives are added in to enhance the bonding capabilities. Thus, concrete and other fabricated landscape materials less eco friendly.
I think finding stones native to your area is probably the most eco friendly option since they come from Mother Nature, don’t require any manufacturing to break them down, or energy to clean or shape them.
What are you walking on?
Tread Lighter on your walkway,
-Phyllis, Green Expert
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