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"It's not about the celebration of nature, although that is certainly a part of it; it's about the incorporation of natural systems into our industrial life, into our way of making things, our way of processing things and
de-processing things. And the only reason it's going to happen is because it works profoundly better."    
 Paul Hawken
 
 

 

Sustainability
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Tread lightly on this earth; it's the only one we have.

Milieux recommends a sustainable approach to design.  What does sustainability mean?  It is more than recycling. It is an attitude that respects our relationship with the world in which we live to the extent that we do not destroy our environment.  Rather, we leave it the way we found it...or better.  It considers everything we use from 'cradle to cradle'.  The cradle to cradle philosophy regards everything involved in the manufacture of products: where the products come from - are they sustainable and easily renewable without the use of considerable other resources? How much fuel is expended in moving product from place to place? How long does the product last and can it be recycled back into the same product?  What has to be done to recycle it?

 

 		 
  Recycling old items is not only a sustainable practice, it can add new dimensions to a garden.  The following photos display some imaginative uses of items that might have been considered "junk".
 		 Recycled
Garden Art

Click on photos to enlarge them

 

  
Mosaic table top
Using the owners old metal table, the base was repainted while the top underwent a dramatic transformation through the use of a ceramic & glass mosaic tile design created to enhance the garden theme.		 Terra cotta column
The column was created using terra cotta drain tile sections dug during the installation of new drainage system near the house.  The column capital is a new terra cotta pot.

Laundry basket/moss planter
A wire laundry basket becomes a moss planter with the addition of moss, soil, sedums, echevaria, grass and aeonium.  The planter has wheels and is easily relocated to various areas around the patio.

Concrete pipe
A red gazing ball is supported by a recycled concrete pipe.  The grey artemeisa allows the pipe to "disappear" while the red accents the red fall leaves and red flowers during other seasons.

Recycled glass & ceramic tower
Inspired by a group of local artists, a monument to a beloved pet cat was created with old glassware and ceramics with an addition of a new glass kitty at the top, yielding a whimsical and colorful piece of art for the garden.
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Call Vanessa Nagel at Milieux Design Studio LLC to make an appointment for landscape design, garden design or interior design in the Portland/Vancouver region of the Pacific Northwest.  As a portland oregon landscape designer, portland oregon garden designer, vancouver washington garden designer and vancouver washington landscape designer,we offer consultation, planning and sustainable,  award-winning environmental design - Inside and Out.  we help locate garden paths, retaining walls, plants, shrubs, trees, perennials, annuals, flowers, pergolas, garden structures, gazebos, garden benches.  We have participated in the yard, garden and patio show and the portland home and garden show.  we are an association of professional landscape designers, the association of northwest landscape designers and us green building council member.  we are apld and ncidq-certified.