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Background
Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) is a non-government, non-profit organisation founded in 2003 to raise awareness of the environmental consequences of conventional gardening practices and to provide realistic and sustainable alternatives.
SGA's vision is that all Australians cultivate their gardens in sympathy with the environment by following the seasonal rhythms of the land, its ecology and its climate.
"How we garden makes a big difference to the health of our local environment. Water conservation, reducing greenhouse gases, creating wildlife habitat and reducing nutrient pollution is just the beginning. We can also grow our own food, switch to organics and tackle the spread of environmental weeds. Sustainable Gardening Australia is taking the lead to increase this awareness and should be congratulated"
- Josh Byrne, Sustainable Gardening Australia Patron and ABC Gardening Australia media personality.
Sustainable Gardening Australia projects address the following areas of gardening that impact on the environment:
Climate change
Water conservation
Invasive plants
Biodiversity
Chemicals
Organic waste
Renewable resources
SGA recognises that home gardeners generally fall into two categories.
1) Keen gardeners who actively participate in gardening, continually improve their knowledge and regularly visit their favourite garden centre for plants, products and advice.
2) Homeowners who want an attractive garden, but prefer to pay a landscape professional to design, install and maintain their garden.
Industry Projects
With this in mind SGA has developed certification projects for the nursery and landscape industries that:
Provide on-going training in environmental issues to ensure staff are providing customers with the latest environmental advice and information related to horticulture
Require businesses to operate according to an SGA Environmental Code of Best Practice
Display customer education material or a client report to influence their customer's gardening decisions
Require certified businesses to undergo on-going independent audits
SGA Garden Centre Certification project
SGA Environmental Certification for Landscape Professionals
As part of these SGA industry certifications, and for people working in the nursery and landscape industries, we also deliver SGA Industry Training.
Home Gardener Projects
To inspire and assist the home gardener to adopt environmentally sustainable gardening practices SGA has developed a wide range of practical resources.
SGA Ground-up Gardening
A 10 hour course for the home gardener on reducing chemical use, increasing water efficiency, appropriate plant selection, lawn alternatives, issues to do with greywater usage in the garden and sustainable garden design principles. Click here for more information on Ground-Up Gardening.
SGA Publications
SGA worked with Darebin City Council in 2004 to develop the Sustainable Gardening booklet for residents. The booklet covers the key areas of sustainable gardening and provides practical advice and tips as well as a self audit for gardeners to gauge their progress. The booklet has since been customised for different councils across Victoria. Click here to view the range of Sustainable Gardening booklets. In addition SGA has also developed the SGA Garden Self Audit and SGA Pest Control Charts.
SGA website
The SGA website contains a wealth of free information and advice to assist home gardeners adopt more sustainable gardening practices. A comprehensive list of information sheets on a diverse range of topics is available, as well as Cuttings (SGA's free monthly e-newsletter). SGA also has an interactive garden forum and online tours of a range of sustainable gardens home gardeners have developed.