Growing the green economy – in your back garden

The guide outlines how urban gardens in the UK can mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce energy consumption, and lower carbon footprints through strategic planting, water conservation, composting, and home-grown food production.

• Domestic gardens in UK cities can act as natural temperature regulators, where trees and hedges provide insulation in winter to lower heating costs and energy consumption, while shade from urban trees and green roofs/walls mitigate the "urban heat island" effect and reduce air conditioning usage in summer.
• The Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) reports that gardens comprise 25% of the total urban area in UK cities, yet nearly 25% of front gardens are completely paved, with London identified as the worst area for this trend, which contributes to rising urban temperatures.
• Implementing water-saving measures such as using water butts and reusing 'grey water' is recommended to offset the fact that household water used in gardens increases by more than 30% during temperature rises.
• Composting reduces greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane, by decreasing the reliance on chemical pesticides and fertilisers, while also helping soil retain carbon dioxide.
• Growing home produce can significantly lower an individual's carbon footprint; replacing 20% of store-bought food with home-grown vegetables can reduce annual CO2 emissions by up to 30kg, mitigating the impact of the 1,500-mile average travel distance of commercial food.

APA

Roberts, J. (2018). Growing the green economy – in your back garden. Green Economy Coalition. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/how-to-grow-the-green-economy-in-your-back-garden

Chicago

Roberts, Jamie. Growing the green economy – in your back garden. Green Economy Coalition, 2018. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/how-to-grow-the-green-economy-in-your-back-garden.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roberts |first1=Jamie |title=Growing the green economy – in your back garden |publisher=Green Economy Coalition |date=20 August 2018 |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/how-to-grow-the-green-economy-in-your-back-garden |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roberts2018growing, author = {Roberts, Jamie}, title = {{Growing the green economy – in your back garden}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/news-and-resources/how-to-grow-the-green-economy-in-your-back-garden}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }