-Don’t settle for chemically treated timbers, petroleum-based asphalt or other unsustainable materials in your patio environment.

+Do opt for locally quarried stone, reclaimed bricks and pavers, and recycled plastic and glass.

Adding a pathway or patio to your outdoor living area? Earth-friendly landscaping choices allow you to create a safe, healthy environment for your family and pets, as well as for birds, insects and area wildlife.

Most patios are made from concrete, cement or asphalt, with chemically treated lumber for borders and steps. These materials’ high embodied energy and the environmentally destructive production practices used to create them are cause for concern. Hard, nonporous cement and asphalt offer undeniable durability, but they also hinder stormwater-runoff absorption and add toxins to your environment during installation.

“The biggest problem with asphalt is one that it shares with concrete and all other forms of continuous-sheet paving: We use too much of it,” says landscape architect Kim Sorvig, co-author of Sustainable Landscape Construction (Island Press, 2000). “This makes very large areas of the earth impervious; increases runoff, erosion and flooding; increases local temperatures by retaining solar heat; and makes these areas inhospitable or deadly to plant and animal life.”

In addition, asphalt’s petroleum content makes it unappealing for use in any living space. “Like any petroleum product, asphalt can be somewhat toxic, and some people are sensitive to its fumes, either during installation or on hot days,” Sorvig says. “Most petroleum products also damage living soils.”

Soil cement—a mixture of Portland cement and local soil—offers an alternative to standard cement mixes. However, the resulting surface presents the same drainage and runoff problems as standard cement surfaces.

“Natural” patio materials can present environmental problems as well. Stone quarrying usually results in scarred landscape and sediment problems in nearby water bodies, and stone dust is hazardous to workers. Lumber and timber products intended for outdoor use routinely are treated with chemicals and pesticides to protect them from insects and weathering. Better choices include “wood” made from recycled plastic.

Improved pavers

Fortunately, you can create a hard-surface patio from a variety of materials that help divert waste from landfills. Recycled plastic and rubber paving stones and “bricks” are available in a variety of colors, textures and shapes. Discarded tires also can be cut in half and buried along the edges of patios and footpaths to create rounded borders. Unless they’ve been industrially washed, however, the inside and outside surfaces of old tires are still covered with oil residues. Ask in advance whether they’ve been washed; when you touch the tires, oil should not come off on your hands. Recycled glass, formed into tumbled stones, is another possibility for footpaths and borders.