Courtesy of BioNova USA
At last count, there were more than 7 million swimming pools in America. And their collective ecological footprint is not small. There's the toxic chlorine (which leaches into natural waterways); the evaporation (wasting potable water is dumb, even in rainy Missouri); and the energy drain of all the filters, heaters, and lights. But Google "green pools," and you'll mostly find tips on battling algae blooms.
That's why landscape architect Anne Lewis (lewisites.com), who's maintained an eco-friendly swimming pool for more than a decade, had to figure out how to do it herself. Outside of Europe, there are few pools like hers—and it's definitely unique in the Midwest. Instead of adding chemicals, she filters her water with plants, which float on the surface of the water, rooted in fibrous plastic "islands," originally designed for wetlands remediation. Swimmers paddle and dive among American lotuses, corkscrew willows, sedges, Joe Pye weed, lobelia, and cardinal flowers, while the plants' roots take up excess nutrients (which starves algae) and oxygenate the water.
Actually, Ms. Lewis says she doesn't even like pools. Fifteen years ago, when she and her husband found their ideal Frank Lloyd Wright–style house in the Missouri woods, Ms. Lewis was forced to deal with one that happened to be on the grounds. "We really did not wish to have a swimming pool, with all of its attendant hygiene tasks," she sighs. "But the house is built around it and looks across it from every room."
So they drained it, then painted it black—for multiple reasons. "That is so you don't see the bottom, and it will reflect the sky," Ms. Lewis says. A chemicalfree pool will always harbor some microflora, which can make a white pool look dirty; the black surface obscures this and helps retain heat in the water for a longer period.
Ms. Lewis discovered her "islands" while reading a landscaping trade magazine and contacted the company, Floating Island International, to see if she could get her hands on some. "They're made from a synthetic material that's a lot like those things you wash your dishes with, the scrubbies," she says. "They're fibrous, but they are manmade and therefore don't break down or rot. I called the owner of the company, and he said, ‘Well, Anne, they are still in a prototype phase.' I still expressed my interest, and he said, ‘I can't imagine anyone more appropriate to test-drive one of our islands, so I'm going to send you one.'" (And that island is still harboring plants in the pool.)
Unlike your standard white-tiles-and-chlorine pool, Ms. Lewis' changes constantly. "One year we did water hyacinths, and for whatever reason, they went crazy," she says. "It might have been that when we put them in there was a high nutrient load in the water, because in subsequent years they have never been that magnificent—they literally covered the entire surface of the pool."
Surprisingly, Ms. Lewis says the pool didn't need any mechanical upgrades to go green. "We do circulate the water through a now-defunct sand filter, so really all we are doing is pumping the water so the debris on the surface of the water gets sucked into the skimmers, and the water gets aerated," she says. "But we use no chemicals."
While even Ms. Lewis states her plant-filled pool is "not for everyone," there are ways to harness the filtering power of plants without having to swim with them. BioNova Natural Pools, based in Germany, has been building "swimming ponds" since the mid-1980s; its U.S. headquarters is New Jersey, though BioNova contractors still train overseas. BioNova USA will convert old pools or construct new ones outfitted with "remediation zones," overflow ponds filled with regional water plants as well as skimmers and hydraulic filters; the "bad bugs" are kept in check with beneficial bacteria and zooplankton. Ms. Lewis says she and her family have no qualms about swimming with plants, but if she were doing new construction, she'd take this approach. Either way, she says, she'd never do anything but chemical-free.
"One of the most spectacular aspects," she says, "is that as soon as we stopped chlorinating the pool, frogs came. First, we get the peepers in the spring, followed by the leopard frogs, followed by the tree frogs. In the evening, when you sit by the pool, it is deafening—but in a beautiful way, because they are all singing."
Mick Hilleary is the owner of Total Habitat, another of the small handful of companies that offer natural swimming pools. He mainly constructs zoo exhibits, but that was actually his inspiration: "In 1986, we were doing an otter exhibit, so we needed clean water, no chemicals," he says. "After seeing these otters frolic and have so much fun in this crystal-clear, clean water, we go, ‘Ah! We gotta do this for ourselves.'"
Natural pools are filled just once, he says, because they function like a mini ecosystem. A hole is dug and lined with gravel, clay, rubber, or polyethylene (cement and limestone make water too alkaline—"like a lousy Alka- Seltzer tablet," says Mr. Hilleary—and mess up the water quality). After it's filled, the water is kept sparkling clean with a "biological filter" full of expanded shale seeded with "good" bacteria; before the water is circulated back into the pool, it's further treated with ultraviolet light to zap any algae spores or bacteria that might've evaded the filter.
"We design in a certain amount of overkill, just to make sure," Mr. Hilleary says. "It's like in engineering: They need this beam to hold up a thousand pounds, they'll put in a beam that holds up 5,000, just as a safety factor."
He warns that so-called "saltwater pools" are not a more eco-friendly alternative to chlorine. "It is chlorine," he points out. "Clorox has their plants on top of salt mines, because to make bleach, they use salt. All you've done is install a bleachmaker." To reduce pool chemicals, Mr. Hilleary recommends a copper-silver ion creator— the copper keeps algae in check, while the silver kills bacteria. He warns that most pool owners will still need some chemicals if they are bothered by the sight of "a patina of living stuff," though keeping the water covered helps (algae can't photosynthesize without sunlight). He recommends the new light, flexible pool covers ("a little bit like hula hoops") that can just float on the water's surface; some even double as solar water heaters. Solardriven lights, heaters, and filters are, in fact, among Mr. Hilleary's biggest recommendations for those who want to maintain a more ecological pool and patio. He is also a big fan of patios made with permeable materials, which prevent storm-water runoff (which spills chemicals into waterways and damages natural habitats through flooding and erosion).
All told, natural pools may be a bit more expensive than chlorine pools, but that's only because there are few prefab designs available. Mr. Hilleary adds that because natural swimming pools are essentially self-sufficient ecosystems, they look good year-round and require less maintenance. And if Mr. Hilleary's experience is any indication, they can save your marriage, too.
"We used to do home shows, lawn and garden shows, and it was neat when we'd get a couple where one of 'em wanted a pool and one of 'em wanted a pond," he says. "We'd say, ‘Here, it's the same thing,' and then they'd hold hands," he laughs. "Our clients who have them absolutely love them…and would do them again if they moved."
The Great (Green) Outdoors
For those wanting to do a DIY pool conversion like Anne Lewis', check out Floating Island International (floatingislandinternational.com). In the U.S., BioNova Pools are offered through Rin Robyn Pools, based in New Jersey. (908-818- 8135, james@bionovanaturalpools.com, rinrobyn.com).
Total Habitat (633 Lake Forest, Bonner Springs, Kan., 316-644-5848, totalhabitat.com) has built and consulted on natural pools across the Midwest, including in St. Louis. The company offers an e-book on its website, Natural Swimming Pools & Ponds: The Total Guide (including plans customizable to your particular climate zone), that can be given to a contractor; Mr. Hilleary recommends using a water garden designer, rather than a pool contractor, who may be locked into the tradition of "80 years of chlorinated pools."
ChlorFree (chlorfree-usa.com) sells ionization tablets containing copper, silver, zinc, and carbon, which make pool water inhospitable to bacteria and algae; Minnesota-based ECOsmarte offers a dual oxygen-ionization system (and, if you can't afford one of its systems, offers tips on how to de-chemicalize your pool on a budget: ecosmarte.com/chemreduc.html). BioGuard (bioguard.com) offers UV-light treatments, among other alternatives to chlorine.
For help locating contractors who specialize in "green" patio construction, contact the Concrete Council of St. Louis (314-862-0324, concretecouncil.com). Belgard Hardscapes (314-486-1013) offers permeable patio pavers; alternately, salvaged materials can be sourced from The ReStore (3763 Forest Park, 314-531-4155, habitatstl.org), Craigslist (craigslist.org), or local demolition companies.
There's an embarrassment of options when it comes to outdoor solar lights, from a simple Sam's Club multipurpose indoor/outdoor solar lamp ($30.87, samsclub.com) to handblown glass garden lights ($36–$49, earthtechproducts.com). Solar pool covers like the Revolution Pool Cover (first4poolcovers.com) are readily available online and at pool-supply stores. But even shielding the water with a cover of the good old-fashioned vinyl variety will keep debris from falling into the pool, prevent evaporation, and help you save money and energy.
If you're looking for patio furniture sourced from sustainably managed forests, look for "FSC-certified" wood. Even better: use furniture constructed from recycled plastic (like Polywood, diyhomecenter.com/polywood) or wood-pulp waste composite. And for kids, notNeutral makes a line of colorful, supercute kids' outdoor furniture, lanterns, and garden stakes, made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer HDPE plastic (notneutral.com).
Charcoal briquettes, lighter fluid, and bug spray are as much a part of summer as sunshine. But briquettes are often made from sawdust and (yuck) coal dust, and lighter fluid is filled with volatile organic compounds. If you can, use propane or electric grills instead; if you really crave the taste of food cooked on an open flame, opt for lump charcoal, available from Ace Hardware (multiple locations, acehardware.com) for under $10. There are tons of organic bug sprays on the market (those wanting to avoid toxic DEET often swear by Avon's Skin So Soft lotion), but the only plantbased insect repellent endorsed by the CDC is Lemon Eucalyptus (oiloflemoneucalyptus.com).
