Long Live the Landscape!

In an article for Chicagoland Gardening, Mary McClelland writes about buying locally grown plant material. The benefits include dollars saved in the long run with healthier, stable, long-lived plants. A plant that thrives will reap benefits in beautification as well as resource and energy savings.

Long Live the Landscape! (full article)

Trees Help Cities Meet Clean Water Regulations

The EPA has identified over $300 billion for nonintegrated water supply and wastewater projects for U.S. cities in the next 20 years. Those funds can be leveraged to solve multiple problems and improve the quality of life of urban residents by incorporating green infrastructure and strategically-planted trees in building and landscaping designs.
Tree cover in urban areas can not only reduce cities' costs for stormwater management but also help them improve water quality, offer shade, scrub the air of emissions and reduce ambient temperatures. Landscape architects and engineers need to think of the soil and the trees as mini reservoir systems designed to filter water and air.
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Urban Forestry

Urban forestry is simply: trees in places where people live. Every day across the country the public is learning the benefits of planting and protecting trees. For example, did you know that more trees correlates with:
•Lower crime
•Cleaner air
•Energy savings

•More public revenue
•Higher property values
•More efficient stormwater management

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Public Response to Roadside Landscapes

The latest research from Kathy Wolf focuses on shopping plazas and mini-malls and how trees support the success of retail districts. The study assessed public response to landscape and vegetation of small mall (re)development. A series of past studies indicate consumer behavior is positively affected by the urban forest. Respondents to her survey indicated a preference for landscaped roadsides and a willingness to pay 8.8% more at well landscaped malls.
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Gardeners Play Role in Reducing Global Warming

According to a report from the National Wildlife Federation, there are many things you can do in the garden that will help combat global warming. Removing invasive plants and choosing an array of native alternatives minimizes the threat of invasive species. Find out what plants are native to your area and encourage local home and garden retailers to carry them. Reduce water consumption by mulching, using rain barrels, watering only in the morning and using drip irrigation. Composting provides excellent nutrients for your garden, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, and keeps the waste out of landfills. Planting trees near your home significantly shields your home from the elements, reducing energy use for air conditioning and heating. Shade trees can reduce air conditioning by up to 70%. A single tree can remove up to a ton of carbon dioxide, the gas primarily responsible for global warming, from the atmosphere in it's lifetime.
Resource: Gardeners Can Play an Important Role in Reducing Global Warming
Related Articles: Native Plants, A Word of Caution on Fertilizing Woody Plants Plants Native to Our Region

Resource guide for paper

"A new online resource guide for paper users in the US recommends that buyers should look for the FSC logo. The Environmental Paper Network (EPN) launched WhatsInYourPaper.com to assist and guide consumers and companies to use ‘environmentally superior paper’. EPN is a coalition of environmental organizations joined to support socially and environmentally sustainable transformations within the pulp and paper industry."

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