Author Archives:

Winners of the garden competition announced

Leave a reply


{ story.summary|safe|escape }

  • (Left) Dawn O’Connor a resident of Viewhaven said, “It is great to be able to look out my window and see a lovely garden every day.” Dawn is accepting the prize for second place in the Upper Lachlan Shire Garden Competition (Town category) on behalf of all the residents at Viewhaven and for their voluntary gardener Ian McFaul. Lorna Vallely from ‘Ground Designs’ and Karin Schaffer also from Viewhaven

  • Marg Anderson and Jan Pont accepting the first prize for the (Rural category) in the Upper Lachlan Shire Garden Competition presented by Lorna Vallely of ‘Ground Designs’

THE Upper Lachlan
Shire Garden competition winners have been announced.

Congratulations
go to Marg Anderson and Jan Pont who have their exceptional garden on the
Diamond Road, north of Crookwell.

Jan and Marg are
delighted to have won the Upper Lachlan Shire garden competition (rural
category), but say they can’t take all the credit for the beauty of their
garden.

“Two years ago we
bought the property from Mary and Tony Bartley,” Jan explained.

“These two
visionary people were responsible for the landscaping, most of the trees and
100 or more roses, not to mention the wonderful stonework.”

Robert Selwyn
from Binda did much of the construction of the garden design, while Anthony
Yatras now helps maintain and further develop the garden.

Their desire is
to share this special place with more people and they plan to find ways to open
it to the public in the future.

The garden is a
mixture of rare plants and perennials. Sheltered from the west and east, the
garden has beautiful views to the North towards the Abercrombie National Park.
Their dogs enjoy the freedom of the garden and at every corner there is another
pocket of delight to discover. Truly, a special garden for this cooler climate
area. The kladies have taken photos of their garden throughout the seasons and
have presented them in a calendar which are available now at the information Centre
and Santa’s Hideaway retailing for $22.

The winner of the
Town Garden category of the competition was the garden at Viewhaven Lodge.
Everyone who has visited the lodge will vouch for the many hours of work that
Ian McFaul puts into the garden for the benefit of residents.

Ian works
tirelessly in the garden on a voluntary basis. He has the occasional helper but
says his time is well rewarded by the pleasure the residents derive from lovely
views of plants, trees and flowers from their home.

Each of the
gardens at ‘Viewhaven’ are different so that there are varying aspects from
every window. This is what makes the garden here so appealing.

Lorna Vallely of
Ground Designs, along with the other judges, has enjoyed visiting the gardens
entered in the competition.

“The Crookwell
district has a very high standard of gardening and gardeners, reflected in the
wonderful presentation of the gardens we judged this year,” said Lorna.

“We have had a
great experience this year running the competition and I wish to thank all
those gardeners who entered,” Lorna commented.

“Many thanks also
to our very generous sponsors for their continuing support for the
competition.”

The sponsors this
year were: JD’s Hardware and Rural, Mayfield Gardens at Oberon, Ground Designs,
Yarralumla Heritage Nursery in Canberra, Gehl Garden Centre in Goulburn and the
Crookwell Gazette.

Bravo Brazil: Your gardens are beautiful

Leave a reply

My mind is still a jumble of thrilling scenes and unforgettable images after spending two weeks visiting some of the most spectacular gardens and places in Brazil.

The tour I was leading started out at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, jumped over to the bustling city of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais and ended up at Iguazu Falls, one of the world’s seven natural wonders, on the Argentina/Paraguay border.

On the way, we visited amazing gardens, most of them designed or inspired by, but always imprinted with, the bold, unmistakable signature of Brazil’s most famous and celebrated landscape architect, Roberto Burle Marx.

Burle Marx was a genius of style. He was not only a superb garden designer and knowledgeable plantsman, but also an artist who produced strikingly original images that have deeply penetrated the collective consciousness of Brazil.

You can see his iconic black and white art squiggles embedded in the pavements and sidewalks all over Rio de Janeiro.

But it was his unwavering enthusiasm for using indigenous South American plants, especially palms, agaves, yuccas, bromeliads, maranta, sansevieria, aloes and unusual tropical trees and shrubs that gave his landscapes their distinctive personality and lush, exotic ambience. We started out by visiting the place where Burle Marx lived and worked until the end of his life: the 3.6-hectare Burle Marx estate, a magnificent garden property in Barra de Guaratiba, on the outskirts of Rio. Burle Marx bought the estate in 1949 with the help of his brother. At the time, the property was mostly undeveloped, but did have a lovely 17th-century chapel, once used by Carmelite nuns.

Burle Marx moved to live permanently on the estate in 1973 until his death at 84 in 1994.

Rather than see the property disappear after his death, Burle Marx bought out his brother and made sure the wonderful garden and art collections were preserved for the future.

Today, the garden, which contains an estimated 3,500 species of plants, is owned and operated by the government.

Stepping through the front gates, we were immediately aware of Burle Marx’s love for native plants.

Huge, lush palms were everywhere and Adam’s rib philodendrons (Monstera deliciosa) scrambled as high as 18 metres up the trunks of trees.

Most trees were also home to various epiphytic plants – orchids, bromeliads, staghorn ferns and air plants – and as we slowly ascended the hillside along an avenue of Brazilian ironwood trees (Caesalpinia ferrea), we passed grove after grove of sculptural agaves, aloes, aechmea, yuccas, cycads and tropical euphorbias.

At the top of the hill, we reached the house, with its elegant interior of hand-painted blue ceilings and tastefully decorated walls, where Burle Marx lived until his death.

The veranda overlooked a charming water garden where borders were crammed with sansevieria and bright yellow grasses while ornate granite columns rising out of the pond were topped with elegant bromeliads.

There were large plumeria trees, also known as frangipani, and great clouds of pink blooming woolly congea (Congea tomentosa).

Garden club assists state’s first lady – Shelbyville Times

Leave a reply

(Photo)

One of Volunteer Garden Club’s state projects is to help Tennessee’s First Lady with flowers in the Executive Mansion. Ten Designers were asked to help with Decorations for a fundraising luncheon to improve the gardens and landscaping. Two were from the Volunteer Garden Club, June Gilmore and Becky Nichols.

(Photo)

Our monthly meeting was held at the Bedford County Farm Bureau Building. Lynn Hulan, program chairman had Billy Hix educate members on “Gardens in the Sky”. Margaret Hicks gave the Devotional. Hostesses were Angela Dickens, Faye Womble and Lynn Hulan. Winners of design and horticulture were Ann Spencer, Mary Ann Dunlap, Edna Burk, Virginia Ann Haynes, Pat Hastings, Faye Womble and Jane Bartlette.

The group’s next meeting will be Monday. Members are asked to bring items to auction. The auction theme is “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. The money raised will be given to charity. Hostesses are Mary Ann Dunlap, Edna Burke and Kay Red Horse.

(Photo)

Tips to attract wildlife to your Florida garden ? and why you want to

Leave a reply

You’ll be hard-pressed to find bigger Bucs fans than Doreen and Bob Damm. They’ve got red, pewter and skulls everywhere. Friends love coming over to watch games on their three living room TVs, including a 65-inch big-screen and a 36-inch wall mount.

But the show isn’t always on TV.

Bob angled the screens and furniture so anyone sprawled on a couch can easily see what’s going on outside the windows, which he cleans religiously at least once a week.

Related News/Archive

  • Upcoming garden events

    More than a Year ago

  • A calendar of gardening events

    More than a Year ago

  • Make your yard home to wildlife

    More than a Year ago

  • Going native inspires livelier gardens

    More than a Year ago

  • Tips, tricks and small miracles — a gardening potpourri

    8 Months Ago

That view can be the life of the party — especially when the home team is losing.

“Last month we had friends over watching the Bucs and the Eagles when we saw a young raccoon up on the feeder branch eating,” Doreen says.

The thick branch hangs horizontally, just outside a window, from two chains attached to the eaves. Doreen sprinkles it with a seed and berry mix, and unsalted peanuts ground in her food processor.

“The raccoon had a plan for getting up there, but no plan for getting down,” she says. “He tried everything — going to the end and reaching for plants, hanging upside down from all fours, hanging upside down from his tippy-toes.

“Everyone quit watching the game. We were all laughing at the raccoon.”

It was welcome comic relief — the Bucs racked up their fifth straight loss that game.

Bob and Doreen live in Deer Park subdivision, a neighborhood with ranch-style homes on lots just under a third of an acre. When they moved in 10 years ago, their back yard looked pretty typical — turf and weeds. Except for the view.

The back yard slopes down to a water management preserve with ground-to-sky tree trunks: cypress and oaks, camphor, swamp magnolia and elderberry. It’s a stunning view.

Doreen, now a 49-year-old retail merchandiser for Hallmark gift cards and gifted in all things handyman, and Bob, now 59, a recovering workaholic with 40-plus years at Winn-Dixie, immediately set about weaving their 54-by-30-foot back yard into that vista.

They hauled plants and rocks from the home they left in Oldsmar.

“It took two 24-foot trucks and a lot of friends who will never help us move again,” Doreen says.

She laid out a hardscape design: winding paths and a mountain-brook style waterfall and stream stretching from one side of the yard to the other.

They replaced the grass with pentas, lantana, angel’s trumpets and powder puffs; kumquat, loquat and American beautyberry.

Their goal? Inviting wildlife.

Doreen is also an obsessed photographer. Her linen closet holds two shelves of Canon cameras, each ready to go with a different lens. She’s got about 100 memory cards, and enough batteries to document a natural disaster and its aftermath for years.

In one day alone, she’ll shoot more than 500 pictures. And they’re incredible! A possum and raccoon tussling over a feeding log; migrating robins pausing for a bath in her stream; flying squirrels putting on a nighttime aerial show.

Mostly, only friends and family see Doreen’s photos. But she did enter New Port Richey’s 2009 National Audubon Society contest and won the People’s Choice award. Her shot of a shy raccoon hung in the Pasco County Courthouse for weeks.

To increase the photo opportunities, she takes cues from her visitors.

“I could see the woodpeckers are uncomfortable on traditional feeders; they’re used to bracing their tail feathers against a tree trunk,” she says. So she drilled holes in logs and filled them with peanut butter (woodpeckers prefer crunchy), then hung the logs vertically from tree limbs.

She finely grinds peanuts because birds grab the whole nuts and fly off. They stay longer if there’s no takeout.

Sticks and logs invite more hanging out than man-made perches — and look better in photos — so dead branches abound.

She also has more than a dozen “feeder logs,” her own invention, mounted on posts of galvanized and PVC pipe attached to the log with a plumbing flange. She drills holes in the log to deposit seed and unscrews the log from the flange when it’s time to replace it.

She and Bob have new projects going all the time.

“The grass doesn’t grow under his feet,” Doreen says of her husband.

“She’s the creative one — she comes up with new ideas all the time,” Bob says of Doreen.

But as the sun sets each day, the two shut everything down and settle in to their five-star backyard buffet. They like to kick back in lounge chairs, relax and watch the show.

It’s better than anything on TV, they say. Even football.

Reach Penny Carnathan at pcarnathan49@gmail.com. Find more local gardening stories on her blog, www.digginfladirt.com, join in the chat on Facebook, Diggin Florida Dirt, and follow her in Twitter, @DigginPenny.

Tips to attract wildlife to your Florida garden — and why you want to

Leave a reply

You’ll be hard-pressed to find bigger Bucs fans than Doreen and Bob Damm. They’ve got red, pewter and skulls everywhere. Friends love coming over to watch games on their three living room TVs, including a 65-inch big-screen and a 36-inch wall mount.

But the show isn’t always on TV.

Bob angled the screens and furniture so anyone sprawled on a couch can easily see what’s going on outside the windows, which he cleans religiously at least once a week.

Related News/Archive

  • Upcoming garden events

    More than a Year ago

  • A calendar of gardening events

    More than a Year ago

  • Make your yard home to wildlife

    More than a Year ago

  • Going native inspires livelier gardens

    More than a Year ago

  • Tips, tricks and small miracles — a gardening potpourri

    8 Months Ago

That view can be the life of the party — especially when the home team is losing.

“Last month we had friends over watching the Bucs and the Eagles when we saw a young raccoon up on the feeder branch eating,” Doreen says.

The thick branch hangs horizontally, just outside a window, from two chains attached to the eaves. Doreen sprinkles it with a seed and berry mix, and unsalted peanuts ground in her food processor.

“The raccoon had a plan for getting up there, but no plan for getting down,” she says. “He tried everything — going to the end and reaching for plants, hanging upside down from all fours, hanging upside down from his tippy-toes.

“Everyone quit watching the game. We were all laughing at the raccoon.”

It was welcome comic relief — the Bucs racked up their fifth straight loss that game.

Bob and Doreen live in Deer Park subdivision, a neighborhood with ranch-style homes on lots just under a third of an acre. When they moved in 10 years ago, their back yard looked pretty typical — turf and weeds. Except for the view.

The back yard slopes down to a water management preserve with ground-to-sky tree trunks: cypress and oaks, camphor, swamp magnolia and elderberry. It’s a stunning view.

Doreen, now a 49-year-old retail merchandiser for Hallmark gift cards and gifted in all things handyman, and Bob, now 59, a recovering workaholic with 40-plus years at Winn-Dixie, immediately set about weaving their 54-by-30-foot back yard into that vista.

They hauled plants and rocks from the home they left in Oldsmar.

“It took two 24-foot trucks and a lot of friends who will never help us move again,” Doreen says.

She laid out a hardscape design: winding paths and a mountain-brook style waterfall and stream stretching from one side of the yard to the other.

They replaced the grass with pentas, lantana, angel’s trumpets and powder puffs; kumquat, loquat and American beautyberry.

Their goal? Inviting wildlife.

Doreen is also an obsessed photographer. Her linen closet holds two shelves of Canon cameras, each ready to go with a different lens. She’s got about 100 memory cards, and enough batteries to document a natural disaster and its aftermath for years.

In one day alone, she’ll shoot more than 500 pictures. And they’re incredible! A possum and raccoon tussling over a feeding log; migrating robins pausing for a bath in her stream; flying squirrels putting on a nighttime aerial show.

Mostly, only friends and family see Doreen’s photos. But she did enter New Port Richey’s 2009 National Audubon Society contest and won the People’s Choice award. Her shot of a shy raccoon hung in the Pasco County Courthouse for weeks.

To increase the photo opportunities, she takes cues from her visitors.

“I could see the woodpeckers are uncomfortable on traditional feeders; they’re used to bracing their tail feathers against a tree trunk,” she says. So she drilled holes in logs and filled them with peanut butter (woodpeckers prefer crunchy), then hung the logs vertically from tree limbs.

She finely grinds peanuts because birds grab the whole nuts and fly off. They stay longer if there’s no takeout.

Sticks and logs invite more hanging out than man-made perches — and look better in photos — so dead branches abound.

She also has more than a dozen “feeder logs,” her own invention, mounted on posts of galvanized and PVC pipe attached to the log with a plumbing flange. She drills holes in the log to deposit seed and unscrews the log from the flange when it’s time to replace it.

She and Bob have new projects going all the time.

“The grass doesn’t grow under his feet,” Doreen says of her husband.

“She’s the creative one — she comes up with new ideas all the time,” Bob says of Doreen.

But as the sun sets each day, the two shut everything down and settle in to their five-star backyard buffet. They like to kick back in lounge chairs, relax and watch the show.

It’s better than anything on TV, they say. Even football.

Reach Penny Carnathan at pcarnathan49@gmail.com. Find more local gardening stories on her blog, www.digginfladirt.com, join in the chat on Facebook, Diggin Florida Dirt, and follow her in Twitter, @DigginPenny.

Stamford unveils improvements to Rosa Hartman Park

Leave a reply

STAMFORD — After several months of plantings and other work, Mayor Michael Pavia and other city officials unveiled improvements at the 14-acre Rosa Hartman Park on the Stamford/Greenwich border that are hoped to attract more residents to picnic or walk through the area.

Pavia said he hopes the long-awaited improvements, including more cultivated landscaping at the park entrance on Brownhouse Road, will draw people to the park. The park declined in the 1980s, marred by graffiti and illegal dumping.

Pavia credited the city’s associate planner, Erin McKenna, the Parks and Recreation Commission and City Engineer Louis Casolo for expediting the project, which has been in the works since 2007.

The $185,500 contract to improve the park was awarded this past summer to Eastchester, N.Y., firm WJL Equities.

“It is a park that is basically categorized as a conservation area, though it has been used for picnicking, though not lately because of its deteriorated state,” Pavia said. “It’s a forgotten little gem that is about to be polished.”

Land for Rosa Hartman Park was donated in 1955 by Jesse Hartman to be used for a public purpose and named for his mother. The park is adjacent to the heavily wooded 18-acre Laddins Rock Sanctuary in Greenwich.

The Rosa Hartman Park is still used by some walkers, in particular nature lovers and birdwatching groups who tour it and the contiguous Laddins Rock Sanctuary because the area is a migratory stopover for several bird species, McKenna said.

If the park sees a growth in use, city planners will consider pursuing as-yet-unfunded improvement ideas like a pavilion, a bathroom, additional parking and a traffic circle to facilitate traffic flow, McKenna said.

“First we’d like to see what the demand is to do this renovation and see how the people use the park,” McKenna said.

City Rep. Benjamin Velishka, D-2, a member of the Waterside Coalition, said residents appreciated efforts by Pavia and McKenna to fast-track the project this fall.

“There had been no financial investment by the city for many, many years, so getting the parking lot redone and fixing up some of the paths is a good start,” Velishka said.

Discussion of improving the park has gone on since the 1990s, when then-Mayor Dannel P. Malloy described it as a park “in name only.” Under his watch, the city boards approved a kind of mini-amusement park to be built on the parcel, but met with resistance from conservationists and the town of Greenwich, which borders the park, as well as the Algonquin Confederacy of the Quinnipiac Tribal Council and the Connecticut Historic Preservation Office, which maintained the park is an Indian burial ground and archaeological site.

The Importance of Mentors

Leave a reply

During my several careers I had the good fortune to learn from three mentors, and as I wrap up my career, they deserve mention. I hope you have had equally good fortune to work for and with such good people.

Seventh grade caused me nothing but problems, and my interest in science and math waned. Things changed in eighth grade science with John Shuttleworth, who had just started in our district. John rekindled my interest in science. He taught well and made science interesting and fun. Things started to look better. Luckily, I had John as my high school chemistry teacher. At last I could follow problems and solve them due to John’s clear explanations and step-by-step examples. I had the feeling I might have a career in science after all. Eventually I earned degrees in chemistry.

When I got to grad school, I met David Larsen, who taught an “electronics for scientists” class at Virginia Tech. We hit it off right away, and a few years later Dave helped several of us start a company that created educational electronic hardware and books for people interested in computers and electronics. Dave showed us new ways to approach business, gave us encouragement, and suggested helpful marketing ideas. I learned a lot about how to work with people, how to communicate well, how to conduct business fairly, and how to carefully evaluate business opportunities. He might not realize how much I learned from him and how I still enjoy our friendship. Now Dave promotes amateur radio for personal and emergency communications in the Republic of Dominica through his FAIRS charity based in Floyd, Vir.

When I became chief editor at EDN magazine in 1986, Roy Forsberg was the editorial director. We got along well, enjoyed working together, and shared an editorial vision for the magazine. Roy wouldn’t put up with nonsense, and, as a Naval Academy graduate, he knew how to lead and how to inspire people. I learned more and better leadership skills from Roy, as well as how to formulate and present business and marketing ideas and plans.

During “rough spots,” I knew Roy would listen and offer helpful advice. I cannot remember Roy ever giving direct orders to me or other people. Instead, he helped people understand what we needed to do and we knew he would support us. I enjoyed my time working with Roy and our friendship continues. I can’t thank Roy enough for his mentoring.

These three men share characteristics of good mentors. They all provided guidance without issuing “orders” to do something, and they gave helpful advice and suggestions based on their experiences. My mentors had a solid moral and ethical foundation on which they based their actions. Good mentors also challenged me to continue learning new skills and to try new things, even though I might (and did) make mistakes. And instead of saying “this is wrong,” or something similar, they pointed out errors and problems, and helped me learn from them. My three mentors had excellent reputations, which made me and others admire them and want to live up to their expectations.

Mentoring goes beyond the work environment. My mentors became friends as we talked about family, education, astronomy, sailing, landscaping, home maintenance, flying, travel, and many other interesting subjects. Good mentoring requires a personality that puts people at ease talking about themselves.

I write this column as my last in a long series for Design News. Time has come for retirement so I can mentor pre-engineering high-school students, spoil grandkids, spend time in my lab and shop, and travel with Jane, my wife of 43 years. Thanks to the Design News staff I had freedom to write about topics I thought engineers would find helpful. I wish you good health and good fortune, dear readers.

Related posts:

Brewer prepares for, encourages change

Leave a reply

 
Photos 

Brig. Gen. Michael T. Brewer, 412th Test Wing commander, asks members of the audience at the Base Theater to send him personal impact stories about recent budget cuts as he prepares for his trip to Capitol Hill Dec. 9. Brewer held four commander’s calls Nov. 26 to address and update Team Edwards on various issues affecting the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rebecca Amber)

Download HiRes
Brewer prepares for, encourages change

Posted 11/26/2013   Updated 11/26/2013
Email story  
Print story

by Rebecca Amber
Staff writer

11/26/2013 – EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.,  — Brig. Gen. Michael T. Brewer, 412th Test Wing commander, along with several guest speakers, addressed changes coming during a commander’s call Nov. 26 at the Base Theater.

One of the big changes Team Edwards can expect is in the landscaping.

“We spend about $300,000 a year on watering the grass. That’s three man-years of money. So we can either hire three people or mow the grass,” said Brewer.

The solution will be switching to a desert landscape with rocks in place of grass. The new landscaping will save $2,000-$3,000 per acre each year as it will no longer require the same watering and maintenance as a lawn.

Another positive change is happening with the Athoc system, which will be available for updates to personal phones. For instance, the system may be used to alert a personal cell phone of a gate closure due to heavy rains.

Brewer announced that he will have the opportunity to meet with Congressional Staffers at Capitol Hill on Dec. 9. In preparation for his visit, he has asked for personal-impact stories to show Congress how budget cuts have directly impacted team Edwards.

He is also asking the community to submit their ideas for improving efficiency through Project 84. The premise for the project is that if each individual on base could save $84 monthly that would result in base-wide savings of $11 million each year.

“With $11 million I can solve every problem we have in the wing,” said Brewer. “[Project 84] is sort of like baseball, if I can hit three out of 10 ideas that we can implement, that’s batting .300. We can go to the hall of fame with that.”

According to Rodney Cruse, 412th Test Wing Plans and Programs, it’s the “little” ideas that are going to make a big difference in efficiency. For example, turning out the lights at night or only leaving the computers on for 24 hours, two nights a week for updates. Those are only two of the 99 ideas that have been submitted to Project 84 to date.

The Sexual Assault Response Coordinator is also seeking new ideas. According to Kim Shirley, 412th TW Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program coordinator, is already starting to use someone’s idea for peer-to-peer discussions at leadership trainings to end sexual assault.

In 2014, all federal employees can expect to self-certify that their vehicles have met smog check requirements under the Air Force Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program. It’s called the Employee-Vehicle Certification and Reporting Systems also known as ECARS.

Attendees at the commander’s call also heard briefly from Family Advocacy on domestic violence, the Corvias Foundation on scholarship applications and Chief Master Sgt. Brian Randolph, 412th Test Wing command chief, on driving under the influence.

The presentations came to a close with a video highlighting accomplishments of the 412th TW for 2013 and a reminder to enjoy the holiday season responsibly.

Greenbuild Tour of Cook-Wissahickon

Leave a reply

Published: Wednesday, November 27, 2013







The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo was held in Philadelphia this week, and Cook-Wissahickon was a featured school campus. This international conference and exposition for architects, planners, educators, and landscape architects focuses on green building and provided a half-day tour including Cook-Wissahickon school to showcase their storm water management program, native plants and sustainability education on Nov. 22.

This tour came on the heels of Cook-Wissahickon winning the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Community Greening Award this fall, which will be presented this December, as well as receiving a Pennsylvania Energy Efficient School Award for their landscaping, energy savings, and environmental education last summer.

How did they get here? It’s been an intensive community effort over the last five years.

Cook Wissahickon’s Green Committee, also known as the Wissahickon Sustainability Council (WSC), has worked for several years helping transform the school and its grounds into an environmentally friendly and more sustainable campus. Formed in 2008, the WSC consists of parents, teachers, neighbors, and local partners, such as the Schuylkill River Project, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, TD Bank, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC), the Philadelphia Water Department, and Councilman Curtis Jones’s office.

Looking around the school, you will notice many of WSC’s accomplishments and projects underway: a native magnolia grove adjacent to the parking lot, two raised bed gardens, a “tree nursery” in the kindergarten yard, trees planted around the school perimeter with the Green Committee Native Plants the help of Philadelphia Tree Tenders, and a native plant garden and meadow at the front of the school funded by the Schuylkill River Restoration Project and Councilman Jones’s office. The purpose of these projects is to develop an outdoor classroom, manage stormwater (thereby reducing flooding and improving Philadelphia’s drinking water), attract wildlife, and extend the habitat of nearby Fairmount Park.

Inside of Cook-Wissahickon, WSC has promoted health and wellness programs including Fuel Up to Play, a Wellness Council, healthy snacks and lunches, and a new energy conservation program. Cook-Wissahickon was one of three schools selected by the school district and DVGBC to implement this program. Over the course of this school year, students and volunteers aim to reduce the amount of energy used, conserve paper and other resources, improve drinking water, and promote health and wellness.

Because of all of these efforts over the past few years, Cook-Wissahickon was one of five schools nominated by the school district in 2012 and 2013 as a “Green Ribbon School.” You can contribute to the greening of Cook-Wissahickon by joining WSC, which meets once a month and gathers at the school as needed to complete projects, or be available for weeding and cleaning up the grounds when we need a helping hand. Contact Jeanne Ortiz at dojbo1@hotmail.com.

Look for updates on our progress on their Facebook Page

  • 1
  • See Full Story

The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo was held in Philadelphia this week, and Cook-Wissahickon was a featured school campus. This international conference and exposition for architects, planners, educators, and landscape architects focuses on green building and provided a half-day tour including Cook-Wissahickon school to showcase their storm water management program, native plants and sustainability education on Nov. 22.

This tour came on the heels of Cook-Wissahickon winning the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Community Greening Award this fall, which will be presented this December, as well as receiving a Pennsylvania Energy Efficient School Award for their landscaping, energy savings, and environmental education last summer.

How did they get here? It’s been an intensive community effort over the last five years.

Cook Wissahickon’s Green Committee, also known as the Wissahickon Sustainability Council (WSC), has worked for several years helping transform the school and its grounds into an environmentally friendly and more sustainable campus. Formed in 2008, the WSC consists of parents, teachers, neighbors, and local partners, such as the Schuylkill River Project, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, TD Bank, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC), the Philadelphia Water Department, and Councilman Curtis Jones’s office.

Looking around the school, you will notice many of WSC’s accomplishments and projects underway: a native magnolia grove adjacent to the parking lot, two raised bed gardens, a “tree nursery” in the kindergarten yard, trees planted around the school perimeter with the Green Committee Native Plants the help of Philadelphia Tree Tenders, and a native plant garden and meadow at the front of the school funded by the Schuylkill River Restoration Project and Councilman Jones’s office. The purpose of these projects is to develop an outdoor classroom, manage stormwater (thereby reducing flooding and improving Philadelphia’s drinking water), attract wildlife, and extend the habitat of nearby Fairmount Park.

Inside of Cook-Wissahickon, WSC has promoted health and wellness programs including Fuel Up to Play, a Wellness Council, healthy snacks and lunches, and a new energy conservation program. Cook-Wissahickon was one of three schools selected by the school district and DVGBC to implement this program. Over the course of this school year, students and volunteers aim to reduce the amount of energy used, conserve paper and other resources, improve drinking water, and promote health and wellness.

Because of all of these efforts over the past few years, Cook-Wissahickon was one of five schools nominated by the school district in 2012 and 2013 as a “Green Ribbon School.” You can contribute to the greening of Cook-Wissahickon by joining WSC, which meets once a month and gathers at the school as needed to complete projects, or be available for weeding and cleaning up the grounds when we need a helping hand. Contact Jeanne Ortiz at dojbo1@hotmail.com.

Look for updates on our progress on their Facebook Page

  • Return to Paging Mode









Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
comments powered by Disqus