October 7, 2013—

Folks on the Michigan Technological University campus have another place to sip a Starbucks and relax outdoors. The John Rovano Patio, between the Van Pelt and Opie Library and Rehki Hall, affords a new place to chill, before it’s too chilly.

Lynn Watson, University gardener, says she had to work between the two “pale expanses of the library and Rekhi Hall” and “black slate at eye level, which can further isolate a person from a natural setting.”

The result is the patio and two new gardens, one of which is a strip between two sidewalks. They all run north and south.

Watson views the Tech high rises and tall trees as a “visual canyon.” She says, “This is exciting because there is great richness in a canyon floor that is not present in the surrounding areas. The arching bridge between Rekhi and the library reinforces this entering in. The evergreen planting of the vertical elements reinforces this feeling of entry, even looking in from US 41.”

The plaza and garden were built in response to students who requested more seating and opportunity to enjoy the beautiful UP summer and fall. An extension of the Library Café, this is the first development of the planned Alumni Way, thanks to a generous donation from Dave Brule ’72. A door from the café to the new plaza is next on the construction list.Watson calls her finished work a “relaxed, visually flowing garden.” The curves in the design are intentional.

“Slow down, relax,” she says. “Find a quiet, private space to unwind, converse, study, think.”

Watson also acknowledged Brule’s contribution.

“The caliber of the donation, with the vision of people, plants and relaxation on campus, was very generous and will benefit students, staff, faculty and visitors of all ages for many, many years,” she says. “Thank you, Mr. Brule!”

Eric Halonen, assistant vice president for advancement, agrees. “We are extremely grateful for the Brule gift. The Library patio, with its new garden, is a great example of what can be expected as additional funds are raised to continue the Alumni Way campus mall westward.”

It’s a great first project, Halonen says, for Alumni Way.

“Alumni Way will truly add to our campus and provide students with inviting seating areas; a gathering area for all with our mascot, a Husky sculpture; commemorative tributes to Michigan Tech alumni; and enhanced green space with more landscaping such as that at the Library Plaza,” Halonen added. “The Alumni Way will be a place to make memories for new students and celebrate our legacy with all alums and friends of Michigan Tech.”

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.

October 7, 2013—

Folks on the Michigan Technological University campus have another place to sip a Starbucks and relax outdoors. The John Rovano Patio, between the Van Pelt and Opie Library and Rehki Hall, affords a new place to chill, before it’s too chilly.

Lynn Watson, University gardener, says she had to work between the two “pale expanses of the library and Rekhi Hall” and “black slate at eye level, which can further isolate a person from a natural setting.”

The result is the patio and two new gardens, one of which is a strip between two sidewalks. They all run north and south.

Watson views the Tech high rises and tall trees as a “visual canyon.” She says, “This is exciting because there is great richness in a canyon floor that is not present in the surrounding areas. The arching bridge between Rekhi and the library reinforces this entering in. The evergreen planting of the vertical elements reinforces this feeling of entry, even looking in from US 41.”

The plaza and garden were built in response to students who requested more seating and opportunity to enjoy the beautiful UP summer and fall. An extension of the Library Café, this is the first development of the planned Alumni Way, thanks to a generous donation from Dave Brule ’72. A door from the café to the new plaza is next on the construction list.Watson calls her finished work a “relaxed, visually flowing garden.” The curves in the design are intentional.

“Slow down, relax,” she says. “Find a quiet, private space to unwind, converse, study, think.”

Watson also acknowledged Brule’s contribution.

“The caliber of the donation, with the vision of people, plants and relaxation on campus, was very generous and will benefit students, staff, faculty and visitors of all ages for many, many years,” she says. “Thank you, Mr. Brule!”

Eric Halonen, assistant vice president for advancement, agrees. “We are extremely grateful for the Brule gift. The Library patio, with its new garden, is a great example of what can be expected as additional funds are raised to continue the Alumni Way campus mall westward.”

It’s a great first project, Halonen says, for Alumni Way.

“Alumni Way will truly add to our campus and provide students with inviting seating areas; a gathering area for all with our mascot, a Husky sculpture; commemorative tributes to Michigan Tech alumni; and enhanced green space with more landscaping such as that at the Library Plaza,” Halonen added. “The Alumni Way will be a place to make memories for new students and celebrate our legacy with all alums and friends of Michigan Tech.”

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.

October 7, 2013—

Folks on the Michigan Technological University campus have another place to sip a Starbucks and relax outdoors. The John Rovano Patio, between the Van Pelt and Opie Library and Rehki Hall, affords a new place to chill, before it’s too chilly.

Lynn Watson, University gardener, says she had to work between the two “pale expanses of the library and Rekhi Hall” and “black slate at eye level, which can further isolate a person from a natural setting.”

The result is the patio and two new gardens, one of which is a strip between two sidewalks. They all run north and south.

Watson views the Tech high rises and tall trees as a “visual canyon.” She says, “This is exciting because there is great richness in a canyon floor that is not present in the surrounding areas. The arching bridge between Rekhi and the library reinforces this entering in. The evergreen planting of the vertical elements reinforces this feeling of entry, even looking in from US 41.”

The plaza and garden were built in response to students who requested more seating and opportunity to enjoy the beautiful UP summer and fall. An extension of the Library Café, this is the first development of the planned Alumni Way, thanks to a generous donation from Dave Brule ’72. A door from the café to the new plaza is next on the construction list.Watson calls her finished work a “relaxed, visually flowing garden.” The curves in the design are intentional.

“Slow down, relax,” she says. “Find a quiet, private space to unwind, converse, study, think.”

Watson also acknowledged Brule’s contribution.

“The caliber of the donation, with the vision of people, plants and relaxation on campus, was very generous and will benefit students, staff, faculty and visitors of all ages for many, many years,” she says. “Thank you, Mr. Brule!”

Eric Halonen, assistant vice president for advancement, agrees. “We are extremely grateful for the Brule gift. The Library patio, with its new garden, is a great example of what can be expected as additional funds are raised to continue the Alumni Way campus mall westward.”

It’s a great first project, Halonen says, for Alumni Way.

“Alumni Way will truly add to our campus and provide students with inviting seating areas; a gathering area for all with our mascot, a Husky sculpture; commemorative tributes to Michigan Tech alumni; and enhanced green space with more landscaping such as that at the Library Plaza,” Halonen added. “The Alumni Way will be a place to make memories for new students and celebrate our legacy with all alums and friends of Michigan Tech.”

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.

Fresh vegetables grown in urban spaces offer multiple benefits: Food security, easy access which reduces costs, means you get the freshest produce. PHOTOS COURTESY: CROPS IN POTS

KARACHI: Urban farming is becoming popular in cities across the world. It offers multiple benefits: Food security, easy access which reduces costs, means you get the freshest produce. Add to these the environmental benefits. Urban farms add to the greenery of a city, acting as drainage basins and reducing harmful run-off, increasing shade, and also acting as a buffer against climate change as they reduce the impact of the heat island effect.

New and exciting innovations are taking place where there is a shortage of land. So people are developing ‘rooftop farms and gardens’. Such projects also give you a place to relax and help reduce the energy consumption of a building. The idea has been so successful that some planners and architects are experimenting with vertical farms!

According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement, organic agriculture is a “production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.”

Organic farming is based on methods which do not use chemical fertilisers or pesticides that kill beneficial insects. Instead it relies on natural pesticides and crop rotation as a pest control method. Organic farmers prefer to use compost as fertiliser which is made from organic solid waste such as vegetable peelings, leaves etc.

Organic farmers also encourage the use of ‘heirloom seeds’, which have been used over centuries. These seeds, in turn, yield more seeds in the vegetable growth process and a farmer or someone involved in home-based organic farming can even develop a ‘seed bank’ and not be dependent on buying ‘hybrid seeds’. Hybrids or genetically modified seeds cannot be saved from the parent plant. Organic farming, producing healthier vegetables, can be used at a large agricultural scale while also find a space in ‘kitchen gardens’ and for educational purposes.

One such initiative has been undertaken in Karachi by the husband and wife team of Yasir Husain and Zahra Ali. They have called it ‘Crops in Pots’, which Zahra Ali started as a blog in 2008. It has grown into a community of 1,500 members who exchange inspiration, ideas and knowledge about organic urban farming. The basic idea is to connect urban organic gardeners and farmers with the general public and to start a conversation about the importance of heirloom seeds and organic farming in cities and also create green spaces from where people can get free food and fight food insecurity.

They have developed a comprehensive ‘Green School Programme’ in which the focal point is the ‘learning garden’. Prior to this, at Dawood Public School, Zahra designed a Green Curriculum for students of grades 1 to 8 based on concepts of environment and organic gardening.

The scope of work of Crops in Pots has now expanded to include a seed and plant exchange, workshops and training for teachers, students and groups, guerrilla gardening and participating in environmental festivals such as Hamara Mahol. Crops in Pots is now in the process of making a small seed bank from organic heirloom vegetables and herb plants. An added benefit is that compost can be produced from household organic solid waste, thus reducing the amount of garbage that needs to be thrown away.

Green spaces or the vegetation cover in Karachi are already limited. According to the findings of a recent study funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Comprehensive Plan for Forestation, Aesthetic Plantation and Landscaping for Karachi, 2008 – the total vegetation cover in Karachi as estimated through satellite images is 62,643 acres which works out as 7% of the total land area of 907,001 acres. A greater cause for alarm is however, the rate at which these already minimal green spaces are disappearing. Can urban farming not provide an answer to improving this sorry state of affairs? It is something that can even be developed as a ‘citizens’ movement’. Crops in Pots has made a beginning. Let’s hope that this will be a beginning for a citywide citizens’ movement to make this city a green and healthy one. 

The writer is an urban planner and runs a non-profit organization based in Karachi city focusing on urban sustainability issues. He can be reached at [email protected]

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2013.

Sustainable Jersey representatives recently announced that the City of Summit has been awarded a Sustainable Jersey Small Grant. Summit is one of just 15 municipalities in New Jersey to receive a Sustainable Jersey Small Grant at the $10,000 level. The 2013 Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program funded by Walmart is providing $380,000 in grants to local governments for sustainability projects.

“The Sustainable Jersey small grants program gives life to important projects like the Summit Free Market,” says Summit Mayor Ellen Dickson. “We are so thankful for this funding and excited about creating a permanent building to house our reuse program.”

“The Summit Free Market plays an important role in helping Summit residents to reduce their impact on the planet by focusing on reusing materials that may otherwise enter the waste stream,” explained Summit Mayor Ellen Dickson. “This incredibly popular initiative was originally funded through a Sustainable Jersey grant and has continued seasonally in the spring and fall since 2008. There is strong support for creating a permanent building to house the market year round,” Dickson continues. “This grant award is an important next step in making it happen.”

The winners of the grants have projects that provide sustainable solutions to everyday challenges. Organic curbside waste recycling, storm water runoff solutions, innovative bioswales, water conservation, sustainable landscaping, wildlife interaction plan, community gardens and more have been added to the list of initiatives that the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program is funding.

“Walmart is incredibly proud of the success of the Sustainable Jersey Small Grant Program,” said Philip Serghini, Director of Public Affairs for Walmart in New Jersey, “In a few short years Walmart has funded over $1 million to the municipalities of our State to advance our commitment to environmental sustainability.”

A core element of the Sustainable Jersey program is to direct funding and resources to municipalities to aid them in making progress. Currently, 70 percent of New Jersey’s towns and cities (398 towns across all 21 counties) have registered to become Sustainable Jersey certified. “The impact that these projects will make in New Jersey is incredible,” said Pam Mount, Chair of the Sustainable Jersey Board of Trustees. “Aiding towns and Green Teams to achieve their sustainability goals by funding green initiatives will have a ripple effect that will benefit us all.”

In recent years airlines have gotten tight about the amount of luggage you can bring on board without paying extra fees. Now the consumer apparel market has responded: A start-up called Jaktogo is making “wearable” luggage that lets you carry an extra 30 pounds of stuff onto a plane by wearing it on your body.

Jaktogo, which has been operating since 2010, makes three versions of its product, the original Jaktogo with 14 various-sized pockets, the sleeveless “Ponchotogo,” and, for women, the “Dresstogo,” which Jaktogo describes as a “balloon shaped skirt.” Jaktogo’s intense practicality is both its appeal and its main drawback: Like old sweat pants and fanny packs, it sends the off-putting message that you’re willing to stand slightly outside of society in order to make your day a little easier.

Thanks for the lawns, Britain!

The suburban lawn seems to be as American as apple pie, a basic expression of our relationship to our homes and yards, but a new book explains how it really arose: Americans adopted it from a catalog.

In “America’s Romance with the English Garden,” gardening writer Thomas Mickey tells how the British vision of landscaping—an expanse of neat green lawn in front; curbed paths bordered by flower beds; vegetables hidden in the back—took hold among the burgeoning American middle class. Prior to the mid-19th century, gardening for aesthetic purposes was largely an upper-class concern. But then a few big social changes took place: Industrialization freed Americans from having to grow all their own food and created more disposable income; the suburbs sprouted; and the catalog industry took hold.

Mass-produced national catalogs took off in the late 19th century, selling Americans on a standardized vision of the right kinds of kitchenware, clothing, and gardens. The English garden had long represented class and refinement to Americans—Thomas Jefferson used it at Monticello and George Washington at Mount Vernon—so it was natural that middle-class Americans would adopt it, too. One of the earliest seed and plant purveyors was Joseph Breck and Co. of Boston. “As this country grows in taste and wealth, the importance of the house and grounds…is becoming more and more apparent,” read one catalog from 1898. “These remarks are as applicable, if not more so, to the lot containing five or ten thousand square feet, as to the great estate comprising many acres.”

Today, lawn care has grown into a $38 billion industry, and the elements of the English garden are so common that we scarcely think landscaping could be done any other way. But if we were building the American gardening aesthetic from scratch, we might not go in so readily for the British look, which is water-intensive, stiff, and not very practical. Mickey says there are plenty of signs of change now: More homeowners are opting to let patches of their lawns grow wild, and in some suburbs with permissive neighborhood councils, people are even beginning to grow lowly vegetables in their once immaculate front yards.

Oakville Beaver

Canadian Tire Financial Services (CTFS) executives swapped their suits and smartphones for work boots and tools so that individuals with developmental disabilities in Oakville can have a better life.

On Sept. 26, more than 100 members of the leadership team put in a combined 600 hours of work and made use of more than $70,000 worth of donated supplies and materials in renovating the Central West Specialized Development Services (CWSDS) facility at 53 Bond St.

The facility’s mandate is to develop services for individuals with developmental disabilities in Ontario’s Central West region, including occupational therapy, psychiatric services, psychological services and social work. CWSDS works closely with, and is funded by, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

“The hard work and generosity of CTFS and all the volunteers working here today is overwhelming and deeply appreciated,” CWSDS executive director James Duncan said. “This provides for a wonderful and positive environment for the people that we support.”

All their hard work yielded results: a gazebo and shed were built, a new pathway was laid and landscaping was done on the outside. Paint was applied and cabinets were refinished inside the building.

Blair Campbell is one of the executives who crunched gravel instead of numbers as a volunteer.

The CTFS associate vice-president of marketing operations and analytics, spent the day going up and down a ladder and moving wheelbarrows full of stone and dirt. At day’s end, he was tired and sore, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It is incredibly impactful to meet the residents of the facility and to hear and see the challenges these people face,” he said. “Any small way that we can improve their lives feels great.”

CTFS has given back to the community with this initiative for the past 13 years and Campbell has participated since day one.

“These events really highlight how very fortunate we are and remind us of our responsibility to give back to the community and to those less fortunate,” he added. “It truly is a blessing to have the opportunity to do this work every year.”

Teresa Cugliari, communications adviser, corporate communications for Canadian Tire Corp., said a team from CTFS meets with the non-profit chosen to receive the upgrades to discuss their needs and whether the requests are feasible.

“Activities vary year by year. They’re based on the needs of the non-profit,” she said.

Dave Duffus, manager of disaster recovery transition services at Canadian Tire, like Campbell, has been there since the beginning.

“It’s important to support charities, and this is a unique way to do it. You’re making a very visible difference to a group that has been careful selected for how it impacts the whole community,” he said. Duffus was part of the landscaping crew, constructing raised gardens at six locations on the grounds.

“The work we did had to be practical for our skill level,” Duffus said.

Courtesy Photo

Plant sale is Oct. 12

Nursery plants are ready to find a home at the “Fall Master Gardener Plant Sale” that will be held Oct. 12.

Posted: Saturday, October 5, 2013 9:00 am

More ‘Florida-Friendly Landscaping’ principles for residents

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W e recently discussed five of the nine “Florida Friendly Landscaping” principles. The remaining four principles are easy to implement and have the ability to positively impact the health of our natural community. Attracting wildlife, recycling, reducing stormwater runoff, and protecting the waterfront are all principles that every homeowner can easily implement in their yard.

Your home landscape can be a needed refuge for wildlife in urban and suburban areas. Attracting wildlife can also be rewarding for the home gardener. Daily visits by birds and butterflies can create a sense of relaxation for the viewer.

To attract wildlife, use native plants, bird feeders, and bird baths to provide food and water. Install birdhouses and leave dead tree stumps, as shelter for cavity nesting birds. Provide a variety of height and texture when choosing plants for your yard and you will be rewarded by diverse birds and animals.

Practice recycling in your home landscape by leaving yard wastes onsite. For example, take advantage of free mulch by raking oak leaves and pine needles into planting beds. The oak leaves and pine needles break down and add organic matter and acidity to the soil.

A small compost pile is also easy to add. Begin a compost pile by adding green materials, such as grass clippings, green leaves, or vegetable scraps, and brown materials such as dried leaves and small twigs. Composting turns yard wastes and debris and into a rich, beautiful soil amendment that can be added to new and existing plantings.

Another way to recycle in your yard is to add a rain barrel to the end of a downspout. You can easily harvest the rainwater and use it to water pots and annual and perennial beds.

Stormwater runoff can occur when oil, pesticides, fertilizers and debris are carried by rainfall into our bodies of water. Reducing stormwater runoff goes hand-in-hand with recycling yard wastes onsite. Leave grass clipplings on your lawn and never wash or blow them down a storm drain.

If you spill fertilizer on your sidewalks or driveways, sweep it up and apply it back to your lawn. Do not apply fertilizers before excessive rainfall is predicted. Fertilizer can leach into the soil and contribute to pollution when not applied correctly.

You can further protect the waterfront by leaving a three- to 10-foot buffer zone around lakes, retention ponds or any type of surface water. Within this buffer zone fertilizers and pesticides should not be applied. Try to leave as much native vegetation around water bodies as possible as plants provide a good filter of pollutants.

We live in a beautiful area of Central Florida riddled with water. Let’s do our part to protect this valuable natural resource. For information on “Florida Friendly Landscaping” go to the University of Florida’s website at http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/.

The UF/IFAS Lake County master gardeners will be hosting their “Fall Plant Sale” at 9:00 a.m. on Oct. 12. This sale provides Florida friendly and unusual plants at great prices. Proceeds from the sale benefit Discovery Gardens and volunteer education.

Brooke Moffis is the residential horticulture agent of the UF/IFAS Lake County Extension office. Email burnb48@ufl.edu.

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Saturday, October 5, 2013 9:00 am.

E’tage Gardens set to get underway in Old Goodwood

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Infrastructure work will begin later this month on E’tage Gardens, a small residential development on Government Street in the Old Goodwood neighborhood. Mike Hogstrom, a designer and developer behind the project, says he has secured financing to begin infrastructure and landscaping. He is also talking to several local builders interested in buying and developing all eight lots in the 1.4-acre development. “They are boutique builders, not volume builders,” says Hogstrom. “We are also planning to do our first model home early next year.” Houses in E’tage Gardens will be 2,300 square feet on average and will range in price from the upper $300,000s to the lower $400,000s. “They will have all the amenities and 12- to 14-foot ceilings,” Hogstrom says, adding he has also committed to doing a significant amount of landscaping in the public right-of-way on Government Street. E’tage Gardens bills itself as a “flagship FuturEBR project,” referring to the design guidelines and principles of the city’s latest land-use plan. “We have received endorsements from groups like [the Center for Planning Excellence] and the [EBR Redevelopment Authority] because we modeled every element of our project off of FuturEBR,” he says. “There will be a lot of walkability and green space—a small private garden that people can enjoy.”—Stephanie Riegel

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The owners: Architect Dan Erdman and Natalie Erdman, executive director of the Madison Community Development Authority.

The home: A 160-year-old stone house in Shorewood Hills.

Favorite home feature: When they first looked at the house, said Dan Erdman, it seemed like it had somehow been frozen in time amongst a neighborhood of homes built mostly in the 1950s. “It was incredibly charming and picturesque,” he said. “Unfortunately, the interior appeared as it too had been frozen in time, and it would require a considerable amount of work. But what I discovered only after buying the house was the extent and unique character of the informal gardens and landscaping.”

The home had been occupied by the same family for nearly 80 years, but in recent years, the lot had been badly neglected. “Uncovering paths, bridges, stone walls, sculptures, I felt like an archaeologist on a dig site. There’s even what appears to be an old winding stream bed that ends in a little concrete pool. An elderly neighbor stopped by one day and asked if the spring was still flowing. Wow, I thought, now that must have been neat.”

How they did it: The couple replaced retaining walls in the garden and cleaned the growth. “But I just basically uncovered it,” Dan Erdman said.

The house itself had to be renovated to make it livable by today’s standards. That meant, among other things, adding on a new kitchen and an attached garage and driveway. The key was to do it without destroying any of its charming features. A priority was to not change the character of the front of the house. The couple kept most of the rustic interior doors which have these old-fashioned iron door latches. Even though none of them lock, they are a part of what makes the house special.

Why it’s a special place: The fact that the house is 100 years older than most everything else around it makes it pretty special.

Advice to other homeowners: “You really have to have a love and respect for old things,” Dan Erdman said. “While modernizing a house is necessary, keeping as much of the old unique features as possible will ultimately be rewarding.”