Recently in Landscaping for Schools & Youth Category

Toxins in coal-tar-based sealcoats in parking lots may be the culprit in contaminated house dust, according to a USGS study.

PAHs - or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PAHs are large molecules found in oil, coal and tar deposits, and can have toxic effects. It's long been known that PAHs are often found in house dust; however, the specific sources of these PAHs are largely undetermined.

Researchers found that dust from indoor areas near parking lots with coal-tar-based sealcoat had substantially elevated concentrations of PAHs.

SOURCE:  USGS at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Sounds surround us.  If it's not the rural sounds of birds and locusts, its the urban sounds of traffic, airplanes and people chatting it up.

This onslaught of sound is why people are looking for quiet spots in which sound is sculpted and shaped for relaxation.  Some people are more sensitive to "noise" than others -- some aren't bothered by traffic sounds or airplanes and other are super sensitive to these sounds.  I'm one of those!

Windchimes are a delight to me, especially natural materials such as shells or wood and metal.  The tuned musical chimes are borderline because they are too loud, too pronounced.

Fountains offer soothing sounds of moving water and splashes on hard surfaces.  Again, this roaring sound is tranquil to some, and irritating to others.  Drips and drabs are heavenly for some, rushing waves for others.

Designing a sound garden must take into consideration these personal hearing profiles.

Japanese gardens are noted for their sound elements -- a gentle dripping, a paddle wheel, water falling on stones, and the natural sounds of mating frogs in a secluded grotto or pond.

The natural sounds of nature -- birds chirping and singing and calling,  singing insects, rushing water, rustling leaves, and all the human sounds that you hear at dinner time form a musical mosaic that can bring delight and relaxation if you take the time to enjoy the sounds in your very own neighborhood.  Sound sculpting...one tone at a time! 

This handbook is intended to help communities, watershed organizations, and state, local, tribal and federal environmental agencies develop and implement watershed plans to meet water quality standards and protect water resources. It was designed to help any organization undertaking a watershed planning effort, and it should be particularly useful to persons working with impaired or threatened waters. EPA intends for this handbook to supplement existing watershed planning guides that have already been developed by agencies, universities, and other nonprofit organizations. The handbook is generally more specific than other guides with respect to guidance on quantifying existing pollutant loads, developing estimates of the load reductions required to meet water quality standards, developing effective management measures, and tracking progress once the plan is implemented.

EPA will be seeking advice from watershed organizations in developing the future versions of the handbook. A mailbox for emailed comments, suggestions, and corrections has been created. Please address them to watershedhandbook@epa.gov.

The links on the website present the full handbook and the handbook divided into 13 chapters, contents (including the cover page, table of contents, and acronyms and abbreviations), 2 appendices, a glossary, and a bibliography, with downloadable PDF files for each. You may download each file by clicking on its link.

DOWNLOAD the COURSE at EPA.GOV

Learn! Explore! Take Action!

Celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health.

May, American Wetlands Month is also a great opportunity to discover and teach others about the important role that wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide - improved water quality, increased water storage and supply, reduced flood and storm surge risk, and critical habitat for plants, fish, and wildlife.

In organizing its activities this year, EPA is placing special emphasis on encouraging Americans to:

1. Learn about wetlands. This is a great time to better understand what a wetland is, where wetlands can be found, and the importance of wetlands. Activities may include reading and studying about wetland areas, drawing maps or illustrations of wetlands, and identifying native species found in wetlands. Information on wetlands and the important benefits they provide is available on this website, through EPA's wetland fact sheet series, or by visiting the websites of our partners.
2. Explore a wetland near you. Unless you live in the most extreme climate zones, there is a good chance a scenic wetland exists nearby for you to visit and explore during American Wetlands Month and throughout the year. To find a wetland near you, consult your local parks department, state natural resource agency, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/refuges). If you live in the Washington, DC area, a guide has been created to highlight wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries.
3. Take action to protect and restore wetlands. Support and promote wetlands informing community members about wetlands' vital roles, "adopting" a wetland, joining a local watershed group, or participating in a wetland monitoring, restoration, or cleanup project. There are many other actions Americans can take to help conserve wetlands.To learn more about what you can do to help protect and restore these valuable natural resources in your state or local area, visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/awm/#you.

Indoor Water Conservation

Plumbing conservation is widely accepted and routinely called for in federal, state and local legislation, ordinances for new development and agency rebate programs.

These devices are making a measurable difference. For example, Los Angeles saw a 25 percent decrease in demand in the 1990s with a plumbing retrofit program funded by water agencies.

The major benefit of low-flow plumbing device programs is that they can be implemented without requiring a change in the behavior of end users.

Outdoor Water Conservation

Saving water indoors with low-flow plumbing is easy compared to controlling outdoor water waste. Yet the vast majority of household water flows outside.

A study conducted by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) shows that 58 percent of residential water is applied to landscapes.  Gardening, recognized as the number one outdoor leisure activity, is growing in popularity as a national pastime.

According to a report published in the journal Environmental Management, some 40 million acres of the U.S. are covered in lawns, making turf the nation’s most irrigated crop.

And according to the American Water Works Association, most landscapes are overwatered by 30% to 300%, accounting for 80% of all landscape damage...and water waste!

SOLUTION:  Remove the TURF and replace it with DROUGHT TOLERANT GARDENS or NATIVE HABITAT, etc. that reduces water use.

See more research studies that can help you save water at the Independent Research Studies webpage provided by WeatherTRAK.

SOURCE:  WeatherTRAK.com

 

House 97: The Buck House, original home of the Center.

Campus Center for Appropriate Technology in California is a live-in demonstration home and educational center for appropriate technology and resource conservation.

This home based center is located on the Humboldt State University Campus in Arcata, California. Motivated by an approach of "education by example," CCAT offers tours, workshops, and opportunities for hands-on involvement to university students and the general public.

CCAT began in 1978 when a group of students, with the support of faculty and community members, renovated a dilapidated house on the university campus and initiated an experiment that continues today. CCAT works with fifteen HSU classes a year to incorporate new appropriate technologies into this living laboratory in sustainability.

The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology uses less than five percent of the energy consumed by the average U.S. house, produces almost no waste, and serves as a national model for appropriate technology.

Just as important as what the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology does, is how it is done. Three students live in the house and direct the program for one-year periods. Eighteen student employees keep operations going. Being directed, staffed, and funded by students makes CCAT a place where young adults become leaders; it nurtures creativity and hones professional and technical skills. CCAT helps to infuse their local university community with a practical idealism and a desire to serve the global community.

In 2007, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology began rebuilding in a new location, offering another generation of students the opportunity to develop skills that lead to a greener future at the hands-on environmental learning center and demonstration home for sustainability projects.

A variety of university course students spend classroom time at CCAT, where students learn about everything from renewable energy to organic agriculture to green construction and design. Little by little, workers are reshaping the yard into a miniature eco-topia. “We joke that this is our little patch of South America or Southeast Asia,” Hart says, standing in the terraced gardens behind the home. The area used to be a bramble patch of invasive plants and weeds. As well as common fruits and vegetables, the garden includes edible native plants, herbs and wildflowers.

The recently installed solar panels should provide all of the home’s electricity, and a solar hot water heating system will not only provide hot tap water but also warm the house in winter by circulating the sun-warmed H2O through radiant concrete floors on the ground level. The concrete floors themselves are a thing of beauty, covered in a swirl of natural pigments made from iron sulfate and coffee topped with a soy-based sealant. The energy efficient home’s walls are filled with blown-in cellulose—made from shredded recycled newspaper—rather than industrial fiberglass.

Future projects include the installation of a rainwater collector to gather and store runoff from the roof, which will be used to quench the gardens.

For more information about the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology. Or stop by any Friday, volunteer day, to participate in the ongoing reconstruction effort.

In the City, many of us humans are living in close proximity to our fellow members of the universe. We have to share our living space, our watershed.

Cities abound with wild nature! In fact, a large percentage of Earth's biodiversity exists in urban or urbanizing areas, which are often adjacent to larger wild areas.

It is more accurate to say that cities are in nature! Cities are embedded in the natural environment - the geology, watershed, climate and biodiversity - of whichever place on Earth where they develop.

As of 2005, more people live in urban than in rural areas for the first time in Earth's history. Urban nature is critical for connecting half of the world's people with the natural environment. Connecting city dwellers with their local nature and watersheds is critical not only for building support for the conservation of faraway places, but also for the ecological restoration and stewardship of biodiversity at home.

Read more about:

Ecological Impact of Human Cities

The benefits of greenscaping know no commercial/residential borders!

By planning "Multi-function" into your landscaping, you can serve the aesthetic and cooling needs of the commercial landdacape at the same time that other needs of our community are served. Plants can be good for wildlife habitat, or herbs for the company snack bar/cafeterial, or even greens for salads. Employees might even like to take home a sack of tomatoes or lemons occasionally to spice up their family dinners.

Some edible landscaping plants include:

• Kale: this old fashioned vegetable is enjoying a revival because it is loaded with nutrients, is easy to grow, and provides a beautiful fountain of gray green foliage. Kale is loaded with calcium, iron and vitamins.
• American cranberry bush features bright red berries in later summer, which people and birds love to eat.
• Rose hips are produced in abundance on rosa rugosa plants. This shrub makes a great barrier plant and can tolerate growing near salt water.

Garden.org offers an online Edible Landscaping Primer

AB 1535 also provides $15 million in seed money for schools to develop a school garden or to expand existing ones for academic instruction. The California Department of Education will soon award 72 percent of that amount to schools that have requested funds. The remaining money will eventually be offered to schools on a competitive basis once the criteria have been established with the help of the Advisory Group.

Cal. AB 1535 is providing significant money to 526 LAUSD schools to develop and/or sustain school Gardens. The funds are being administered through the Network for a Healthy California-LAUSD and the LA Calif School Gardens Network.

For more information on California’s School Gardens Program, please visit School Garden Program Overview - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education.

Learn more about this California community gardening program.