April is National Lawn Care Month, which is fitting because it puts front and center our most popular landscape feature, residential lawns. They cover up to 40.5 million acres in the U.S. and are under assault like never before. In the west, lawns are facing water shortages. In the east, the problem is related to water quality. Westward: Lawns banned,... read more
Irrigation and landscape pros can brighten their futures by acting as resources to water quality managers. The green infrastructure movement is growing in communities throughout the U.S. as a way to manage stormwater in urban environments while having a positive impact on the ecosystem. To be more specific about what green infrastructure is, the Irrigation Association’s (IA) John Farner turned... read more
The Irrigation Association (IA) is hosting a free webinar, which allows professionals to earn one IA CEU: “Green Infrastructure: The Role of Irrigation in Stormwater Management.” Held Jan. 30 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, the webinar is the first installment in the landscape track of the association’s Smart Irrigation Month: Bringing Water to Life webinar series. Paul Lander,... read more
Ecological Concerns (ECI) and Central Coast Wilds Nursery, in Santa Cruz, Calif., welcomed landscape architect Bobby Markowitz, ASLA. Since 1990, Markowitz ‘s firm Earthcraft Landscape Design has designed landscapes using water-wise design and rainwater catchment systems. Incorporating his skills and expertise, ECI expects to be better able to address design issues critical to the important topic of water conservation in... read more
John Shorb Landscaping backs its sustainable mission with diesel-electric hybrid vehicles. Some of the latest blog entries on John Shorb Landscaping’s website focus on sustainable landscaping practices, such as beneficial insects, rooftop gardens, conservation and stormwater management. The company, based in Kensington, Md., also promotes its sustainability message on its Facebook page. The efforts all are part of an overall... read more
Many landscape contractors don’t recognize the acronym “MS4,” but they should. It’s a federal program that could have a very positive impact on our industry. It stands for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems. For years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has attempted to regulate stormwater discharges under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System program (NPDES), a federal law that regulates... read more
