Turf Wars, Part II

In Turf Wars, Part 1, I began this series talking about the numerous harmful effects our lawns have on our environment, with a special focus on water issues.  Here, I’ll concentrate on why lawns are detrimental to birds and why this matters. Birds (as well as the many other creatures adversely affected by lawns) do […]

Turf Wars, Part I

We all have them…and we’re always fighting with them, to keep them short & stout, weed-free and just the right color.  They consume our time, money, energy & water, and in return, they provide us with noise, air & water pollution.  They contribute to droughts and flooding.  Maintaining them also degrades many things:  the environment, […]

What Happens to Obsolete Olympic Parks After the Games?

Years of planning and tons of money are invested in the chosen host cities, but what happens after the Olympics?  Many Olympic Parks are re-purposed into lively attractions, while others are left to decay with little interest. The Good with the Bad:  The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.  Here, the Olympic Water Cube now holds […]

Recycled Granite Pavers Add Luxury to Your Landscape

While I’m not a huge fan of the granite countertop industry because of the environmental effects of mining the ancient stone and the around-the-world customary shipping, they’re obviously very popular in kitchens today. Another issue is the massive amount of waste left over after fabricating the countertops.  Luckily, there are some innovative companies out there […]

Sculpture Parks Can Inspire your own Garden Design

Sculpture parks or gardens creatively combine art and landscape, where they complement each other beautifully.  Strategically placed sculptures in the garden evoke a sense of wonder and whimsy.  Pieces can be abstract or realistic, and can serve as focal points at the end of a garden path or balance an asymmetrical landscape design. By studying […]

Green Roofs: Open for Tours

Green roofs are built right into a roof system and composed of a “high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants,” according to GreenRoofs.org.  These planted roofs are beneficial in many ways, from stormwater management and reduction of a building’s energy usage to cleaning […]

Will Underground Parks See the Light of Day?

  The proposed Lowline in Manhattan’s Lower East Side is an ingenious idea to redevelop an acre of abandoned trolley tracks into a public park sporting live plants and trees.  The former Williamsburg Trolley Terminal originally opened in 1903 and closed in 1948 when trolley service was discontinued.  The subterranean space still retains some of […]

Top 5 Reasons to Care about Honey Bees

Honey bees are not only amazing little creatures, but they are essential to the web of life, and without them our food supply would be in jeopardy.   Some of the remarkable things busy bees do include: