donna | May 3, 2009
Scientists have identified why excessive fertilisation of soils is resulting in a loss of plant diversity.
Extra nutrients allow fast growing plants to dominate a habitat, blocking smaller species’ access to vital sunlight, researchers have found.
As a result, many species are disappearing from affected areas.
A team from the University of Zurich, writing in Science, warned that [...]
donna | April 27, 2009
The US has lost vast portions of its regionally distinctive flora and fauna to lawn-based yards. Lawns and traditional landscapes composed of relatively few ornamental plant species across the country have homogenized our nation. Landscape architects and installers across the country still use a limited palette of few species all over this country. As a [...]
admin | April 12, 2009
via The Bradley Method.
Strategy. The basis of this method is the native species ability to recolonize by tipping the ecological balance away from the weeds and toward the native plants. If one begins by clearing out the weeds from the most heavily infested areas, the weeds will come right back because they are given ideal [...]
admin | April 3, 2009
Every morning, garbage trucks swing by the Hotel Nikko, the Palace Hotel and MoMo’s, picking up food left on dinner plates and in San Francisco chefs’ kitchens. Green crews hit neighborhoods from the Mission to the Sunset, collecting oatmeal, chicken bones and dead tree leaves.
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About 2,000 restaurants, 2,080 large [...]
admin | April 2, 2009
One definition:
A landscape that minimizes the inputs of
natural resources, maximizes recycling of
materials, and minimizes outputs that have
negative effects on the environment – while
still supplying the social need of aesthetics
and utility.
Sustainability — Practices that would ensure the continued viability of a product or practice well into the future.
Sustainable Development — An approach to progress that meets [...]
admin | March 31, 2009
notes from ::
A Visual Tour of
San Diego’s Sustainable Urban Landscapes
presented by
Marian Marum, ASLA
•Mediterranean habitats account for 8.5% of land in California, and comprises20%
of the Earth’s named vascular plant species
•Within a single day in this county, we can experience numerous ‘enviro-zones’
•Canyon habitats surround us with incredible natural beauty, despite the lack of rainfall [...]
admin | March 16, 2009
Many people say that when we dig ourselves out of the current economic mess, the world will look very different. But how will people adapt? Daniel Gross writes at Slate that “if the economy is going to recover, Americans need to start taking risks again.” Many of those risks involve careers that didn’t exist before. [...]