Sustainability Topics
Monday, March 8th, 2010
You may have noticed on the back of many catalogs and mailings from environmentally conscious companies, the FSC logo pictured above. The Scott Arboretum has been printing the Hybrid and many brochures and invitations with this logo since Fall 2006. The FSC logo is most recognizable on printed materials, but are you aware of what this logo represents?
Cover of the 2010 Spring Hybrid.
The FSC or Forest Stewardship Council logo indicates the publication has been printed on paper that has been harvested, milled, and printed in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial, and economically viable way.
FSC oversees more than the production and printing…
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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
When designing a LEED-certified building there are many strategies such as storm water management techniques, recycling materials from construction, and maximizing the use of natural light to light the building, that will help accumulate points needed to receive LEED certification. In addition to these established and recognized practices, the certification process awards points for innovation. This ability to innovate new green designs and techniques is what is driving the continually evolving green industry.
Upon embarking on the design of the Wister Center, there was much discussion about the techniques and the associated costs for heating and cooling the building in a…
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Thursday, January 21st, 2010
In today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, garden writer Virginia A. Smith discusses the alternatives to having a traditional turfgrass lawn. The turfgrass lawn has been an icon of the American landscape since the mid-19th century. There is movement slowly building through the US to consider more environmentally friendly alternatives to these water-intensive, fertilizer-dependent, monoculture plantings.
Carex plantaginea. photo credit: R. Robert
At the Scott Arboretum, we have been trialing lawn alternatives for over 3 years. Our current favorites include Carex pensylanica, Carex laxiculmus Bunny BlueTM , Carex flacca ‘Blue Zinger’, and Carex plantaginea. Check out more about our program and the plants we are trailing…
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