Don’t Miss Great River Greening at the GreenByDesign Conference

Greening presents one of the only sustainable landscape workshops at the statewide conference

May 9, 2008

To Partners and Friends of Great River Greening:

In Sustainable Landscape for Affordable Housing, a workshop at the third annual statewide conference presented by Minnesota Green Communities, May 21 and 22, 2008, Great River Greening ecological designer Todd Rexine will discuss three singularly successful case studies bringing sustainable site design to affordable housing. At Orleans Homes, a ten-acre retrofit of affordable rental housing in Stillwater, Greening partnered with Minnesota Brokerage Group to develop primarily natural methods together with permeable paving techniques to treat stormwater runoff prior to entering storm sewers.  At two urban multiunit sites in Minneapolis, 2025 Emerson Avenue and 3351 Park Avenue, Greening partnered with Urban Homeworks to install terrace gardens, rain garden, pervious pavement, and underdrain, creating a treatment train approach that is both beautiful and functional.

While state green programs, like Minnesota Green, are increasing nationally, the typical projects feature primarily architectural innovations with modest rain gardens. Rarely are the sustainable sites modeled comprehensively after natural healthy ecological systems, which would increase the ecosystem services provided by these landscapes.  Water on the site can be managed to imitate natural water cycling, vegetation can be used strategically to cool the area and filter water, and soils can be restored to support healthy vegetation and filter pollutants.
Comprehensive sustainable landscape design integrating stormwater management is an essential of green design.

In the Green by Design Workshop, Thursday, May 22, Todd will address this issue by going into the detail of the Orleans, Emerson, and Park Avenue plans, highlighting the multiple techniques used to address each individual site challenges. These include issues of soil quality, size of lot, usable public space, and budget. Beyond the immediate aesthetic and water quality benefits, these plans are expected to reduce maintenance costs over the long term by reducing lawn mowing and chemical lawn treatments. Joining Todd will be Ben Post, Real Estate Development Director for Urban Homeworks, and Harold Teasdale, Orleans Homes developer and general partner, as well as president of Minnesota Brokerage Group (MBG) in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a key player in the multifamily brokerage market in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

Todd created the landscaping plans as part of a larger program of case studies funded, in part, by grants from Xcel Energy and Home Depot Foundations.

To learn more about Greening and its programs, visit www.greatrivergreening.org. For the GreenbyDesign conference, visit www.mngreencommunities.org.

And Don’t Forget to Shop at Linder’s for Mother’s Day:
This weekend, May 9 – May 12, Linder’s 40 + Flower Marts & Main Garden Center will donate 15% of all pre-tax totals to Great River Greening. Just tell the cashiers you would like to support Great River Greening. You will receive a slip confirming your purchase. For locations visit www.linders.com