Events Calendar
In This Section
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Tragedy to hope: Family creates foundation for bereavement therapy
Here are some tips for those grieving for a loved one during holidays
'The Lacuna' is well worth 10-year wait
Feast your eyes on essays from Times food writer
'Twilight' legends alter community
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns vs. Lions live …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Robiskie, Harrison inactive
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, offers example
By Denise Ellsworth
Special to the Beacon Journal
Published on Saturday, Nov 01, 2008
For Lisa King, landscape architect with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, going green is more than a catch phrase; it is a theme incorporated into everything she does. From designing rain gardens to planning and planting a green roof, King puts the environmental concepts of conservation into practice.
At the recently renovated green building in Sand Run Metro Park in Akron, which serves as office space for park rangers and managers, cutting-edge green technology and materials have been incorporated into the design, both indoors and out. Lights turn on and off automatically, responding to movement in and out of rooms. Earth-friendly building materials include bamboo flooring, countertops made of recycled newspaper and bricks made from
regional clay sources. From composting toilets to solar inverters, the Metro Parks building was designed to maximize efficiency and minimize use of natural resources.
One of the goals of the property design is to keep rainwater on the site. To this aim, the building has no down spouts. Instead, water runs down decorative copper rain chains, into either rain barrels or clay crocks that drain into a rain garden. The rain garden was constructed to temporarily collect run-off in a dug-out reservoir, which was then planted with native trees, grasses and perennials.
Water can slowly percolate through the rain garden deep into soil layers. These plants, including pawpaw trees, royal fern and lobelia, are all adapted to survive in the moist shade of the property's side yard, and once established, will tolerate fluctuating moisture levels between storms.
To reduce mowing and prevent problems indoors with insect invaders, an area 4 feet in width around the building has been covered with smooth stones. By keeping plants, mulch and soil away from the foundation, insects and spiders are less likely to find their way to the interior.
A narrow mowing strip surrounds the house after the stone border, providing the neat, calming look of turf but with minimal energy and chemical input. Most of the yard is planted with a naturalizing seed mix, made up of lower-growing grasses and flowers that don't need mowing.
One of the most innovative aspects of the building is the green roof and associated living wall. In the last 10 years, interest in green roofs has grown in the United States as we catch up with planted roof concepts from Europe and Japan. Planted roofs are now used in public and private buildings, most notably in New York, Toronto and Chicago.
A green roof is a carefully lined and supported roof with six inches or so of planting mix over a drainage layer. Because the planted roof can have substantial weight, the planting layer is shallow and light. Shallow-rooted, drought- and sun-tolerant plants grow on the roof surface.
The benefits of green roofs are numerous, including reduced drainage and increased insulation. They also provide wildlife habitat, and have aesthetic appeal. Interestingly, studies show that office buildings with windows that look out on a green roof see increased worker productivity, so the benefits of green roofs extend to humans as well.
What plants will grow on a green roof? Native and non-native sedums are frequently planted, because they are tough plants that can tolerate harsh conditions. For the Metro Parks green roof, King selected a mixed planting with about 75 percent sedum, interplanted with coneflowers, penstemon and butterfly weed. Because the roof planting grows many species, the bloom and leaf colors change through the season, providing textural and color interest.
To further save energy, a living wall on the west-facing side of the building is covered with trumpet creeper. In summer, this deciduous vine shades the building to reduce indoor temperatures, while in winter, the vine stands naked to allow the afternoon sun to warm the structure.
The recent surge in energy prices has brought sharp focus to the use and conservation of our native resources, coinciding perfectly with the release of several books about rain gardens, living walls and green roof plants. These cutting-edge techniques will probably become more common in the future.
With the local example of innovative, sustainable structures that work, Metro Parks has forged the way for others to learn and adopt new practices. How fitting that all of King's e-mails end with the motto: Go green, and others will follow.
Resources: Green Roof Plants, Edmund Snodgrass and Lucie Snodgrass, Timber Press, 2006; Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls, Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury, Timber Press, 2008; Rain Gardens, Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden, Timber Press, 2007.
Denise Ellsworth is a horticultural educator with Ohio State University Extension. If you have questions about caring for your garden, write: Plant Lovers' Almanac, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Include your phone number.
For Lisa King, landscape architect with Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, going green is more than a catch phrase; it is a theme incorporated into everything she does. From designing rain gardens to planning and planting a green roof, King puts the environmental concepts of conservation into practice.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
