Don’t be left out in the cold!
ELA’s 2010 Conference & Eco-Marketplace is the place to
Generate Ecological Heat!

From “classic” alternative products to extreme cutting edge techniques and everything in between, you’ll find it at ELA’s 2010 Conference & Eco-Marketplace in Springfield, MA on February 25, 2010. ELA’s outstanding lineup of speakers and exhibitors provides the information and tools you need to make ecological landscaping a success! It’s fun to be at the forefront of change, and you can make it real by listening to speakers, talking to all of the exhibitors, and joining the party!
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Posted February 13, 2010 under Balanced Ecosystems, Biochar, Ecological Maintenance, Permaculture / Edible Gardens, Soil, Stormwater Management, Uncategorized.

Interview with Amanda Sloan

Introduction
Along the north shore of Lake Massapoag, a 350 acre natural lake in Sharon, Massachusetts, the public beach was in need of restoration. “A labor of love” is the way that long time Sharon resident and landscape designer, Amanda Sloan, describes the five year project. In a collaborative effort involving State and local funding, the project focused on incorporating concepts of ecological design and respect for the natural indigenous features.
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Posted February 11, 2010 under Ecological Maintenance, Native Plants, Recycled Materials, Restoration, Stormwater Management, Water Quality.

Native Plants: Restoring to an Idea
Article by Toby Hemenway

Let me tell you about the invasive plant that scares me more than all the others. It’s one that has infested over 80 million acres in the US, and in many places forms virtual monocultures. It is a heavy feeder, depleting soil of nutrients. Everywhere it grows, the soil is badly eroded. The plant offers almost no wildlife habitat, and since it is wind pollinated, does not provide nectar to insects.
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Posted February 11, 2010 under Invasives, Native Plants.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the ELA monthly electronic newsletter. We’re joining the global conversation about environmental sustainability – furthering ELA’s mission to promote ecological landscaping solutions. Our newsletter is part of ELA’s growing web-hub and we need your help. We hope that you will keep us posted on where it’s working best and what’s missing the mark. This newsletter, now 12 issues per year instead of 4, exists to serve a growing readership. You’ll still enjoy top-quality articles from innovators in the field. In fact, this new forum opens the possibility of engaging more contributors on a regular basis. Look forward to more pictures and multimedia content. We’re excited that the wider circulation of the newsletter will introduce more readers to tools like ELA’s “Find an Eco-Pro”, connecting professionals with eco-conscious customers.
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Posted January 15, 2010 under Letter From the Editor.

In Gaia’s Garden, Toby Hemenway presents permaculture. Permaculture is a design method that helps humans design and re-wild landscapes following nature’s patterns. Robust enough to invigorate and regenerate landscapes across continents, permaculture has found astounding success is every climate. Hemenway takes it to the home-scale, offering tools to create self-sustaining systems that increase functionality and yield abundance. Toby Hemenway is the keynote speaker at the ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace on February 25, 2010 in Springfield, MA.
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Posted January 15, 2010 under Native Plants, Permaculture / Edible Gardens.

Article by: Kate Venturini, of the URI Outreach Center

Buffer zones between development and shoreline habitat are attempted in many states, but rarely work well enough to protect the ecosystem. Laws and enforcement vary between communities, as do development histories and how people interact with the environment. Realizing this dilemma, land developers are finding common solutions to invigorate buffers across the country by turning to ecology. Relying on native plants to distance fragile coastal shores from the impact of human development does more than obey a zoning laws. Growing healthy native buffers gives coastal habitat a true shot at survival and regeneration. The Native Plant Design Manual offers a new strategies to design rich coastal buffers. The Manual was created for a New England coastal climate, though the paradigm shifting approach presented is transferable to any ecosystem.
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Posted January 15, 2010 under Ecological Maintenance, Native Plants, Wildlife Habitats.