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Featured Events

Ecological Plant Conference – 2021

Fri, December 3 @ 8:30 am EST - 4:30 pm EST

This year, the Ecological Plant Conference (EPC) will delve into five plant-centric topics to educate, entertain, and inspire you. Join us for the sixth annual EPC deep dive into plants old and new.

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Webinar: Taking on the Big Places: How to Build and Maintain Self-Sufficient Landscapes

Wed, December 8 @ 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

A Focus on Sustainability - Using case studies from Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, Dan Jaffe Wilder will explain various strategies for creating and maintaining large landscapes with ecology and self-sustainability at the forefront.

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Eco-Friendly Healthy Eating: Nutrition to Support Landscape Professionals and Gardeners

Fri, December 10 @ 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

A Focus on Sustainability - In this webinar, Samantha McCarthy, registered dietitian, will discuss how to incorporate an eco-friendly diet pattern into your life not only to help the planet, but also to improve your health and support the high physical demand put on landscape professionals

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Webinar: Sharing the Adventure – Design Communications for Ecological Landscapes

Wed, December 15 @ 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

A Focus on Sustainability - When a designed landscape succeeds, it’s a sign that there’s been strong communication across the project team. In this presentation, Toby Wolf will explore strategies for making the design process a shared adventure.

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Upcoming Events

Webinar: Forest Ecosystems and the Winds of Change – Forests as a Cog in the Earth’s Climate System

Wed, January 19, 2022 @ 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

A Focus on Sustainability - You may know that weather and climate have a major influence on forests, but forests also influence climate in ways that aren’t always appreciated and are still being discovered. Dr. Scott Ollinger will explore the fascinating role of forests as a key part of the climate system, and how researchers are still unraveling their mysteries.

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Webinar: Engaging Landowners in Sustainable Stewardship

Wed, January 26, 2022 @ 12:00 pm EST - 1:00 pm EST

A Focus on Sustainability - This presentation will share experiences and lessons from a multi-year landowner outreach project in the MassConn Woods, a rural, largely forested region on the border of central Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut, as well as region-wide efforts to unite rural and urban communities in implementing natural solutions to climate change.

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Event calendar

Featured Articles

Adjusting to a New Normal

By Cody Hayo

Throughout 2021 we have struggled to get back to a “New Normal.” The “normal” we had grown accustomed to since 2016 involved very active participation with a local stormwater grant program. This program aims to capture stormwater runoff before it reaches rivers and streams, emphasizing garden-based solutions. During the pandemic in 2020, our local stormwater grant program, which is open to residential property owners, hit a major roadblock, and the program did not accept any applications at all.

 

 

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    Visual Storytelling of Florida Gardening

    By Joelle O’Daniel-Lopez 

    When we purchased our home ten years ago, it had the typical suburban NW Florida yard with a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. We were fortunate to have several well-established “good” trees, including live and laurel oaks, southern magnolia, and black cherry trees. In support of the “good” plants and trees, we quickly got rid of the “bad” and “ugly” nonnative invasive species.  

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      Supply and Demand of Native Species

      By Marie Chieppo

      The demand for native plants by homeowners, designers and people in the green industry is steadily rising. Enhancing our properties’ wildlife support functions doesn’t require an absence of ornamentals and other plantings we enjoy. Some straight species and cultivars with high ecological value can provide a lot. Taking it a step further, Doug Tallamy advocates for the repurposing of “America’s lawnscape” for ecologically productive use.

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        Recent Articles

        Feathers’ Everywhere

        By Veronica Tyson-Strait

        Biodiversity is a priority for the immigrant city dweller who may have left behind a landscape of tropical or temperate forests in the Caribbean, South America or Cambodia. I design and garden in New York City, but I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago. My situation is not unique. Immigrants make up more than a third of the population of New York City, and many adapt to and suffer from the loss of connections to plants and the wildlife they sustain.

         

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        Ways to Improve Your Nutrition and Health During the Offseason

        By Samantha McCarthy

        Fall is now upon us. While physical activity is still a part of the daily job, it may not be as intense or strenuous as spring days. Eventually, winter will arrive again, and activity levels will drop significantly. It is now an excellent time to start changing your eating habits to reflect your activity levels. 

         

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        Conferences

        Conferences

        ELA’s one- and two-day regional conferences offer cutting-edge knowledge, useful information, CEU’s, and invaluable opportunities for engagement with fellow professionals. Conference sponsors present their ecologically-focused products and services while supporting ecological education.

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        Webinars

        Webinars

        A Focus on Sustainability – This Fall/Winter series is geared to landscape professionals and anyone who stewards the land. Webinars are taught by nationwide experts on ecological landscape topics.
        Wednesday Walks in the Garden – This free Summer/Spring webinar series was begun in 2020 and offers a wide range of topics to engage and educate garden enthusiasts on ecological principles.

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        Classes, Eco-Tours & Workshops

        Classes, Eco-Tours & Workshops

        ELA programming offers classes, tours, and hands-on workshops to expand your skills from design and soil management to incorporating edibles and managing rainwater.

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        I just wanted to let you know I thought the conference was fantastic. It was so informative and the speakers where great! Thanks so much.

        Kim H. Kim Hoyt Architect & Landscape Architect P.C.

        I am an avid consumer of your web information and webinars. Keep up the excellent work!

        Judy P. Connecticut Sea Grant

        I wanted to thank you for an excellent Walk in the Garden series. The webinars were all-around professional, fact-filled, and pertinent presentations. I've learned a lot and am inspired to implement some changes!

        Margaret R.

        I especially enjoyed the Conference and felt like I learned quite a bit. I plan to make attending an annual event, either for me or one of my work colleagues.

        Michele A.

        I learned so much from David Seiter’s webinar.  I love the scientific approach and thinking differently about some plant species in terms of services, design, interaction with people, etc. Thank you!

        Missy F

        Thank you everyone for the energy you put into ELA. These programs shine from your involvement, expertise, and love of nature. I’m excited for what the next year will bring.

        Mark H.

        Thanks so much for organizing a great informative Mid-Atlantic conference. The speakers were all excellent and very enlightening, I came away with lots of new knowledge. I also enjoyed meeting and networking with lots of like minded professionals.

        Mark E. MSE Landscape Associates, LLC

        Laura and I were just talking about how much we get from all of the ELA events and webinars…. The good "vibes" abound at ELA events.

        John K, Land Design Inc.

        Thank you for a full day’s worth of insightful material! Thank you for organizing this great event every year.

        Karen C.

        Speakers were very good, but meeting landscapers at the talks & in the lobby was best.

        Cathy B.

        Thank you Penny for making this delightful series available to members of the GCFM. [A Walk in the Garden webinars] have been one of my favorite hours each week this springtime. The speakers have been top notch subject experts who have excellent teaching skills to boot. Their photo presentations have been beautiful and informative. All around an excellent series!

        Linda N

        Thank you for a lovely and informative conference at BBG this past December. [It was] very well run and a joy to attend.

        I salute you on the excellent conference today at BBG! It's cheering and edifying for my staff and me to be among so many people, old friends and new, who value horticulture and ecology.

        Thank you for offering...courses via webinar - it really helps to save the professional development budget & travel time from my job. I find these information sessions very interesting, inspiring and informative.

        Thanks for providing the great professional society that I have been long searching for.... I am definitely a better, more informed practitioner for it.

        I am really enjoying all the webinars that the Ecological Landscape Alliance is offering. Thank you so much for organizing them and making them available for FREE! I spread the news about them on my Constant Contact page for the NJ Native Plant Society. 

        Susan H.

        Just want to say again how very much I appreciate the “Walk in the Garden” series. The quality of your programs is tops! A “Walk in the Garden” is so much more than a series of slideshows. It is a celebration of how all life is connected. It is great to have this positive reminder amidst the scarier reminders!

        K.R. Watkins

        Being an ELA member has allowed me ready access to resources that inspire and inform our new coastal landscapes initiative. I'm very thankful they exist!

        Gloria P, North Carolina Sea Grant, North Carolina State University

        I love the new website. It’s clean and clear and the articles you highlight have great, inspiring content.

        Meg H Plant Me a Rainbow

        THANKS FOR THIS WEBINAR EVENT -- and to the author for the links to the Rodale Institute. To-the-point, compact (but not compacted!), memorable and motivating!

        Joeth B.

        I thoroughly enjoy being a member of ELA. In fact, I get the most out of my membership from your organization than from any other professional organization I belong to. Your educational opportunities are fantastic, I have enjoyed every webinar I've ever attended, and your newsletter is always informative and helps me do my work. Thank you!

        Nancy H. Little Eden Gardens