Enhance Your Environment

Environment Shapes Successful Behavior

This past week I had the privilege of hearing the remarkable story of Bill Strickland at the annual convention of The National Speakers Association in New York City.  Mr. Strickland has transformed the lives of thousands of inner city kids and their families by creating a center right in the heart of the poorest part of Pittsburgh where he grew up. As he pointed out - "because that's exactly where it had to be."  Bill Strickland raised the funds to create a world class - and I do mean world class center that takes the natural abilities that we all have and nurtures them by training these kids to go on to successful careers, even as Ph'd's and physicians.  Mr. Strickland believes that environment shapes behavior.  I couldn't agree with him more.  As a landscape architect for the last twenty years, I'm always amazed at how peoples lives and lifestyles are transformed by enhancing their environments.

What exactly did Bill Strickland do?  Well, in this beautiful center he began to bring in original artwork.  The naysayers said that wasn't a good idea because it would might get harmed. In 24 years they've not had one incident.  So he has brought in more original art, which happens to be one of his passions.  He did the same with jazz music. His center soon attracted the attention of gourmet chefs, who now help train the students in the culinary arts while also create amazing food that everyone enjoys.  There's more.  Every day they bring in fresh flowers - every day!  I don't know how he pulls it off, but now there are other centers like this being developed across the country with a goal to create 200 of them.  Organizations like Dell are donating computers. Steelcase donated furniture.  Paul Simon brought in his engineers to help develop the recording studio that attracted world class musicians like Herbie Hancock that have even recorded Grammy winning work there. I think you'll be hearing more about Bill Strickland's story now that he has put it into print.  Check out his book - Make the Impossible Possible.

Businesses people like you and me can learn from this.  Change the work environment and you will change productivity.   A beautiful environment supports high expectations that produce results -whether that means increased sales or better customer service.  But what if you are an employee working out of a cubicle and can't change your environment?   I'm sure you can always do something like bringing in a personal photo.  Yet, we all can change our attitude about our environment by accepting what can't be changed.  In one of my favorite movies, the Jericho Mile, Peter Strauss plays the lead character Rain Murphy who is a convicted felon and also a world class runner.  Running is Murphy's way of "doing his time."  The warden wanted to take Murphy outside the prison to train for the Olympics - good intentions - but not so good result.  Well, the movie ends with Murphy celebrating with his own olympics within the walls of the prison.  It says the a lot about the human spirit and the power of the mind.  And it showcases the Rolling Stones classic Sympathy for the Devil quite well. See what you can do to bring some beauty to your life and the people you work with.  Everyone deserves to learn and work in the right environment.

Mulch Prices to Soar!

You had to see this one coming.  Years ago I played in a golf tournament with a gentleman who owned a lumber mill on the west coast.  He was shocked to learn that the bark and other waste from his lumber operations actually had value to landscapers as mulch.  You bet!  In fact, shredded hardwood bark is superior as a mulch because it decomposes much more slowly (due to its lignin content) than wood mulch (which is predominantly cellulose).

An article in today's Wall Street Journal - "Sawdust Shock - A Shortage Looms as Economy Slows" - accurately points out that by-products of the lumber milling process, namely sawdust that is used as bedding for horses and chickens, and shredded bark that is used in residential and commercial landscapes, are in very short supply.   Sawdust prices have more than doubled in the last 9 months.  As we enter a new season for landscaping here in the Midwest, and especially in Naperville, you can expect to pay approximately 15-20% more for the the material that protects your investment in your landscape.  This is compounded by increases in fuel prices that have resulted in increases over the recent years.  Incidentally, most of the mulch used in this locale is barged up from the Gulf Coast. 

Doesn't it seem that we are running out of resources to sustain the lifestyles we've created for ourselves?  This winter we ran out of salt to keep our roads safe.  Fuel prices continue to rise, although this is arguably an artificial market - cast your vote accordingly in the next election.   And now we are running out of not just a commodity, but a product that was considerate a waste-product.  Caveat Emptor!  What's next?  I suggest clean water will soon be in short supply.   Sound ridiculous?  No more ridiculous that a shortage of salt when we are surrounded mostly by salt water.   

Happy New Patio Year Naperville Residents!

Well, effective January 1st the City of Naperville will require permits for the construction of brick paver patios.  All I can say is its about time.  Paver patios were a rarity twenty years ago, then they evolved into a special garden feature, now they are commonplace - often with hodgepodge of unnecessary columns strewn about without any apparent thought to design.  Hey, it's true.  With more companies installing them, prices decreased, much to the delight of the marketplace - but so did the forethought of installing patios that are thoroughly planned for maximum utility and enjoyment.  For this reason, I applaud Naperville's initiative.

Now, Naperville has always required a permit for concrete, and for decks, and now they've added 'paver patios.'  Interestingly, they don't say anything about stone pavers, which happens to be one of our specialities at Treemendous Landscape Company.  The reason for this is simple - we love stone - the durability, the patiina of weathered, natural stone, and the comfortable feel of stone on your bare feet is hard to beat.   Whether it's New York or Pennsylvania Bluestone you are looking for, or the countless varieties of Wisconsin flagstone, just give us a call and we'll create something that will not only be acceptable to the city, it will give you years of enjoyment that will enhance your lifestyle - as well as the value of your home. 

Now is the Time to Learn Your Micro-Climates

Now that the seasons are changing again, it's a great time to tune in and learn a few things about the micro-climates in your garden that may not be as discernible when the temperatures are more extreme.  What are micro-climates?  Here's an example.  Today, just before the sun was setting, I left my house on a bike ride.  Thanks to the little gadget on my bike that tells me how fast I'm going and what time it is, I'm also able to monitor the ambient temperature.  It was 70 degrees when I left my suburban home.  I noticed a definite chill when I arrived fifteen minutes later at the prairie where I like to ride.  Before long, the temperature was dropping into the 60's and even the 50's!  This all happened in a span of 45 minutes.  When I left that frigid prairie it was 54 degrees.  Yet, within ten minutes of returning to the predominantly asphalt, concrete and brick of the subdivision, it was back up to 61 degrees.  What does this tell us?

Well, asphalt and concrete and brick absorb and hold heat.  This is not necessarily a good thing in drought situations.  Though you don't notice it then because it's so blasted hot everywhere!  Today I was doing a Quality Audit at one of our client's whose property we maintain in the TallGrass subdivision in Naperville.  We were trying to determine why the dwarf lilacs along the southern facing brick wall were displaying the effects of drought stress.  Aloha!  This just might be a little micro-climate situation.  Heat is reflected off that wall - onto the lilacs - and that heat continues to radiate from the wall long after the sun sets.  We believe this ultimately caused the decline of these plants, especially considering the plants facing due south were suffering the most.  Can we be certain this is the source of the problem?  Of course not - there are countless variables such as the condition of the soil, the watering history, and certainly the quality of the plants.  Considering the quality of the plants, one thing we discussed is plants grown out of state are typically not as well suited to our soils and climate because they have not acclimated to it like those that "grew up here."  Makes sense, doesn't it! Setting that aside, we come back to the original conclusion regarding the micro-climate created by the wall.

Working with Nature is an interesting endeavor.  You have the opportunity to think, probe, and test your theories.  Sometimes the solution you are looking for is right under your nose, but the problem may have preceded it by a period of time.  In other words, the symptoms show up after the conditions that caused it have subsided.  Keep studying and reconnecting and the pieces begin to add up.  Tune in to how Nature works to understand it's Intelligence.  If gardening was easy it wouldn't be as much fun.  The challenge is finding the next level - or at least sustaining the one you have discovered.

Keep The Path Clear!

What are the benefits of your environment?  For some reason I like to think of my personal environment as a microcosm - a garden - of the macrocosm - the larger environment.  To experience any garden you need a pathway.  You need a way to experience it. If your garden, your world, your ideal life as defined by you is cluttered, then you need to clear that path.  Life is more challenging and more stressful when you have to deal with unnecessary "stuff."  Life didn't used to be this way for most of  us.  Yet, progress and prosperity have changed that.

I've become more aware of the stuff in my life since moving into temporary housing - an apartment.  We'll be here for a couple of months until our new home is ready.  You know what, it's kind of nice!  Because most of our belongings - our stuff - are in storage.  The result is we have just a few possessions and the company of each other.  Conversations are easier.  Everything is simple.  We are more connected.  Interesting isn't' it?  When you clear the path of life - your environment is much more manageable.  Why?  You are managing the stimuli in your world.  Your response to life is likely to be much more favorable when you trim everything down to what matters to you.  If you don't do this, then you are subject to the uncontrollable influences that surround you.

So what does your 'garden' look like?  What does it feel like?  Most importantly, what is all of this telling you?  Don't ask what is happening in your world -- but why!  Why are you surrounded by the environment you find yourself in?  Only you can get what you want out of life by surrounding yourself with what energizes you!  Anything is possible within the space you create.  This is the key to enhancing your environment.  Make the right choices - keep that path clear - and let in the good stuff that really matters!

Color Your World with Aliveness!

A client recently noted to me that he wants to see color "all of the time" at his home.  Any landscape architect or designer can tell you that request ranks right up there with the dreaded "no maintenance " request.  Unfortunately, there is this phenomenon in the universe called entropy - everything is always changing and seeking a new state of order (or disorder, depending upon your perspective and need for control) -which certainly precludes the possibility of a no-maintenance landscape.  Color on the other hand, is actually a function of the cycles and changes in our natural environment - and therefore, it stands to reason you can manage these cycles and have color - all of the time!

Before we resolve this situation, I'm curious why we are obsessed with color?  I love color as much as the next person.  Though I can honestly say I've never contemplated why.  I believe the reason is very likely the fact that color makes you aware of your 'aliveness.'   It engages your senses.  It reminds us to take some notice of life, the environment, and even who we are.

The more you notice and appreciate color, the more you respect it's nuances.  Artists will tell you that you don't have to be bombarded with color to enjoy its aliveness.  You can sometimes appreciate a palette that blends color in unique ways, using white to separate the softer pastels so they can be even further appreciated for what they are on their own.  In the same way, you can appreciate the subtleties of what's happening in your world - both in your your work and play.  You just have to take notice.

There is a quality of nature that makes you feel alive and aware of so many things in your life, including your purpose, your responsibilities to others, and a need to appreciate what you have right now.  Right now is where it's all happening - and color makes you aware of that.  Color stops you in your tracks and asks you to think about what's right.  Hopefully, we all eventually come to the realization that what's right with us is interconnected with everyone and everything in our lives.  So, take a color break and appreciate how your life has been colored and how you might want to see that picture evolve into something even more, well,  COLORFUL!:) 

Futurgen? - Watch Out for the Hidden Footprint

The excitement of clean coal is getting attention here in Illinois!  The name of the project is Futurgen.  This will bring us jobs, put us on the cutting edge of new technology, and even make us the envy of our neighbors who struggle to be green.  That's right, Illinois is actually competing with Texas for the privilege of hosting  'an environmentally friendly way of burning coal', as reported in my local newspaper, The Naperville Sun.  For some reason, environmentally friendly burning of coal just sounds like an oxymoron - something like 'safe dog-fights.'   A little research indicates this project has been in the works for some time, and surprisingly, won't likely produce a watt of electricity until 2012.   I wonder what will be going on in the geo-eco- socio-political environment then?  Never mind, back to the point.

The problem I have with this venture are the incentives being offered to pollute our environment.  Did I say pollute?  Well, you see, despite what the MIT experts behind this project say, my intuitive knowledge of nature tells me there will be a price to pay.  Who will pay?  You guessed correctly - the future generations that are ironically implied as the beneficiaries.  The gist of this clean burning coal process is the CO2 and other combustion by-products will be stored ....  "deep"....underground in sandstone deposits.  Sounds like we are just burying our carbon footprint to me!  Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about open systems in general would understand that our eco-system will eventually re-establish its balance and these gases and other pollutants will find their way to the surface - to the environment we all use in our day-to-day activities.

So why are we really doing this?  For one thing, old habits die slowly.  55% of the electiricty in this country is generated by burning coal - clean or otherwise.  Instead of stepping outside of that box, we're just going to polish it up a bit.  Why?  Because we have lots of coal!  I dunno, is that a good thing?  We're just postpoing the inevitable - instead of finding a solution that works - long term.   Coal will eventually run out, just like oil - and both will continue to destroy our environment in the meantime.  Nuclear power on the other hand, provides hundreds of years of efficient and clean burning power.  Yes, there are by-products to contend with as well - yet, at least they are much, much more stable in their composition.  We definitely have choices to make.  Clean burning coal?   You wouldn't even be hearing about this if there wasn't so much federal money behind it - which is exactly why Illinois is matching that with their money - or should I say our money.  Illinois is even offering to insure those facilities against accidents!!  Why are they doing that?  I'm sorry, when something is right, it has to be right for everyone.  You shouldn't have to subsidize it in any way.  Who pays the price for all this - those little 'future gens' that we should be protecting with our foresight and wisdom.   

Home to Environment - "You Complete Me!"

The United States is presently experiencing a slow real estate market.  Yet, we just sold our home at full asking price - in one week!  How did this happen?   There is no doubt in my mind that having a well designed and maintained landscape that complements the home and integrates with the interior spaces dramatically helps to make 'a house a home.' A home is more than the physical structure - it an intimate combination of the structure carefully sited and appropriately enhanced to capture the best qualities of that site.

Every homebuilder knows you sometimes have to build a spec home so that potential buyers can experience their product - because most can't do this from drawings and plans.  The physical structure is tangible - people can relate to it.  Moreover, if you have a home with poorly enhanced outdoor spaces, it is a distraction from what may otherwise be beautiful home.  Offering choices of outdoor spaces with different personalities - sometimes referred to as outdoor rooms - fully immerses the homeowner in their environment where they can envision themselves relaxing, rejuvenating, enjoying family and friends, or otherwise experiencing their home - and life more fully.   I imagine homes with great landscapes might feel as Tom Cruise did for Rene Zellweger in the film Jerry McGuire when he proclaimed to her - "You Complete Me."

Celebrate Rain - It's Anything But Lonely!

It's raining in Chicago at the moment.  As a landscape architect in the Green Industry, this is a celebration to the end of a day of planting.  This should also be a celebration - and likely is - for just about anyone.  Rain nourishes, replenishes, and rejuvenates the environment which sustains us.  I always find it interesting that rain is a common metaphor for the opposite of celebration - for sorrow, regret, and lost love.  Remember the lyrics from Jackie Wilson's classic, Lonely Teardrops - ...   My Heart Is cryin', cryin - Lonely Teardrops (fallin' like rain) - My pillows never dry off - Lonely Teardrops."

Somehow I feel Jackie may have been at least celebrating his feelings for someone special - hoping to transform his feelings into a hope and a dream.  Someday we may too be 'cryin, cryin' if we don't begin to "celebrate" - that is, if we don't protect and preserve our natural resources - and water should surely be near the top of the list.  Water should also be a metaphor for good health and vitality.  Water sustains us - as the human body is nearly 2/3 water - depending upon your age.  We are a mirror of our larger environment, which itself is over 2/3 water - interesting and ironic, isn't it - and thankfully a reality! 

There are not too many things more enjoyable than the fresh, captivating air that accompanies an evening rainstorm.  And the morning often brings the bright sunshine that transforms this resource into the life of flora and fauna.  O.K., maybe I am 'fawning' a bit here - though I hope I'm reminding you and me of how our natural environment enhances the quality of life we all enjoy.  Let it rain. Yes, life is full of ups and downs - but there are more ups if we all appreciate what we have and enjoy ever moment - rain or shine!

It's All Green To Me

A friend of mine has asked me on several occasions what it means to be green. He knows I'm part of the 'green industry' and that I speak professionally to 'green' associations and to organizations that are interested in learning more about being green. It seems you can't turn the corner today without some mention of the environment, which is one connotation of green - and rightfully so.  No doubt green means something to just about everybody. Some take it literally - green pastures, getting the golf ball on the green, etc..  Others recognize that the color green signifies life, the abundance of nature, or even the Irish.  I'm going to let that one go, because while I am 50% Irish by birth - I don't care much for "The Irish" --  my true loyalty lies with the Scarlet and Gray -- The Ohio State Buckeyes -- and on occasion the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.  Am I 'turning red?'   Let's move on.

What does this have to do with green?  There is a connection.  Everything is connected. You see - green is the most predominant color - and therefore - energy - in the universe (check your physics).  You could say there is a green 'thread' that connects all of us - an energy that we all share.  Does this sound too 'woo-woo?'   If you spend any time in nature at all you know it energizes you - it gives you creative thoughts - it nourishes you.  I just can't believe this is an accidental thing.  We ARE creatures of nature and when we become more aware of that we realize green is about awareness.  It's about who we are, what we do during our short time on this planet, and why we are doing it.  Green is the awareness that we have a responsibility to ourselves and everyone that is connected to us, which is why the current green movement to save the planet makes perfect sense. 

If you aren't buying -- try this -- maybe you like the thought of spending your green!  Oh, now there is a concept that connects most of us!  Money is a good thing, isn't it.  It enables us to accomplish what we want, and hopefully that includes taking the high road and helping others - which of course makes another connection.  These connections are unavoidable - which is why it's all green to me.