From navigating the sudden onset of harsher Summer and Winter weather events, to articulating ideas about lessening the impact of diminishing habitat, landscape professionals need to not only relate the larger climate to what is happening on a specific property, but show and specify new and innovative solutions. From water saving ideas, to pollution limiting drainage solutions, we are in a unique position to contribute a fractional amount to reinforcing a positive change, through design solutions and educating consumers. In this episode, we speak with landscape designers on the East & West coasts about how they approach clients about this critical topic. Now more than ever, it's more important for green industry professionals to be able to speak clearly and convincingly about the effects climate change.

References:

1. ASLA Survey: Continued Increase in Demand for Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change1
2. American Society of Landscape Architects: Biodiversity & Climate Action 101 for Landscape Architects Webinar Series2
3. ASLA Survey: Significant Increase in Demand for Climate Planning and Smart Practices3
4. Landscape Design In Our Time of Climate Change4
5. Climate Change Mitigation and Landscape Architecture5

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On this episode we speak with Andrew tenBrink, the lead landscape architect for the Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion.

Working with the firm Field Operations, Andrew is responsible for the overall implementation of this incredibly complex and expansive urban renovation, that includes redirecting urban streets, installation of thousands of native plantings and reconstruction of the Seattle seawall, as well as two of the existing waterfront piers and the creation of a new ferry terminal. With an overall massive renovation to the Pike Place Market area and new interactive ecological displays that will allow the viewing of salmon habitat and the reestablishment of kelp forests, the Seattle Waterfront project is an incredible integration of the urban environment with the reestablishment of wildlife habitat and public education about natural ecologies.

(See a past episode where we talk to 3 Senior designers with Field Operations)

Before leading the design and project management of Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, since 2010, Andrew managed the open space portion of Princeton University’s Lake Campus and the Princeton University Bridge project. His previous work includes the Qianhai’s Guiwan Water Finger Park in Shenzhen, China; Cleveland’s Public Square; and Tongva Park and Ken Genser Square in Santa Monica, CA.

Prior to joining Field Operations, Andrew was a designer with EDAW (now part of AECOM), where he worked on various high-profile projects, including Washington D.C.’s Marvin Gaye Park, the National Museum of American History, the Moultrie Courthouse, Woodland Park, and the Potomac Yard Linear Park, as well as New York’s World Trade Center Streetscape. Andrew earned his Master of Landscape Architecture degree with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture degree with honors from Purdue University.

Join us as we speak with Andrew and discuss these unprecedented scope and complexity of The Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion projects!

Some additional links:

https://waterfrontseattle.org/construction/construction-overview

https://waterfrontseattle.org/waterfront-projects/alaskan-way

https://www.theurbanist.org/2023/09/30/seattle-waterfront-park-makeover-promises-new-greenway-native-plants-and-public-fishing/

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/in-waterfront-park-the-seeds-of-a-better-seattle/

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On this episode of the Green Meridian podcast, we learn about the busy Mason bee and how these beneficial insects can transform the vibrancy and health in your gardens and landscapes. We discuss how to introduce mason bees to your outdoor area - and how you can purchase, manage and nurture bee populations at your home or landscape project site.

We talk here with Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees. You can learn more at Dave's website: https://crownbees.com/. Mason bees are solitary bees that are native to North America. They are excellent pollinators, and they are very easy to attract to your garden. Mason bees are very different from honey bees. Honey bees are social bees that live in colonies, while mason bees are solitary bees that live on their own. Mason bees are also much smaller than honey bees. They are about the size of a housefly, and they have black bodies with a blue or green sheen. Mason bees are important pollinators. They pollinate a wide variety of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Mason bees are also very efficient pollinators. They can pollinate a plant in just a few seconds.

If you are interested in attracting mason bees to your garden, there are a few things you can do.

• First, you need to provide them with a place to nest. You can do this by building a mason bee house. Mason bee houses are very simple to build, and there are many plans available online.
• Second, you need to provide mason bees with food. Mason bees eat pollen and nectar. You can provide them with food by planting a variety of flowers in your garden. Mason bees are especially attracted to blue and purple flowers.
• Finally, you need to provide mason bees with water. You can do this by placing a shallow dish of water in your garden. The dish should be filled with pebbles or marbles so that the bees can land on them.

Mason bees are one of our most important beneficial insects. Excellent pollinators, they are very easy to attract to your garden.

If you are interested in learning more about mason bees, have a listen!.

Also check out these busy bee resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason_bee

https://crownbees.com/pages/mason-bee-characteristics-and-identification

https://thebeeconservancy.org/

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