sustainable

If asked to define the concept eco leadership, what would you respond? Although there are academic programs which highlight eco leadership and eco-biz media that acknowledges it, there remains a lack of visible eco leadership. So, is there a set of characteristics, a profile that defines the eco leader?

In general terms, eco leaders are people who enable sustainability, participate in activities that provide for their present-day life-style without sacrificing the overall eco-health of others. Nevertheless, through research and interactive workshop participation, it was identified leaders who enable eco change do more than the expected. In fact, they illustrate the following traits
• Moral value, understand difference between right and wrong
• Plugged into Eco Sustainability Vision
• Not only accept but seek accountability
• Self Disciplined
• Optimism, believe change can make a difference
• Determination to create eco change
• Empathic but consistent in state of mind
• Inspire others to equally contribute
• Decisive but fair - considerate of others
• Manage failure, conflict, criticism and change
• Facilitate an environment that supports leadership style
• Delegate as well as depend on the skill of others
• Establish plans but flexible in guidelines
• Ability to focus – separate problem/issue from people
• Facilitate eco consensus
• Create ‘considered change’, synergistic eco solutions
• Avoid ‘green-washing’, overstating benefit/result

Still, during a workshop held in our Nation’s capital, when community leaders were asked to identify eco leaders, no one could identify a regional much less nation-wide leader. So, the question is “Can you identify people in your circle of acquaintance who illustrate eco leadership traits?”

In prior blogs and columns I asked the question “Would you similar to my colleague Ed Snodgrass of Emory Knoll Farms, http://www.greenroofplants.com/, be recognized as an eco leader, a person who is growing green their market share?” Coined by media as the ‘Green Roof Man of the Year’, Snodgrass, a committed conservationist, acquired his visibility through supplying plants for over one million square feet of green roofs in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Could you be coined by media as an ‘eco man/woman of the year’? Are you and/or your colleagues participating in activities that not only provide for present-day life-styles without sacrificing the overall eco-health of others but ‘green (planet/profit)’ market share? Are you participating in activities that illustrate eco leadership traits, communicating a commitment with civility, honesty and integrity while positioning your self and/or product/service as a viable link in a network that supports the distribution of limited eco resources? Are you seen as an eco leader, a leader of ‘considered’ change?

About the author – Sylvia Hoehns Wright, author of Seven Steps to Grow Green Market Share, http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/seven-steps-to-grow-green-market-s... and The ABCs of Green Industry Communications: assess, brand & communicate, http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-abcs-of-green-industry-communi..., challenges all to ‘grow green their market share’. To acquire Wright’s books or her assistance as an eco-biz communications specialist, link to www.TheWrightScoop.com Sylvia’s Store option.

The EcoLandscape Group Program is designed to be implemented in your landscape step by step. We hope they help you to gain real tool you can use in your life and reduce your carbon footprint and landscape maintenance costs.

The system is simple and easy to follow. Most landscape maintenance programs consist of artificial fertilizers, lots of mowing, and lots of watering. It seems like these few steps would make maintenance simple. However, too much fertilizer, water, and mowing causes so many problems that this 'modern method' is less efficient, more work,  and more costly.

The Five Steps are designed to focus on the main aspects of maintaining any landscape.

Soil biology and fertility - Active, live soil microbial life is the cornerstone of plant life and healthy ecosystems. Many soil bacteria and fungi actually create a situation that will self fertilize trees, lawns, and shrubs. By building the proper environment for soil microbes, your soil will come alive and your work load will decrease.

Biomass recycling and regeneration - Better known as composting, biomass recycling keeps natural nutrition sources created by a healthy soils on site and recycles the active biology back into the lawn and landscape. By adding biomass such as kitchen waste to your compost pile, you will boost the levels of nutrients without using petroleum based fertilizers.

Water and irrigation management - Water is the main reason plants grow. It's the main building block of all life on Earth. In most situations the more water that is applied, the more plant growth will occur. This is a problem when the growth is greater than the landscapes ability to recycle the biomass back to the soil. Thatching mowers can't handle too much grass. A compost can only take so much yard waste. Too much water prevents oxygen from penetrating the soil for healthy root growth. Soggy soils drown soil microbes and create a foul, stinky muck like a bog, or swamp.

Proper pruning and mowing - Poor practices with pruning, trimming, and mowing are like having a bad cut on human skin that can get infected. Even if a plant is thriving in a healthy environment, improper pruning can lead to pest and disease infection. Trimming certain plants into shapes or sizes that don't fit their natural growth habit creates a situation that requires regular pruning. Pruning equals work. Power pruners equal carbon emissions.

Pest and weed control - Weeds and pests are result of unbalanced natural systems. They are natures clean up crew. When natural disasters occur in nature like floods, landslides, fire, and drought, pests kill of the weak and sick plants, and 'pioneer species' we call weeds come in to re-colonize the area and establish a new balanced ecosystem. If a landscape has constant pest problems, there is a larger problem that is not being addressed.

Proper design - Most landscapes are not designed with nature in mind. They're laid out according to a human perspective and in relation to architecture rather to what the micro environment needs. Square hedges, topped trees, tightly mowed lawns of only one species, exotic, over bred flowers with huge unnatural blooms all contribute to an unbalanced environment that triggers the 'clean up crew' (pests) to whipe out the sick and weak for the 'pioneer species' (weeds) to come in and start over.

As the system is laid out in easy to follow steps, the simplicity of sustainable landscaping will become apparent.

1. Learning Basic horticulture and establishing your score. Understanding some key horticultural principles is the first part of the system. By learning what plants need to thrive we can better provide those ingredients. Measuring and calculating your current landscape energy use will enable you to see the areas that need to be worked on or reduced.
2. Understanding soil biology and regulating nutrition and irrigation. Water and nutrition are the key ingredient for soil biology and health.  By controlling irrigation and enabling plant communities to live in environments that match their evolutionary requirements, less energy and work will be needed to maintain a healthy landscape or garden. Using natural nutrition reduces emissions and petroleum use in the landscape.
3. Practicing proper maintenance techniques. Proper pruning and mulching helps plants resist attack from weeds, pests and disease. Improper pruning and especially mowing upsets the balanced hormonal and physiological processes that keep plant communities healthy.
4. Controlling weeds and pests. If these first criteria are met, pests and disease are less of a problem or non existent.
5. Re-Design. When all else fails, re-design may be needed. Be sure to match the need of the micro environment when designing a landscape layout and place the plant materials appropriately.

Greetings to everyone. I am the creator of a new concept business called Celtic Quest Cafe. Currently we have everything set but have run into a funding problem and I am asking for your or anyone's assistance. But before I do let me tell you a little about CQC and what it's all about.

Celtic Quest Cafe is a one of a kind cafe. We have taken the past 3 years to research and locate the most unique vendors and Eco friendly vendors that we could find. Once you enter CQC you will find that all our tables, chairs, couches and a lot of our decor are recycled items. The paint and floor staining are all made from soy based products and Eco friendly. All of our cleaning materials are made from plant based products and biodegradable. The cups, napkins, to-go sandwich containers, bags all the way down to the stir stix are 100% biodegradable and compostable within 45 days.

We encourage all of our patrons to recycle their trash before they leave the cafe. Therefore you will notice in one section of the cafe several containers to dispose of your waste before you leave. One of those "waste" containers will be for the compostable cups etc used in CQC. Those materials will then be put into our compost bins (along with any compostable waste created in the cafe like the coffee grounds) to create a rich fertile Organic soil! Which we will then donate some to the community gardens and some will be sold in the cafe per lbs.

We will be located on Kirkwood Avenue, in Downtown Bloomington. The café will be known for over 20 flavors of coffee (rotated in and out on a regular basis); Espresso based drinks, Teas, Tisanes (the largest selection of Teas and Tisanes in any coffee shop in Bloomington), Smoothies, Bubble Teas and coffee based products. In addition, light snacks, freshly made soups and sandwiches will be offered to accompany the coffee based products. There will be a small retail section of the café dedicated to imported Irish snack and gift items. Irish/Celtic music will be played for ambiance and we will provide free wireless Internet access for patrons to attract locals, professionals and students in the nearby areas and across Bloomington. The mission of the Cafe is to provide high quality products and service in a warm, unique and inviting environment. All while being the only environmentally friendly Irish café in Bloomington.

Several times a month we will invite local Irish musicians to come and showcase their talent for all to enjoy. We also plan to invite Environmental speakers and Leaders to come and help educate everyone on what they can do to help improve their own little section of planet Earth.

Now back to our issue with funding. Celtic Quest Cafe needs YOUR help! I was asked recently by several people if they could donate money to help during CQC's funding crunch. Well good news to everyone!! I've teamed up with PayPal so that anyone can make a donation to help
make CQC become the fantastic Eco Irish cafe that we all know, love and want to
open!! Thank you all so much!! BTW you don't need to live here to donate. Donations
are accepted from anyone and everyone!! Please visit our website to learn more about the donation process! http://www.celticquestcafe.com

As the recipient of the Turning America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic Award sponsored by Hines Horticulture, Project Evergreen and Today’s Garden Center magazine, I want to invite you to the DC Green Festival to hear my speech on the topic of ‘sustainable landscapes’. To peak attendee interest, I implemented a 5-step sustainable landscape program. Starting the week of September 20th each week I posted eco tips/strategies on my www.TheWrightScoop.com blog, twitter ID WrightScoop and facebook group The Wright Scoop. Step-1 challenged all to accept personal accountability, http://blog.thewrightscoop.com/2010/09/19/step1--sustainable-landscapes-... . Step-2 provided tips/strategies for ‘growing green market share’, http://blog.thewrightscoop.com/2010/09/26/sustainable-landscapes-step2-g... . Step-3 challenged communities to create eco-cities, http://blog.thewrightscoop.com/2010/10/03/sustainable-landscapes-step3-e... Step-4 discussed a definition for the term ‘sustainability’, http://blog.thewrightscoop.com/2010/10/11/sustainable-landscapes-step4-s... . And, my final step invites all to the DC Green Festival Saturday, October 23, from 12:30 to 1:15pm held at the Organic Gardening and Urban Farming Pavilion located in the DC Convention Center to hear my speech Gardening Green: the sustainable landscape. A signing of my book From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green is host by Washington Gardener magazine and held at their exhibit booth. Join me in an effort to urge all to move from eco-weak to eco-chic, green America’s landscape. For details, see Green Festivals http://www.greenfestivals.org/index.php?option=com_mtree2&task=viewlink&... . Gardening Green: the sustainable landscape Whether experienced or novice, homeowner or renter all are challenged to create landscapes from a sustainable point of view, seeking to reduce their carbon footprint as well as create pesticide free edible landscapes. For any style garden, should not simply illustrate traditional design but be the result of the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green, healthier urban/suburban communities.” Still, I advise consumers to take the concept of sustainability a step further, not simply a use of plants that works-well in their region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community. Turning America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic – Historically, as I advocate in my book From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green, http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/from-eco-weak-to-eco-chic-lan... - earth-friendly is defined in terms of reduce, reuse and recycle. Eco-chic takes earth-friendly a step further. It is a reflection of how we feel about the environment, not just as a lifestyle choice but a decorating style as well. During my speech – Gardening Green, the sustainable landscape, I share strategies that respect an existing vista, preserving and enhancing its health. For plants should not simply be selected to provide contrast of structure, texture or color, but make environmental contributions, too. Festival Details – A Green Festival celebrates what is working in communities, for people, businesses and the environment. Here, green means safe, healthy communities and strong, local economies. Green is the symbol of hope, social and economic justice, as well as creating ecological balance. I am only one of many visionary speakers and more than 300 green businesses that join forces to provide how-to workshops, green films, yoga and movement classes, green careers sessions, organic beer and wine, delicious organic cuisine and live music. Event details are available at web site www.greenfestivals.org , select Washington Festival 2010 or call 1-800-58-GREEN. As a participant, I challenge Festival attendees to green their landscapes eco-chic style - the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green and a healthier community. Link to web site www.TheWrightScoop.com for details of my eco activities or contact Sylvia@TheWrightScoop.com .

The home appliances, accessories and gadgets dictate much of our lifestyle, using up a ton of electricity. It seems the nature of the beast dictates that everything is made to be broken. The old coffee maker lasted 20 years but the new dies in 6 months? Are you kidding me, dude?

So now it is time to get another coffee maker. The receipt for the old coffee maker is gone. It is time to throw the old one away. lather, rinse, repeat.

There is a big problem in America in terms of savings and in terms of normal practices of its citizens.

It should not take an iPhone repair technician cracking a iPhone 4 screen to make us realize even the top products break easy.

Luckily the internet has come to increase communication and networking - giving us a fighting chance.

What do I mean? It seems that while most of us hide in our homes and avoid our neighbors, on the internet we can be friendly and communicate real well. This is called social networking, aka, messing around.

As a result, tutorials and product repair guides have sprung up all over blogs like this. It really sucks that our products are made to be broken but now there are solutions for most big name products.

Craigslist creates natural networks but be warned, its best to deal with money exchanges during the day and in busy areas. Other networking services are emerging, along with trade-in options for any number of appliances, which are changing the game.

Gardens continue to burst forth with blooms illustrating why as a nation we not only designate the month of May but June too as national Flower Month.

I am in awe of the splendor of year 2010 blooms. I’ve observed an unusual quantity, size, health and aesthetic beauty. Whether a fragile rose or hardy hydrangea, all peak in blossom. Still, typically, there are plants that over time acquire distinction.

As an advocate for sustainability, not simply a use of plants that work-well in a region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community, I want to make you aware of a Virginia implemented plant introduction program Beautiful Gardens®, www.BeautifulGardens.org.

Beautiful Gardens® focus is ‘Plants of Distinction’, plants tested across varied climactic zones through out the state of Virginia. To initiate the program, eleven underutilized plants which performed well in USDA hardiness/AHS heat zones 6a/2 to 8a/7, the range of state of Virginia plant zones, were identified and promoted. In 2010, the program added eight plants. Additional detail is available by linking to web site www.beautifulgardens.org option ‘Plants of Distinction10’.

Gardening colleague Linda Pinkham, who has been involved in the development of this program since 2002, first opened her garden as a test site and recently as an activity for the 2010 Virginia Garden Week. Through experience, Linda found the foliage of Cercis canadensis ‘Hearts of Gold’ Eastern Redbud to hold up throughout the summer. She identified Buxus sempervirens ‘Dee Runk’ American Boxwood to provide vertical accents and work-well in sunny or shady situations. Corylopsis pauciflora ‘Goldleaf Buttercup’ Winterhazel was identified as a great plant that announced spring with its soft yellow "bells" blooms and Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’ Autumn Fern to work in almost any shaded area. Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ Pineapple Lily Eucomis in Linda’s Tidewater region emerges in late spring and provides foliage during the hottest summer months. Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’, she found, was more versatile than expected providing linear lines that create design focal points. But it was Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ Little Bluestem Grass, a native grass, which proved excellent for her region’s dry spots and Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ Coneflower that performed differently than any other form of Rudbeckias in her garden.

While I don’t have Linda’s varied experience with these plants, I can vouch for Virginia native plants - redbud and Rudbeckias, ‘black-eye Susans’. I’ve found these ‘plants of distinction’ to not only work-well but trigger memories of my grandparent’s farm, a site surrounded by colorful redbud woodland and golden bloom Rudbeckias meadows. As program spokesperson Neal Beasley says, “The Beautiful Gardens® program provides Virginians with a wide-range of choice supported by demonstrated sustainable use, an opportunity to identify – connect – with ‘living green’.”

Both in my book, From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green (http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/from-eco-weak-to-eco-chic-lan...) and during ongoing eco-landscape activities, I advocate the installation and maintenance of sustainable landscapes. For, as urban/suburban Communities, we need to be aware of the eco-consequences of individual choices and insure Beautiful Gardens grow with confidence®.

Green Education Foundation (GEF) is mobilizing two million children to participate in environmental educational programs during National Green Week 2010 (Feb. 1-5, 2010). The objective is to empower students to become environmental stewards within the context of their own lives.What are you doing to promote 2010 Green Week Feb 1-5? The Wright Scoop is promoting gardening green -

Whether experienced landscape professionals or novice homeowners, all are challenged to create landscapes from a sustainable point of view, seeking to reduce their carbon footprint as well as feed their families pesticide free produce. For any style garden should not simply illustrate traditional design but be the result of the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green, healthier urban/suburban communities.

As the recipient of the 2008 ‘Turn America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic’ award sponsored by Project Evergreen and Hines Horticulture – I encourage consumers to garden green, create sustainable urban/suburban landscapes.

The 2010 Difference –
Historically, earth-friendly strategies are defined in terms of reduce, reuse and recycle but eco-chic takes this definition a step further. “Eco-chic spaces are not just the result of lifestyle choices but a reflection of how we feel about the environment. While keeping it simple (as in simple living) is the name of the game, there is a more important underlying factor – a commitment to ultimate greening: providing for the present without sacrificing the future.”

A hands-on landscape gardener, I participate in nation-wide regional plant testing. As a result, I've gained familiarity with programs such as the ‘Southern Living Plant Collection’, ‘Proven Winners’, ‘Plants that Work’ and many more. During 2009, I advocated the idea that consumers take the concept of sustainability a step further, not simply a use of plants that works-well in their region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community.

To me, as a Central Virginia gardener, my advocacy means the support and use of a newly released plant introduction program, Beautiful Gardens®, www.beautifulgardens.org .

From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green
Nationally recognized as a contributing writer and communications specialist, I launched a book, From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green. Combining workshop style assignments with research and ‘hands-on’ experience, I share strategies that respect existing vistas, preserving and enhancing environmental health. Readers describe my book as

“Sylvia’s eco-chic advocacy embodies every aspect of the consumer education campaign we hoped to inspire,” said Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, www.projectevergreen.com. “The judges were impressed with her ongoing effort to teach eco-green. For, our vision is to be a global organization that empowers people within communities to change society through the responsible creation and preservation of sustainable green spaces, such that the ever-increasing impacts of global warming in the world are measurably reduced; because Green Matters!”

“Wright’s writing is thrilling, to tell the truth. She really nails it. I’ve laughed and loved her articles and columns. Her words remind me why I love to work in the earth in the first place.” -- Gigi Amateau, author of the acclaimed young adult novel Claiming Georgia Tate

“Sneed’s commitment to organics, the community and the environment,” says designer Jenny Jenkins-Rash of Sneed’s Nursery & Garden Center located in Richmond Virginia “are echoed in Wright’s book: the challenge for the present-day homeowner is to create a garden from an eco-chic point of view, a ‘waste not, and want not’ ecological commitment: be a caretaker for the environmental community. We support Wright’s advocacy through hosting book signings and having her book on site for sale.”

To review or acquire a copy, link to www.TheWrightScoop.com Sylvia's Store. Or, acquire a copy by visiting Sneed’s Nursery & Garden Center, www.sneedsnursery.com, located in Richmond VA on 8756 Huguenot Road.

Career History –
Somewhat jokingly, I refer to the history of my present-day title, eco-chic landscape gardener. Initially, media referred to my strategies as the by-product of a naturalist. Then, when I contributed to state-wide Virginia media publications, I became known as eco-wise. After speaking and publishing in the DC area, my work was referred to as eco- savvy. It was through participating in the annual Green Festival held in DC that I picked up the label, eco-chic. Nevertheless, regardless of the eco-title as long as people hear my message – strive to achieve ‘ultimate green’, I’m happy.

Details of my activities are available on web site www.TheWrightScoop.com. Join me in an effort to inspire 'garden green'!

For the 2009 DC Green Festival, I've partnered with garden writer Barbara Barker, www.gourmetgardener.com, located in Live Oak, Florida to promote Gardening Green, the sustainable landscape. Held at the DC Convention Center, on October 10 at 1pm in Room 204-A, details are available at www.greenfestivals.org, select Washington Festival 2009 or call 1-800-58-GREEN.
Immediately following our shared-stage event, we are hosting a book signing at the Festival’s book store, Better World Books. For details of my newly issue book, link to From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green, http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/from-eco-weak-to-eco-chic-lan....

Gardening Green, the sustainable landscape
Whether experienced or novice, homeowners are challenged to create landscapes from a sustainable point of view, seeking to reduce their carbon footprint as well as feed their families pesticide free produce. For any style garden should not simply illustrate traditional design but be the result of the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green, healthier urban/suburban communities.

The Dirty Dozen
Master Gardener and owner of The Gourmet Gardener, www.gourmetgardener.com Barbara is the author of Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden, which she describes as the ‘dirty dozen’.

Festival Details –
A Green Festival celebrates what is working in communities, for people, businesses and the environment. Here, green means safe, healthy communities and strong, local economies. Green is the symbol of hope, social and economic justice, as well as creating ecological balance. Barbara and I are two of many visionary speakers and more than 350 green businesses that join forces to provide how-to workshops, green films, yoga and movement classes, green careers sessions, organic beer and wine, delicious organic cuisine and live music.
Together, we challenge Festival attendees to green their landscapes eco-chic style - the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green and a healthier community.

Are you contributing to your community’s green or decline? Should you be concerned? You bet!

Realtors estimate 95% of consumers will not get out of their car if a residential site lacks ‘curb appeal’? In fact, Industry research published by Alex X. Niemiera, Extension Horticulturist for the department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech identifies landscaping to significantly influence perceived property value.

“Landscaping,” says Doug Haver Principal Broker for Home Choice Realty, www.myrichmondhomesearch.com “to me as a Realtor, is a pretty good indicator of the condition of the home. There are many buyers that simply will not go into property if it does not have appeal. If the yard is overgrown or weedy, it’s a turnoff. In a way, landscaping not only is an ongoing investment that upgrades property value, it opens the door for a potential buyer.”

“As the housing market turns softer, Americans are realizing that one of the best ways to increase a home’s resale value is to revamp their landscape,” was the lead-in for an issue of The Wall Street Journal Magazine of Personal Business SMART MONEY, which featured a special report “Fertile Ground – Add 15% to Your Home’s Value”. Still, Niemiera’s research identified further interesting phenomena.

The value of landscaping appears to range dependent upon location: 5.5 percent (Louisiana) to 11.4 percent (South Carolina). In other words, a home valued at $150,000 with no landscape (lawn only) could be worth $8,250 to $19,050 more with a sophisticated landscape that includes color and large plants. Niemiera’s multi-state study also identifies minimal landscapes (simple design with small plants) to detract from a site’s overall value.

“In this market,” says Haver, “it is more important than ever for home sellers to offer a top-notch product. There is an abundance of homes on the market and the sellers who are successful are the ones who prepare their homes — inside and out — before they put them on the market. In some sense it is a subliminal feeling. If a home has a well appointed and maintained interior but the outside does not match, it feels as though something is missing. And, that feeling will doom the sale of a home. Simply put, homes that are pristine are the ones that sell quicker and receive top dollar.”

During the forth Virginia GoGreen Garden Festival (and more …) held (rain or shine) September 12, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Garner Pavilion (located behind the Science Museum of VA, 2500 West Broad Street, in Richmond Virginia), I'm hostess for the speaker events. As part of this event, I've scheduled at 10 a.m. a book sighing for my newly released book - From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green! During the Festival, to further support Green Industry education, I'm donating a portion of book sales to the VA Nursery and Landscape Association student scholarship fund. Plan to stop in and explore an admission free event that will challenge you to gogreen. Festival details are available at web site www.virginiagardening.com .

Newly published book - From Eco-weak to Eco-chic, landscape green!
Whether experienced or a novice, I believe the challenge for the present-day homeowner and/or Industry professional is to create a landscape/garden from an eco-chic point of view, a “waste not, and want not” ecological commitment: be a caretaker for the environmental community.
Through combining workshop style assignments with research and ‘hands-on’ experience, in my book, I share eco-strategies that respect an existing vista, preserving and enhancing its health. For, any style landscape, plants should not simply be a result of traditional design but be the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating landscape green, sustainable urban/suburban communities that enhance green space for today and future generations.

Eco-chic Label History –
Sometimes, I joke related to how I acquired my present-day label - eco-chic. Initially, media referred to my strategies as the by-product of a naturalist. Then, when I contributed to state-wide Virginia media publications, I became known as eco-wise. After speaking and publishing in the DC area, my work was referred to as eco-savvy. And, through participating in the annual Green Festival held in DC, I picked up the label, eco-chic. Nevertheless, regardless of the title – itself - as long as people hear my message – strive to achieve ‘ultimate green’, I’m happy. So, in 2008, I partnered with Doug Hensel of the Great Big Greenhouse located in Midlothian Virginia. Basically, we combined my strategies with his inventory to challenge Greater Richmond Area residents to green their landscapes eco-chic style - the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green for their community. Recognized for our effort, Hensel and I are the recipients of the 2008 ‘Turn America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic’ award sponsored by Project Evergreen and Hines Horticulture.

The 2009 Difference –
Historically, earth-friendly strategies are defined in terms of reduce, reuse and recycle but eco-chic takes this definition a step further. For, eco-chic spaces are not just the result of a lifestyle choice but a reflection of how we feel about the environment. While keeping it simple (as in simple living) is the name of the game, there is a more important underlying factor – a commitment to ultimate greening: providing for the present without sacrificing the future.
For example, as a hands-on landscape gardener, I've participated in nation-wide plant testing. I've gained familiarity with programs such as the ‘Southern Living Plant Collection’, ‘Proven Winners’, ‘Plants that Work’ and many more. Still, for 2009, I'm advocating consumers take the concept of sustainability a step further, not simply use plants that work-well in their region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community.
Specific to myself, as a Central Virginia gardener, it means the support and use of a newly released line of plants, Beautiful Gardens®, www.beautifulgardens.org.

Words of Praise for Wright's Work –
“Sylvia’s eco-chic advocacy embodies every aspect of the consumer education campaign we hoped to inspire,” said Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, www.projectevergreen.com. “The judges were impressed with her ongoing effort to teach eco-green. For, our vision is to be a global organization that empowers people within communities to change society through the responsible creation and preservation of sustainable green spaces, such that the ever-increasing impacts of global warming in the world are measurably reduced; because Green Matters!”

Publication Details -
Those who can not acquire a copy of my book during the Festival, details are available through web site www.TheWrightScoop.com or see
Sylvia Wright's Storefront - Lulu.com
Wright shares ...
stores.lulu.com/syhwright - 11k - Cached - Similar pages

As the recipient of the 2008 Turn America from Eco-weak to Eco-Chic Award, I challenge all to move landscape efforts from eco-weak to eco-chic, create landscape green!