Urban Horticulture

Urban Horticulture
July 2015
The On-line Magazine
for Interior Plantscapers,
Urban Horticulturists, Architects, Designers, Landscapers, Green Walls,
Green Roofs and Allied
Associates
Biophilic Design
Birmingham Airport Green Wall
Chamadoreas
News from USGBC
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In this edition...
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7
12
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From the Editor
Biophilic Design by Riley Anderson, Norris Design
Green Walls: Birmingham Shuttlesworth Airport
Chamadorea Palms by Suzanne Tjernlund, Morning Dew
Tropical Plants
21 Upcoming Events
23 All About Eve: Chapter 1 by Mary Wacker, Tropical
Designs
27 News from AmericanHort and PIA
30 News from USGBC
31 Green Earth-Green Plants® Certified Businesses
About the Cover:
Water features and plants are just part of the components of biophilic design. Researchers continue to find that adding nature
and views of nature to interior design has a tremendously positive
effect on employees, guests and inhabitants. Find out more on
page 7 of this month’s issue.
Photo by Kathy Fediw
Feel free to forward this to your staff, colleagues and clients or subscribe them at www.I-PlantsMagazine.com. If
you’d like to use one of our articles in your newsletter please contact the author. All materials in this magazine
including photos are copyrighted and may not be used without written permission by the author or editor.
Interiorscape Suppliers and Associations:
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© 2015, Johnson Fediw Associates, The Woodlands TX. All rights reserved. If you wish to use any materials in this publication you must
contact Kathy Fediw at kathy@jfaconsultingbiz.com first for written permission. Thank you for protecting our copyrights.
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From the Editor
AND NOW, FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFEFRENT!
First, you’ll notice that I-Plants and Urban Horticulture magazines have merged
into one enormous source of information for everyone involved in interior plantscaping and urban
horticulture. From time to time we may split the two out again (especially if any of the articles deal
with trade secrets or confidential material.) With so much cross-over in content, it just made sense
to do one really great journal instead of two.
So, you’ll still find old favorites like the Plant of the Month segment by Morning Dew Tropical Plants
and articles on the urban landscape by Riley Anderson. Plus new favorites, like:

A monthly column, featuring a news-worthy green wall or green roof project—and yes, please
submit your projects to us for the magazine!

And, a new column by Mary Wacker from Tropical Designs on the life of a horticulture technician. Fact or fiction? You decide! (Some of the first chapter reminds me of my days as a tech
long ago—a little too closely!)
We are looking for new writers , and especially for your green wall and green roof projects to continue to build this magazine. Just contact me at Kathy@InteriorscapeConsultant.com
Remember to thank our advertisers, and let them know you found them in these pages.
Stay cool this summer—and carry on!
Your green plants advocate,
Kathy Fediw, Publisher and Editor
Kathy@InteriorscapeConsultant.com
Please support our advertisers who make this publication possible and free to you! Click on their ads and tell
your suppliers you read this magazine! Then be sure to spread the word and subscribe.
Tropical Computers
Midwest Tropicals
No Sweat! Liners
Southwest Products: Brand X & other supplies
Morning Dew Tropical Plants
Norris Design
Green Earth-Green Plants® Certification
NewPro Containers
Aquamate/American Granby
Soil Sleuth Soil Probes
Plant PAWS
TillyArium by Bagicha
Johnson Fediw Associates
Green Plants for Green Buildings
Join our list of advertisers and reach interior plantscape owners, managers and sales associates throughout
the world. Just CLICK HERE for your free media kit.
©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrigh ted and
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Biophilic Design
By Riley Anderson
Nature is important in our day to
day lives; we’ve all been well
aware of that for some time
now. Back in 1984 Edward O.
Wilson, introduced the term
‘biophilia’ to describe human
beings’ need for a connection
with nature.
Specifically, ‘biophilia’ is defined
as an innate love for the natural
world. Wilson, a biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist,
author and Harvard Professor of
Biology, contends that this relationship to and affinity for other
living things is not only vital for
us as individuals but is essential
to the definition of humanity.
Over the last few decades there
have been several studies seeking to qualify and quantify that
very idea. I recently came across a
study published this year conducted
by Robertson Cooper titled The Global
Impact of Biophilic Design in the Workplace. Robertson Cooper is a company
that focuses on promoting benefits of
employee well-being.
mental need to be connected with
nature.”
Recognizing a basic need to incorporate nature in our lives, as well as a
tendency to occasionally omit natural
elements from designed spaces, biophilic design seeks to integrate elements such as sunlight, vegetation,
water, and wildlife into our built environment to reconnect us to the rest of
the living world.
The research team led by Professor
Sir Cary Cooper of Lancaster University collected data from around the
world to quantify how the implementation of biophilic design in an
office or workplace affects employee
well-being, productivity, and creativity. With predictions of as much as
60% of the global population living in
urban areas by 2030, recognizing
how to provide society with a connection to nature through the designed and built environment is of
extreme importance.
As Robertson Cooper’s report states,
it’s, “a method of designing the places
in which we live and work in such a
way that satisfies our deep and funda-
Why is this connection so important,
especially in the workplace? Think
about how our environment affects
us. An office environment that at its
©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrigh ted by the publisher
or author, and may not be sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at Kathy@JFAConsultingBi z.com for details.
7
plays.
The Robertson
Cooper report
breaks the benefits down into
three measurable
areas: employee
well-being,
productivity and
creativity.
Employee
Well-Being
best contributes nothing to employee well-being, or at its worst
detracts from it, is beneficial to
neither workers nor their employer.
Job conditions can directly impact employees’ physical and
mental health and ability to focus, which effects individual
productivity, morale, and job
satisfaction, which in turn affect
organizational productivity,
attendance, employee retention,
customer and user satisfaction,
and attractiveness to recruits. In
fact, a third of the respondents
in this study stated that they
strongly consider workplace design and environment when
choosing whether or not to work
for a company.
First of all, well-being was quantified
in this study by visual preferences, dopamine levels (dopamine is associated
with pleasure responses in the brain),
recovery time from illness, heartrate,
blood pressure, and cortisol levels
(stress hormone). Workspaces that
offer exposure to natural light and
vegetation, whether physical (via
courtyards and live vegetation) or visual (views through a window, for example) were found to have positive
effects on all of the above areas and
were also viewed by employees as being less mentally draining.
A 2004 study at Genzyme Corporation,
an American biotechnology company,
found that 18 months after opening a
new corporate headquarters that includes a glass exterior to allow more
natural light and views outside, an
atrium, indoor gardens, and water features, 88% of staff said the addition of
Kalanchoe
The most desired elements in a
workspace are natural light, indoor plants, a quiet working
space, view of the sea or water,
and bright colors. Despite those
findings it’s estimated that 47%
of people work in offices without
natural light and 58% without
live plants. In order to attract
and retain the best employees it
would be foolish to discount the
role the office environment
©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrigh ted and may not be
sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at Kathy@JFAConsultingBiz.com for details.
8
natural elements improved
their sense of well-being.
75% said that the new design increased feelings to
connection to coworkers
too!
Employee Productivity
The Robertson Cooper study
found that workers in environments with exposure to
live vegetation and sunlight
exhibited more consistent
levels of job performance.
One field study compared
levels of productivity for
workers in offices with
greenery and those without.
The field study showed that
the employees with greenery had a 15% rise in productivity. Use of natural materials in office design also has a
positive impact on productivity.
Researchers also measured presenteeism as it relates employee
productivity and office environments. The term presenteeism”
refers to the loss of productivity
resulting from coming into work
while ill, or simply lowered
productivity at work despite being healthy. It is estimated that
presenteeism costs companies
even more than absenteeism!
Overall, the presence of natural
materials and views of, or interaction with, nature has been
shown to decrease both presenteeism and absenteeism and
results in a 6% increase in levels
of productivity.
Employee Creativity
This is arguably the most subjec-
tive area to have been measured,
since creativity, or at least opinions
of the quality of creative output,
could vary among individuals and
companies.
Generally speaking, there is agreement that incorporation of the elements mentioned above into the
work environment increased innovative and imaginative output in
employees. Researchers found that
when employees see green immediately before taking on a creative
task, such as plant material or a
green accent color worked into the
office design (as opposed to white,
gray or other bright colors), it enhances their creative performance.
The report goes on to conclude
that, “Workers in office environments with natural elements such
as greenery and sunlight are 15%
more creative.”
Implementing Biophilic
Design
Biophilic design in the workplace
could be any strategy or method
aimed at better connecting workers
to nature. Buildings and spaces
should be designed to maximize the
use of natural light, natural materials, access to and views of green
space, natural scenes, and colors
reminiscent of nature. They should
be designed with courtyards, breezeways and water features to bring
users into direct contact with the
natural environment.
Views of greenery, water and wildlife had the strongest overall impact.
Sunlight is also crucial in all three of
the measured areas. Therefore designers should also maximize the
number of and access to windows to
bring in natural light and provide
views of natural elements.
©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrigh ted and may not be
sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at Kathy@JFAConsultingBiz.com for details.
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Even views of parking lots are bound to have
a few trees in them. Even better, if windows
are operable they can be opened to let in
fresh air. People who had access to windows with views of greenery spent significantly more productive hours at work and
reported feeling less stressed and more creative.
When adding windows isn’t an option, in an
existing building for instance, rearranging
the office to maximize access to what is
available or mimicking nature and natural
elements through use of water, plants, natural materials, colors, textures, sounds and
aromas suggestive of being outdoors can
also be effective.
Although it should be noted that real contact
with natural elements stimulates a significantly stronger physiological response than
contact with simulated nature.
Impacts of the absence of nature in our lives
have been well documented. Richard Louv’s
book The Last Child in the Woods: Saving our
Children from Nature Deficit Disorder comes
quickly to mind and is a must read for anyone with an interest in the positive role nature plays in childhood development. But
studies into the impact of biophilic design have just started getting attention relatively recently.
While incorporating nature into one’s life
seems like common sense, there are now
ways to measure and quantify those benefits. From restorative effects to increased
productivity and creativity, to simply dealing with stress, biophilia presents a strong
case for providing access to nature and
nature inspired elements, especially in the
workplace. And now there are numbers
to prove it.
Riley Anderson is a landscape designer for
Norris Designs and can be reached at
randerson@norris-design.com
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Green Walls:
Birmingham Shuttlesworth
Airport
Birmingham Shuttlesworth Airport Living Wall named “Earth, Wind and Water: The Landscape of Alabama”
Living Wall system, plant selection and design: Green Over Grey(www.greenovergrey.com) in collaboration with Murray Johnston (murrayjohnstonartquilts.com)
Plant installation and maintenance: Foliage Design Systems(www.foliagedesignbirmingham.com)
Date installed: July 21, 2014
This project involved the blending of different designers, a unique artistic rendering in quilt
form, and several design templates to create the final portrait of living plants. The project required approximately 3 weeks of installation with an average of 4-5 installers each day and
was accomplished in an active construction site.
Today, this living wall is a major feature of the $200+ million Birmingham Airport modernization project, which was completed in August 2014, and is seen and “touched” by thousands of
travelers daily.
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Plant Material:
This 1400 square foot hydroponic wall
includes in excess of 8000 individual
plants, representing over 60 plant
species.
All plants are tropical varieties and
include dozens of species of ferns,
philodendrons, and dracaenas.
Unique varieties include Cyperus papyrus, Cryptanthus ‘Black Mystic’, Calathea lancifolia, Annus comosus
(pineapple fruit), Peperomia
‘Watermelon’, Aeschynanthus ‘Mona
Lisa’ (Lipstick vine) and Tradescantia
zebrinia (Wandering Jew).
The wall garden incorporates some
blooming plants as well, such as Anthurium, Spathiphyllum, Dendrobium
orchids, and Vriesea Splenriet’
(Flaming Sword bromeliad.) There are
also carnivorous plants such as Nepenthes (pitcher plant) which helps to
keep insect infestations to a minimum.
All of the soil media needed to be
washed off the roots prior to planting.
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How the Plants are
Grown:
Plants are grown hydroponically in
a lightweight porous fabric which
functions as a substitute for soil.
This engineered fabric evenly distributes moisture and nutrients to
the plants. An automated drip
irrigation systems supplies all water and nutrients to the wall. The
fabric also provides for structural
support of plant roots, to the extent that several plant varieties,
such as Schefflera ‘Amate’ are capable of growing to several feet in
height.
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The Green Wall:
The Living Wall is an integral component of the Birmingham Shuttlesworth Airport’s comprehensive
sustainability program. This verdant exhibit stands
14 feet in height and stretches 100 feet along the
inside of a passenger corridor between two major
concourses. Opposite the living wall, within 30 feet,
are broad windows with a western exposure so light
levels are generally favorable for plant sustenance.
Ambient light levels are supplemented by engineered grow lights.
The Airport’s Planning Team envisioned the wall to
be equal parts art, interior landscaping, and environmental statement. The evolution of the wall’s purpose began at the level of the Airport’s Board of Directors, which is best reflected in the Chairperson’s declaration:
“Our Airport is Alabama’s front porch, so we want all our visitors to have a visual experience with our lush and
beautiful state.”
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The Art Behind the Wall:
The transition from the concept of Alabama landscape to artistic portrait of living plants included the unique creation
of a quilt entitled “Earth, Wind and Water--the Landscape of Alabama.” The Airport commissioned a local quilt artist
(Murray Johnston, www.murrayjohnstonquilts.com) who incorporated a theme of four regions of Alabama; from coast,
to farmlands, to river valleys, and finally, to the North Alabama uplands.
Murray states that her quilt was to reflect not just the biodiversity of the state, but more importantly, to create a
“sense of place.” Murray’s quilt became the template which was given to the designers of Green Over Grey
(www.greenovergrey.com), who, in turn transformed the quilt into a portrait of plants.
The left side of the wall garden represents the Gulf Coast region, an area Murray visualized as a “blending of land and
sky, marsh and beach.” Mike Weinmaster of GOG transformed Murray’s quilt depiction of the Gulf region by using alternating swirls of philodendron in colors ranging from red, burgundy, amber, orange and neon.
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the savings on to you. Put the Dew
Crew to work for you today!
Click here to request our
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www.morningdewtropical.com • (800) 360-6969
Chamadorea Palms
By Robbin Avery
Morning Dew Tropical Plants
By Suzanne Tjernlund
Morning Dew Tropical Plants
Chamaedorea palms, also known
as “Bamboo palms,” are a very
diverse group of palms with over
100 varieties and species. There
are many contrasting appearances among the group. For example, some are miniature (up to
only 12 inches tall) and others
can be over 20 feet tall. They
range from having tiny stems to
robust trunks, and all have pinnate (feathered) leaves which
leads to more delicate-looking
fronds.
Several Chamaedorea palm varieties are currently being used in
interiorscape designs for their
durability and classic, elegant
features, such as:
Chamaedorea elegans (Neanthe
Bella) also known as the Parlor
Palm;
Chamaedorea seifrizii (Reed
palm);
Chamaedorea hooperiana (King
Maya);
Chamaedorea metallica (Metal
palm);
Chamaedorea “Florida Hybrid” (hybrid cross of C. seifrizii
and C. erumpens);
Chamaedorea cataractarum (Cat
palm)
Chamaedorea palms will naturally
spread through off-shoots or suckers,
similar to bamboo. These plants are
commercially grown as clumps to form
full shrub-like specimens. The graceful
Chamaedorea palm is much hardier
than an Areca palm and less expensive
than a Kentia palm.
be used with the fruit as it is an irritant to humans.
Rio
Pests partial to Chamaedorea palms
include spider mites, which thrive in
a dry, still-air environment. If you
encounter this problem, try misting
the plant with a soap-and-water mixture or a miticide. Less common
pests are the mealy bug and scale.
Native to Mexico and Central America, Chamaedorea palms are hardy
and most all will thrive in an understory setting. They can handle low
to medium light, making them very
popular for indoor use where a lower light plant is needed. They are
often used in a northern exposure
and under artificial light. NASA lists
Chamaedorea palm as a clean air
plant.
Although the Chamaedorea palm is
mostly used indoors, it can withstand higher light and will produce
flowers and fruit in these environments. The flowers arise from the
leaf sheaths (covering) and are dull
yellow in color. The fruits are usually small pea-sized berries that are
an orange/red color. Caution should
Chamadorea ‘Florida Hybrid’
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If you are overwatering, you
will usually notice the leaf
tips begin to turn yellow and
new growth will emerge
looking very pale. The plant
may also experience stem
rot.
Chamaedorea palms like adequate
Chamadorea metallica
water but do not like being waterlogged or sitting in soppy soil. For
container-grown plants, water when
the top inch of soil just starts to dry
out. Even moisture is ideal. It is
better to leave the soil slightly dry
than to overwater.
On the flip side, if you are
under-watering, the tips of
certain species and varieties,
like C. seifrizii, for example,
will turn brown as well as any
new growth.
Chamaedorea palms do well in a
rich, organic soil media with sand
for good drainage.
Chamadorea elegans
Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer from late winter through the
spring, summer and early fall. If
the plant starts yellowing, add a
dose of fertilizer with a
heavy concentration of
nitrogen and iron. This
should green up the
leaves in three to four
months.
All species of Chamaedorea prefer good air
ventilation, which can
be a challenge for plants
that are kept indoors.
Chamaedorea palms do
well in temperatures
between 65-80 degrees.
Chamaedorea palms can
typically be found in 6”
to 21” grow pots.
These palms are very
popular because of their
durability and classic,
elegant features, and
make a great addition to
any interiorscape!
Suzanne Tjernlund is the Customer
Service and General Manager for
Morning Dew Tropical Plants.
Passionate for plants and their people, this Florida native started interiorscaping in 1991, then worked for a
Homestead, Florida nursery/
brokerage company. Suzanne joined
Morning Dew in 2000 and heads
their Customer Service and Plant Purchasing departments.
Chamadorea seifrizii
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©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrighted and may not be
sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at Kathy@JFAConsultingBiz.com for details.
UPCOMING EVENTS
July 2015
July 11-14, 2015: Cultivate’15, Columbus, OH, sponsored by AmericanHort. For more information go to
www.AmericanHort.org.
July 14, 2015: Green Plants for Green Buildings Train the Trainer Seminar, in conjunction with Cultivate ‘15, Columbus, OH. Separate event, to register go to www.gpgb.org
October 2015
October 5-18, 2015: Cities Alive green roof and wall conference, New York City, NY, sponsored by Green Roofs for
Healthy Cities. For more information go to www.citiesalive.org/
October 7-9, 2015: IFMA’s World Workplace, Denver, CO, sponsored by IFMA. For more information go to
www.ifma.org.
October 21-23, 2015: Landscapes 2015 (formerly GIC), Louisville, KY, sponsored by NALP (formerly PLANET.) For
more information go to www.landscapeprofessionals.org
November 2015
November 6-9, 2015: American
Society of Landscape Architects
Annual Meeting, McCormick Place,
Chicago. For more information go
to www.asla.org
November 18-19, 2015: Greenbuild International Conference and
Expo, Washington, DC, sponsored
by US Green Building Council. For
more information go to
www.greenbuildexpo.org
December 2015
December 1-3, 2015: Paysalia international horticulture trade fair,
Lyon, France. For more information go to www.paysalia.com
December 1-3, 2015: EILO
(European Interior Landscaping
Organisation) Conference, held in
conjunction with Paysalia, Lyon,
France. For more information go
to www.eilo.eu
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All About Eve
The ongoing saga of a tech named Eve
Chapter 1: In the Beginning
By Mary Wacker, Tropical Designs
“I’ve just landed the most wonderful, cushy job,” Eve told
her best friend over the phone. “All I have to do is run around
town and water plants. I’m so excited; this will be a snap!”
Within a few weeks Eve discovered that two buckets of
water weighed twenty-four to thirty-two pounds at the beginning of the day, and more by late afternoon. She learned
that climbing up and down stepstools and ladders all day made her legs feel like limp lasagna. She found that being a
horticultural technician required the physical abilities of a gymnast, the wisdom of a Mensa member and the social
skills of a southern belle. One of her first jobs tested her abilities.
The new restaurant account specialized in quirky décor and cozy seating patterns. Customers were greeted at
the door by an antique jukebox and a wooden butler with a Mona Lisa smile. Off in one corner was a vintage gasoline
pump and above that, a wooden scythe was bolted to the wall. The feature that caused Eve to rethink her vocation
was a wide ledge eight feet from the floor that ran around the entire dining area, and held an even wider assortment
of paraphernalia, including most of the tropical plants that she needed to water.
No way! These were not the little windowsill plants she’d envisioned!
She thought of calling her boss and giving her two weeks’ notice, but instead Eve went in search of the ladder
located beside the back door. Since Eve was barely over five feet tall, winding the eight foot ladder through the kitchen without knocking over a boiling kettle or a slow-moving chef was no easy feat. She safely reached the dining area,
propped it up between the first two overhead plants and filled her buckets. She climbed the ladder with one hand
while carrying a bucket of water, watered the first few plants, climbed down, moved the ladder and repeated the process. This went well until she came to a section of the ledge that was five feet deep, making it necessary for Eve to
crawl out onto the ledge and walk to the plants toward the rear.*
Seething at the nerve of her boss to send her here, she called out politely to the restaurant cook, “Will this ledge support my weight?”
“I don’t know; crawl up there and see,” he replied with a devious grin.
She took a deep breath and climbed slowly from the top step of the
ladder onto the ledge. Hearing no creaking or snapping, she cautiously watered the plants, making a mental note to bring two gallons of water next time
to avoid launching herself off and on the ledge twice. She continued her way
*Editor’s Note: Caution! Do not try this on the job. Use extreme care with ladders and when work on ledges.
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around the ledge, being careful to avoid splashing the neon lights and antique baby buggy. She was on the last section
when she saw the bear. The endearing bear touted his beer, and now he revolved continuously on a miniature ice rink
directly in front of a huge Janet Craig. There was no way that Eve could water the plant with the bear swinging his little
brown bottle around between her and her watering can.
“Excuse me, is there any way you can turn the bear off for a minute?” she called to the waiter.
“I guess; if I can find the right switch.” He tried several switches, watched the bear pause in his pirouettes and
gave Eve the thumbs up. Checking the plant, she grimaced to herself when she found it was still soaking wet. Climbing
back down the ladder, she flipped the switch she’d noted the waiter had used, and the bear resumed his eternal spin.
Eve carried the ladder toward the kitchen, and set it back in its appointed spot with a sigh of relief. She called
her friend again that night.
“You’ll never guess what I did today. My job is so much fun!”
Mary Wacker has worked for Tropical Designs for over thirty years as a horticultural technician,
lead tech and salesperson. During that time, she earned her degree in Creative Writing at Wichita
State University and published two books. You may reach her at maryw@greenacres.com.
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Guzmania ‘Milena’ and John Mendozza
©2015, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrigh ted and may not be
sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at Kathy@JFAConsultingBiz.com for details.
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Plantscape Institute of America to Combine with AmericanHort
Columbus, Ohio—After a supportive vote last month by its members, the Plantscape Institute of America
(PIA) will become part of AmericanHort in order to expand the community of interior plantscape professionals and to consolidate programs. Last year the PIA Board of Directors invited AmericanHort to become
the home for PIA’s members and its key activities. By doing so, hundreds of plantscape firms and product
suppliers are now served by a singular association.
PIA, formally known as the Plantscape Industry Alliance, has a history of mergers that expanded its footprint. Founded in 1990 by the consolidation of four California plantscaping associations, PIA grew into an
organization that served professionals in Canada and the United States. The unification with AmericanHort
has been in the works since the summer of 2014 when PIA combined its annual Plantscape Industry Expo
with the AmericanHort Cultivate’14 event. Earlier this year, AmericanHort enrolled PIA’s members into the
association, which began the formal process of merging the two groups.
AmericanHort has for decades offered educational programs, trade shows, and a community for plantscapers in North America. PIA will bring to AmericanHort its annual International Plantscape Awards, respected educational programs, and the prestigious Interior Plantscape Hall of Fame. These will combine with established AmericanHort activities, including the annual Interior Plantscape Symposium, advocating for
small business concerns, and representation on the Interior Industry Coalition.
“We are eager to finalize our partnership and officially become part of the AmericanHort community,” said
Tim Konig, executive chairman of PIA and owner of European Gardens, a plantscape firm located in Colleyville, Texas. “We have been working with AmericanHort for several years on a variety of programs, and this
now culminates our vision of increasing support for plantscape professionals and their firms.”
“AmericanHort is an advocate for the use of living plants in interior landscapes, and we expect this merger
will lead to greater opportunities for all firms providing interior products and services,” said Michael V.
Geary, president and CEO of AmericanHort. “Among other benefits, joining together provides a louder voice
to increase the public awareness of the benefits of live foliage in the interior environment.”
FUTURE INTERIOR PLANTSCAPE COMMUNITY EVENTS
(as of June 19, 2015)
Cultivate'15
July 11-14, 2015
Columbus, Ohio
InteriorPro Series: Plantscape Explanations
August 13, 2015
Whittier, California
AmericanHort was formed in 2014 by the consolidation of the American Nursery & Landscape Association and OFA –
The Association of Horticulture Professionals. With a combined history of 220+ years, AmericanHort supports nearly
16,000 member and affiliated businesses that include breeders, greenhouse and nursery growers, garden retailers, distributors, interior and exterior landscape professionals, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and
all of those who are part of the industry market chain. Our mission is to unite, promote, and advance the horticulture
industry through advocacy, collaboration, connectivity, education, market development, and research.
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Rick Fedrizzi to Step Down as USGBC’s CEO End of 2016
The U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Rick Fedrizzi, the
visionary founder of USGBC and CEO since 2003, will not seek renewal of his
contract as USGBC’s CEO at the end of 2016, paving the way for an organizational leadership transition in 2017.
“As one of the founders of USGBC, I never could have imagined the sweeping
global impact the organization would have, the wide-ranging work that could be
accomplished, the dramatic change in our industry that we would lead, the
scale of the innovation we would spark or the number of lives we would touch,”
Fedrizzi said. “It’s been a humbling and gratifying experience.”
Fedrizzi, a charismatic figure in the world of sustainability, since co-founding USGBC 22 years ago and
serving as its volunteer founding chair the first six years, was appointed president and CEO in 2003. In
2009 he also became CEO of the newly created Green Building Certification Institute (now Green Business Certification Inc.). GBCI is a third-party organization, which was initially established to provide credentialing and certification services for LEED, USGBC’s premier rating system. GBCI has recently acquired several other clients, including GRESB, WELL, PEER, SITES and EDGE, among others.
“As an industry, we’ve grown and prospered because of a powerful idea that ultimately sparked a movement,” said Fiona Cousins, chair-elect of the USGBC Board of Directors. “That movement has been ably
led by Rick Fedrizzi for more than two decades, and it’s that success we’ll continue to build on in the future.”
With this early notification of transition, current USGBC Board Chair Marge Anderson noted that the Board
has already set up a search committee so that it can move quickly to fill the CEO position. “Since the beginning, Rick has been a transformational leader. That’s evident not only in the fundamental positive shifts
in the market, but also in the amazing team he has assembled and nurtured, especially at the executive
level. USGBC’s next leader will have a strong
foundation from which to launch USGBC’s next
chapter.”
“Rick has been a tremendous leader, a
thoughtful mentor and a good friend to so many
of us,” said George Bandy, immediate past
chair, USGBC Board of Directors. “I know for a
fact that he’ll continue to be engaged in this
movement that he has worked so hard to
build.”
“I am looking forward to working with the Board
to assure a successful transition for the new
CEO come 2017,” said Fedrizzi. “The organization’s executive team is seasoned and capable,
assuring that USGBC’s work will continue to be executed at a high level and that USGBC’s reputation as a
leading voice in the sustainability movement will continue uninterrupted. The emerging leaders across the
organization are running sophisticated global business units of their own. Coupled with our exceptional
volunteers, it’s clear that the organization is positioned for a bright and prosperous future.”
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