Contest recognizes landscapes pleasing to the environment as well as the eye
Is your home landscape not only beautiful but environmentally friendly? If the answer is Yes, you might want to enter it in the 2010 Conservation Landscaping Contest sponsored by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council.
Novice gardeners, students, schools, businesses, and professionals are all invited to enter. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1.
Applicants will have to demonstrate how they meet as many of the eight elements of conservation landscaping as possible. A conservation landscape:
- is designed to benefit the environment and to function well for human use;
- contains locally native plants that are appropriate for site conditions;
- has an ongoing management process to remove existing invasive plants and to manage the property to prevent future alien plant invasions;
- provides wildlife habitat;
- promotes good air quality and is not a source of air pollution;
- conserves water and promotes good water quality;
- promotes healthy soils, composts plant waste on site, and amends disturbed soils to encourage native plant communities; and
- works with nature to be more sustainable with less input.
Winners will be selected in four categories: student, homeowner, professional, and non-profit/garden group. Winning sites will be featured on the CCLC website and the EPA WaterSense Program website. One applicant for each winning site will receive a complimentary registration to the 2011 Turning a New Leaf Conference.
