Although other books present composting as a complex, difficult process, it doesn’t have to be. The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Composting removes the guesswork and complexity for gardeners at all levels of experience. It takes readers step by step through the process of,

• Selecting the right compost container to filling it with the right “ingredients”
• Maintaining the mix at the right temperature and humidity
• Using the end product to enrich soil in the garden

The book covers both kitchen/yard waste composting and worm composting, which is rapidly growing in popularity.

About the Author:

Chris McLaughlin (San Francisco Bay, CA) is the author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting” (Penguin/May 2010) and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables” (Penguin/December 2010). An avid gardener for over 30 years, McLaughlin became a Master Gardener in 2000. During that time she picked up specialty certificates, one of which was a certification from the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Steward helping people plan and plant for wildlife in their own yards.   Currently, McLaughlin teaches kids gardening and actively writes for several online sites including as a regular contributor at Vegetable Gardener.com and Fine Gardening.com. She’s the Feature Writer of Vegetable Gardens at Suite 101, and also writes as the San Francisco Gardening Examiner for Examiner.com.  When time allows, she relaxes and talks about her own gardens at A Suburban Farmer.com (www.asuburbanfarmer.com). Her work can also be found in Urban Farm Magazine, and The Herb Companion.  McLaughlin focuses on guiding and encouraging gardeners living in suburban or urban spaces to grow food in their own backyards.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Composting

ISBN: 9781615640089, May 2010, $14.95

Author:  Chris McLaughlin (San Francisco Bay, CA)

Artificial turf in a playground.

A report released in October 2010 on potential health risks of artificial turf found that after a few years’ use “synthetic turf can deteriorate to form dust containing lead at levels that may pose a risk to children.”

The research, by scientists at the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta, Georgia, in partnership with health departments in New York, Las Vegas and New Jersey, found lead levels in breach of U.S. legal safety limits at 12 out of 29 tested synthetic surfaces.

Researchers also tested four new artificial turf products and found that two of them exceeded the U.S. statutory lead limit. The lead was found in grass made of nylon, polyethylene and mixtures of the two.

“Synthetic turf can deteriorate to form dust containing lead at levels that may pose a risk to children,” concluded the study, published in this month’s edition of the scientific journal, Environmental Health Perspectives.

The Sports and Play Construction Association, which represents the synthetic turf industry, has pointed out other U.S. studies that have concluded children are not at risk. “To date, no study has linked turf exposures to elevated childhood lead blood levels,” said the association’s Dr. Colin Young.

“In light of these overwhelming findings we have no concerns about the safety of synthetic turf regarding the health risks caused by lead levels for use by children or adults.”

Read more about this study in the heraldscotland.com.

Modern artificial turf

Drought tolerant plants and desert landscaping have been popular environmentally friendly options for years.  Now, there is a growing alternative to go “green” on your landscape, literally. Artificial turf is becoming the “go to” choice on commercial and residential products.

Artificial turf has been used on athletic fields back into the 1960s. A few years ago, it took off in residential markets for golf putting greens, low maintenance practice areas in your own back yard.  Due to the evergreen appearance and easy care these areas began to grow until entire backyards were done with artificial turf.  As the price came down, smaller schools began using it for athletic fields.  Commercial buildings are using it on roofs or courtyard areas where traditional sods would have no chance to grow.

This is not cheap or fake looking material.  Most of the time people have to be informed that it is not “real” grass, says Don LeMasters of Golf Turf. The “yarn,” or blades of artificial grass, are made of polyethylene.  The turf installs just like carpet. They glue the seams together and carefully cut the perimeter flush to whatever borders it.  Then, large, very long landscape staples are pushed down around the outside edge to keep them from pulling up.  Bags of “Tire Crumbs” are brought in. These are made by recycling old tires.  They are cryogenically frozen and then shattered to create tiny, soft black plastic particles. This creates the “dirt” between the grass blades. Power Brushes with rotating bristles force the tire crumbs between the blades while lifting and separating. This gives the turf the “real” look.

There are a couple of downsides to having a dream yard. The initial cost is a big factor. Don LeMaster’s turf ends up running about $9 to $10 a square foot. This includes the removal of old sod and prep.  Traditional Bermuda Sod usually runs about $6 a square yard. Artificial turf absorbs more heat from the sun.  So it is noticeably warmer walking barefoot on a hot summer day. Even in the shade, artificial turf has a higher surface temperature than natural grass. It is also not self-repairing like regular grass. If it is damaged, it must be “patched” unlike regular sod that heals itself.

But the positive green aspects must be weighed too. The turf will not need a sprinkler system. This is a giant factor where water is a precious commodity. With no weekly maintenance, there are no fossil fuels used by the landscape contractor. You are also not dumping fertilizer on the yard that can put harmful chemicals into the water supply. There is an eight-year warranty against fading and manufacture defect on turf.  You won’t get that with regular sod.

Kids and dogs love it. Imagine being able to stretch on a soft, green lawn staring up at the passing clouds and not getting an itchy back. In children’s playground areas the tire crumbs provide a cushion for the occasional tumble. Because it is synthetic, no insects will live in the turf. No surprising mounds of ants to stumble upon! Doggy messes clean right off the polyethylene blades of grass. And no yellow spots left by urine (either kid or dog). Some doggy day cares have started installing the turf in their indoor facilities.  With proper drainage and the granite sub base, it provides a great puppy play area for any climate.

Don LeMaster said he never thought he would install yards when he began his putting green business.  Sixty-percent of his business is now yards for commercial and residential properties. So next time you see a perfectly manicured, luxuriously green grass yard, give it a close look to see if it was man made.

Jason Walter Vaile, CGB, GMB, is a Project Manager in Dallas, Texas, for high-end residential and light commercial. He is also an award winning screenwriter.

A Trex Transcend deck.

Trex Company, the nation’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railing and fencing, has received a Verification of Attributes Report (VAR-1011) from the International Code Council Evaluation Service^® (ICC-ES) under the Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation (SAVE) Program^™.

The VAR provides independent, third-party confirmation that Trex’s wood-alternative products are manufactured with a minimum of 95.4 percent recycled content. Trex is the first wood-alternative decking manufacturer to obtain an ICC-ES SAVE verification.

“Receiving verification on the recycled content of our products from an organization as respected and recognized as the ICC-ES creates additional credibility among both our professional partners and consumers,” said Kyle Lancaster, Director of Technical Services for Trex.  “In a time when ‘green washing’ is a common term, this verification proves that Trex is the real deal in terms of our environmentally conscious products and practices.”

All of Trex’s wood-alternative products have been verified by ICC-ES SAVE – including the new Trex Transcend^® high-performance decking, the Trex Accents^®, Trex Brasilia^® and Trex Contours^® decking lines, Trex Designer Series Railing^® and Trex Seclusions^® and Surroundings^® fencing lines.  The indicator “VAR #1011” soon will appear on packaging for these collections.

In addition to verifying the amount of recycled content in Trex products, the ICC-ES SAVE VAR also identifies how these products comply with the most prominent green rating systems and building standards.  Designers, architects, builders and contractors can use this information to determine how they may qualify for LEED credits by specifying Trex products.

“Trex was built on the use of sustainable materials and green manufacturing processes, and this commitment to being eco-friendly still shapes our corporate philosophy,” said Ron Kaplan, chairman, president and CEO for Trex.  “As the first wood-alternative decking manufacturer to receive the ICC-ES SAVE verification, we are proud to be an industry leader in environmental stewardship – and we will continue to use the maximum amount of recycled materials in our products, while maintaining our high performance standards.”

For more information, visit www.trex.com – or to view Trex’s VAR-1011, visit http://saveprogram.icc-es.org/reports/pdf/VAR-1011.pdf.

About International Code Counsel^® Evaluation Service

A nonprofit, public‐benefit corporation, ICC‐ES is the United States’ leading evaluation service for innovative building materials, components and systems.  The ICC‐ES Evaluation Reports and PMG Listing Program provide evidence that products and systems meet requirements in codes and standards.  The ICC‐ES SAVE Program provides verification that products have been independently verified as having the sustainable attributes claimed by the manufacturer to develop and advance sustainable design and construction.  ICC‐ES is a subsidiary of the International Code Council.  For more information about ICC‐ES, visit www.icc‐es.org.

The University of Wisconsin installed a rainwater harvesting system.

A white paper on the role of water in the green building movement notes that the bulk of building projects in the U.S. miss out on one of the most potentially significant water conservation opportunities:  rainwater catchment and reuse.

The seventh in a series of annual white papers published by Building Design+Construction, the report titled “Green Buildings + Water Performance,” points out that more water is consumed outside buildings and homes—for landscape irrigation and cooling towers—than is used inside for toilets, faucets and showers.  The white paper reports that “82 percent of the total water consumed in the U.S. goes to irrigation” and that “the reuse of water may be the next big thing in water conservation, efficiency, and performance.”

“We’re using fresh domestic drinking water to irrigate grass and replenish cooling towers,” says Rick Reinders, president of Watertronics, manufacturer of SkyHarvester™ rainwater harvesting systems and one of the sponsors of the report. “By harvesting rainwater, you’re reusing that water, and it’s not going into the treatment system. That not only saves water but also relieves pressure on sewer and septic systems.”

Reinders says the report is especially timely because rainwater harvesting systems not only save water, they are also a key component of LEED® from the U.S. Green Building Council, earning up to 12 points.  LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage sustainable green building and development practices.

According to the report, many rainwater harvesting systems are custom-engineered from various components but a few packaged systems are now available.

“Rainwater harvesting systems are becoming increasingly popular among commercial builders and engineers,” says Reinders. “What has been missing is a strong, single-source national supplier to provide integrated design and customized solutions. SkyHarvester offers a single-source solution for commercial rainwater harvesting systems at new or existing building sites.”

Common sites for rainwater harvesting include commercial building roofs, parking lots, synthetic turf fields, grass runoff and even air conditioning condensation. Reinders says SkyHarvester systems can be added to existing sites at any time but are ideally integrated during the building planning phase.

Rainwater collection tanks are stored above or below ground. SkyHarvester tanks range in size with a typical capacity being 20,000 gallons and maximum capacity around 1 million gallons.

“Our systems can help companies reduce potable water needs by up to 80 percent and can even pay for themselves in a few years,” Reinders says. “SkyHarvester systems can increase commercial property values and may be eligible for tax and other financial incentives from local and other governmental entities.”

For more information on commercial rainwater harvesting systems, including case studies and an animated video about SkyHarvester water conservation systems, visit www.SkyHarvester.com.

To download a copy of the “Green Buildings + Water Performance” white paper from Building Design + Construction, visit: http://www.skyharvester.com/downloads.php.

About Watertronics

Watertronics, a division of Lindsay Corporation, is a global manufacturer of custom pump stations, from 20 to 100,000 gallons per minute. Based in Hartland, WI, Watertronics has been designing and manufacturing custom pumping solutions for golf, landscape, municipal and agricultural use for over 30 years. Watertronics is a member of the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments.

The company’s SkyHarvester division offers a single-source solution for commercial rainwater harvesting systems that are eligible for up to 12 LEED building credits and can help businesses significantly reduce their municipal water consumption. Additional information can be found at www.SkyHarvester.com.

Hendrix Wire & Cable, a provider of overhead and underground power distribution products, has announced a green solution for overhead distribution circuits with its Spacer Cable Systems.

Much vegetation can be saved by using the Hendrix Spacer Cable.

Hendrix Spacer Cable Systems can help reduce the amount of vegetation that must be removed when clearing right-of-way for distribution circuits.  This is because Spacer Cable is more compact and can withstand temporary contact with branches without causing outages.  Reducing right-of-way clearance by 20 feet can result in up to 6.5 tons of carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere every year per mile.

Unlike bare wire which is spread over an eight-foot cross arm, a Spacer Cable circuit is confined to less than 1 foot.  This reduces trimming requirements and allows multiple circuits to be placed on a single pole, or even the same side of a single pole.  The result can often lead to new circuits being added to existing poles without additional vegetation removal.

Spacer Cable Systems from Hendrix are designed with a covering that limits the electrical charge on the surface.  This allows temporary contact with branches without causing a failure. Birds, squirrels, and other wildlife also benefit as phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground contact will not be lethal.  Mid-air collisions are also rare since cable size, compact configuration and spacers make the Spacer Cable Systems visible in open space.

All Hendrix polymer components are made of 100% No.2 HDPE Recyclable Plastic.

For more information on Hendrix Spacer Cable systems and green solution for overhead distribution circuits, visit www.hendrix-wc.com or contact overhead@hendrix-wc.com.

Building green doesn’t always include ‘greening’ up the landscaping, even though in the Rocky Mountain West landscaping should be a crucial part of every building, green or not. In this region of the country, water is a precious commodity, and landscaping for energy-efficiency should be a high priority for building new energy-efficient structures and for retro-fitting for energy efficiency.

The problem is that most people don’t understand how much water they’re using, says Mary Ann Dickinson, the executive director of the Alliance For Water Efficiency (AWE). She says traditional outdoor irrigation makes it “all too easy to use water excessively.” Right now, we’re at a turning point in the irrigation industry, as companies and municipalities are looking for systems to make efficient use of our precious water, and they are finding ways to make businesses and consumers more water conscious.

One of the newer technologies in the landscaping field is “smart” water management through smart irrigation controllers. Instead of relying on the landscaper’s best guess, smart irrigation controllers work by monitoring and using information about site conditions, including soil moisture, rain, wind, slope, soil, and plant type, so the irrigation system can apply just the right amount of water to the landscape. A smart controller only has to be set up once; after that it automatically takes care of seasonal weather and site specific adjustments, and it doesn’t require ongoing monitoring. And, the best part about the smart irrigation controllers is that they reduce water use, in some cases by as much as 59%, without compromising the healthy appearance of the landscape.

Golf courses, parks, and athletic departments have used climate-based irrigation systems for more than 20 years. The systems are now available for residential use. Tom Ash, Director of Conservation at HydroPoint, the provider of the WeatherTRAK smart water management system, estimates the payback time for a company, a homeowner, or a city is faster than some other efficiency projects, ranging from a couple of months for something like a McDonald’s franchise, to six months for an apartment complex or to perhaps a year and half for a corporate campus.

The cost of smart controllers varies according to the features of the model. Generally, you can count on spending slightly more to three times that of a comparable conventional controller. Some weather-station-adjusted controllers require a small monthly or annual fee for transmission of daily weather information. Internal-sensor-based controllers rarely require transmission fees.

Homeowners save money through lower overall water usage. Specific water savings will vary, but pilot studies have shown typical water savings to be in the range of 20% to 40% annually, versus homes equipped with traditional sprinkler controllers (i.e., timers).

There are 45 million sprinkler systems across the United States, and most of them are controlled by timers, or as Chris Spain of WeatherTRAK calls them, “dumb technology.” Companies that convert to WeatherTRAK’s “smart” technology spend $6,000 to $15,000 for the system and an annual fee of $225 to run the sprinkler controller. A residential version starts at about $500 with an annual fee of $48 to run a sprinkler controller.

Case Studies

City leaders are paying particular attention to landscapes because they consume the majority of non-agricultural water and are typically over-watered by 30% to 300%. Mixed in with the millions of gallons of water that flush through landscapes are fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants that threaten oceans, wildlife breeding grounds and public health. This urban runoff also causes property damage, resulting in liability and repair costs for local governments and private property owners.

Results from a series of studies sponsored by the city of Boulder, Colorado, Office of Water Conservation, confirm that soil moisture sensor-based smart controllers can successfully automate irrigation scheduling in standard clock-driven irrigation systems. Their latest study shows that, even after five years in the field, soil moisture sensor-based smart controllers continue to conserve water while successfully matching irrigation applications to requirements.

In Santa Barbara, California, data from a trial of climate-based smart controllers found that historically high water usage customers reduced their monthly water use by approximately 26%, and some customers saved as much as 59%. In Irvine, California, a field trial that installed smart controllers in 40 homes of high water users found that the controllers reduced outdoor water usage by an average of 16% and have the potential to reduce it by as much as 24%.

Petaluma, California, installed smart systems at 73 residences. Water use at these homes dropped 35% compared to the historical five-year average, saving 3.2 million gallons. For every 1 million gallons of water, 4 million watt hours of power are expended and 5,360 pounds of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere, so that’s quite a savings.

Last year, the city of Healdsburg, California, reduced water use and costs by 28% over the previous year after replacing ordinary irrigation controllers at parks and a high school with smart controllers.

The city of Moreno Valley, California, automated nearly 30 sites with sensors. “The results have been excellent,” says Bruce Carleton of the city’s Special Districts Department in an article he wrote on the project. “I am convinced that if system installation is thoughtfully planned, and post-install observation is adequate, the chances for failure are quite low. This means monitoring the water use at the site must be done consistently. If it is, problems with the control system or the irrigation equipment in the ground can be identified quickly. In our pilot project, we experienced an average irrigation management labor savings of 35% over traditional methods where schedules were modified twice each month according to weather conditions.

“We have gained a high degree of confidence in the sensor system, and will continue to expand the scope of tracts irrigated this way as budgets permit. I encourage anyone in the industry to learn more about this alternative to artistic irrigation scheduling. As water becomes a more highly valued commodity, it will become essential that those of us in the green industry be able to prove to the outside world that we know how to manage it wisely. Soil moisture sensing is one very straightforward method of achieving that goal.”

EBay just installed WeatherTRAK at its North First Street campus in San Jose, the home of its first green building. It will enable a campus that uses 32 million gallons of water a year to save 8 million to 10 million gallons, said Gary Dillabough, eBay’s general manager of corporate environmental initiatives.

“The data was pretty staggering to us,” he said. “We had no idea we used that much water at that facility.”

Considering eBay’s water bill is $95,000 a year at that location, the system should pay for itself in a year and a half, Dillabough said. It takes energy to pump water, too, so the system helps lower eBay’s carbon footprint.

The Future

Feedback is a powerful tool, says Doug Bennett, Conservaion Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, because most water users have no idea what an appropriate amount of water is for their home or business. He is eager to see new technologies, such as resource “dashboards,” integrated into homes.

These dashboards are cited as examples of the “Prius effect” on resource management. In the Prius, a dashboard display gives the driver real-time information on the car’s energy consumption, and that information results in changes in driving habits. For water consumption, a dashboard would give homeowners real-time feedback that would encourage higher efficiency. Examples include Agilewaves’ Resource Monitor and Lucid Design’s Building Dashboard. Dashboards for water consumption are still costly, but, as Bennett puts it, “the gap between the technology cost and the value of the water savings is closing faster than ever.”

Product Evaluations

The Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) initiative, led by the Irrigation Association, has developed an independent third-party testing protocol that is specific to smart controllers. Currently the protocol is administered through the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT), an independent testing laboratory, applied research facility and educational resource center based at California State University, Fresno. The objective of this protocol is to evaluate how well current commercial technology has integrated the scientific data into a practical system that meets the agronomic needs of turf and landscape plants.

Each product evaluation is conducted by creating a six-zone virtual landscape subjected to real-time climate through monitoring of a selected weather station to evaluate the ability of individual “smart” controllers to adequately and efficiently irrigate that landscape.

After initial programming and calibration, the controller is expected to perform without further intervention during the test period. Performance results indicate to what degree the controller maintained root zone moistures within an acceptable range.

To see results of tests of various smart water irrigation products, visit the SWAT website.

WaterSmart Innovations

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program and other leading national and international organizations, is hosting the WaterSmart Innovations conference Oct. 8-10 at the South Point Hotel & Casino, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada. The inaugural conference promises to be the premier venue for showcasing new water-efficiency technology to industry and business from around the globe. For information visit:http://www.watersmartinnovations.com

More links:

To find an Irrigation Association®-certified irrigation professional working in your area: Irrigation Association Certified Professionals

Water Efficiency Watch

The SWAT website has lots more case studies about smart water irrigation systems: Read about some of these case studies.