Town officials to offer “Healthy Yards” workshop
Greenwich Time October 3, 2017
Aleksandra Moch, Greenwich’s environmental analyst stands beside the compost bin behind Riverside School in Greenwich, Conn. last year. The compost bins at town public schools are a part of Moch’s composting initiative — which will be discussed in part at the Healthy Yards workshop Oct. 18, 2017.
Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media
GREENWICH — A workshop for Greenwich residents and landscapers is set to talk about healthy yards.
From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18.
The Conservation Commission’s autumn forum and information session is set for 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Garden Education Center, 130 Bible St., Cos Cob, and will include tips and tricks for residents interested in water-saving and chemical-free lawns, using natural resources to protect the land and water and to create a committee to promote and reinforce information through programs and land management.
“The goal of this forum is to reunite property owners and landscape professionals in great understanding of the best management practices needed to maintain healthy yards,” said Conservation Environmental Analyst Aleksandra Moch.
Keynote speaker will be Gregory Bugbee of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s department of environmental science.
Other speakers include Michael Walker, a horticulturist from Hoffman Landscapes; Abigail A. Maynard, from the Department of Forestry and Horticulture; Brian Paganini, vice president and managing director of Quantum Biopower; Thomas McQuillan of Baldor Specialty Foods; and Nick Skeadas of Curbside Compost.
According to Aquarion Water Co., Greenwich residents use up to 38 million gallons of water per day in the summer because of lawn irrigation — compared with an average of 18 million gallons per day the rest of the year.
For more information on the environmental forum, Moch can be reached by email: aleksandra.moch@greenwichct.org or by contacting the Conservation Commission from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Town Hall: 203-622-6461.
Registration is available at http://bit.ly/2xTAGFm or by phone at 203-869-9242. Registration and payment can also be sent by mail to: Garden Education Center, P.O. Box 1600, Cos Cob, CT 06807.
“I would like this to be a local event where landscape professionals can lead the way,” Moch said. “Due to the recent drought and declining water quality in town, now more than ever we need to work together to educate the land owners and help them to make the right decisions for their landscape.”