We've been pretty busy at the office with Green Team, CSA Registration and GreenStreets preparation (check out our newsletter), but I am personally excited for our Manchester Street Park Project. The plans and specifications are out to bid and we'll be receiving bids next week. I always enjoy bid openings-the sealed envelopes, the moment of truth..and sometimes a lucky break!
Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of conducting the first part of a two-session workshop on "Living Green" with members of one of Lawrence CommunityWork's IDA groups. Members of the group had expressed an interest in learning about ways they might make more environmentally-beneficial decisions in their everyday lives, so Lawrence CommunityWorks approached GWL about pairing up. As community education is part of what we strive to do here at Groundwork Lawrence, we jumped at the chance!
Rose and I attended New England Grows this week at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. New England Grows is an association of varied landscape professionals. The trade show floor was immense-full of heavy equipment, nurseries, landscapers and other services for landscapers. We attended several classes including "Tough Urban Plants," "New Techniques for Soil Modification and Tree Preservation, Climate Change and Peak Oil, Sustainable Design Using Grasses, Sedges and Rushes, Using Indigenous Plants in the Landscape, Sensible vs Senseless Pruning and Green Roof Construction 101. I felt like there are several topics and fun ideas that I can bring back to the office and to Lawrence-tree pruning along the Canal anyone?
Monday we participated for the first time in Esperanza Academy's Annual Shadow Day. The goal of the day is to expose the young women at the school to the varied careers of women in the area. There are presentations in the morning and then after lunch 7th grade girls visit workplaces. Karen and I made two presentations and then two students came to the office. Our presentation was a description non-profits and how they work and then more specifically what Groundwork Lawrence does in the community; then we engaged in a mock design charrette of Cronin Park.
Hello there and thanks for checking out our blog. We hope to use it let folks like you become even more connected to us here at Groundwork Lawrence. We'll be updating somewhat frequently with what is going on in the office, Lawrence and most importantly with our projects and programs. This spring we'll be talking about our tree planting program, park construction, Earth Day activities and what our Green Team is up to. As we enter the growing season of summer we hope to let you know what is happening in the community gardens and what kind of produce we're seeing from Farmer Dave.
Stay tuned... we'll have something interesting to say in this place in just a few days! Come on back!!