News and Events MLNA Salutes Heroes of the Planet Award Finalists with MLNA Green Leader Recognition

MLNA salutes Heroes of the Planet Award Finalists with Missouri Landscape & Nursery Green Leader Recognition. MLNA recognizes each of these finalists as winners within the green industry because of their high standards. "They each have set a positive example of environmental sustainability. We are so proud to have them here as an influence on our region" says MaryAnn Fink, Executive Director of MLNA, the statewide professional green industry association.
Congratulations to each of you!

St. Louis Business Journal and Missouri Botanical Garden will present this first annual award Oct 23rd, 2008. It is proudly sponsored by UMB Bank, Veolia Environmental Services and Oracle.

MLNA thanks these sponsors for recognizing environmental stewardship.

SUSTAINABLE VISIONARY

Kay and Leo Drey

Sustainable Communities

Alberici Constructors Boa Construction Company Inc. Clayco Inc.

Sustainable Employee Programs

Gallop, Johnson & Neuman HOK RideFinders

Sustainable Operations

Hansen’s Tree Service Nestle Purina Petcare Company Saint Louis Brewery Inc.

Sustainable Products

EPC Pedro’s Planet Sage Homebuilders

Sustainable Alliances

American Lung Association Energy Solutions U.S. Green Building Council-St. Louis Chapter

Giving Green

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Monsanto Company William A. Kerr Foundation

For more information about these finalist and their accomplishments visit these links and read the St. Louis Business Journal. Please send a note of thanks to each for their sustainable stewardship.

Low Impact Development Practice -A practice worth perfecting

Storm water runoff continues to be a concern in communities large and small across Missouri and throughout the United States. Currently there are a number of cooperative public outreach education programs, professional training seminars and conference opportunities and an increasing number of incentive programs that introduce various aspects of Low Impact Development (LID) practices to assist with management of targeted pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and total suspended solids. and storm water
MLNA wished to encourage its members to review these topics and consider promoting these practices as a business as well to the public. Become informed and create your niche based on any or all of these practices that protect our environment


Ten Common LID Practices
1. Rain Gardens and Bioretention
2. Rooftop Gardens / Shield Systems
3. Sidewalk Porous surface & Storm Water Filtering
4. Vegetated Swales, Buffers, and Strips; Tree Preservation
5. Roof Leader Disconnection
6. Rain Barrels and Cisterns
7. Permeable Pavers
8. Soil Amendments; Organic
9. Impervious Surface Reduction and Disconnection
10. Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping
http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap12.asp

Pervious Paving Research

From RMC Research & Education Foundation:
The RMC Research & Education Foundation has released a pervious concrete research report. The study Portland Cement Pervious Concrete Pavement: Field Performance Investigation on Parking Lot and Roadway Pavements was conducted at Cleveland State University over a three-year period. Field observations and testing were conducted at sites in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, and Pennsylvania with results validating that pervious concrete has performed well in freeze-thaw environments, with little maintenance required.
Notable points Comment: Little Maintenance required - music to our ears, if it holds up. Inclusion of freeze-thaw climate areas should answer some questions that have been lingering for some.
(Firestone is marketing a pervious paving product made from recycled tire material. Applications for vehicular use seem sketchy, but a sweet specification for hardscapes and walks. Check it out at http://www.firestonesp.com/sustainable_products.asp)