35 local landscapers attended a professional landscaper workshop co-hosted by Sustainable Princeton and The Watershed Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2024
Elana Berk
Communications & Outreach Manager
Sustainable Princeton
(609) 454-4757
elana@sustainableprinceton.org
Donna Gregory
Senior Communications & Marketing Manager
The Watershed Institute
609-737-3735
[Princeton, NJ]: On September 26, 2024, 35 landscape professionals from 18 different locally-owned businesses attended a 4-hour green infrastructure workshop at the Watershed Institute. The year’s training was held in both English and Spanish and focused on guidance on rain garden installation and maintenance, native and invasive plant identification, and soil health practices, as well as a hands-on opportunity to practice new skills at the Watershed’s demonstration rain garden.
“The record-high attendance number for this fall’s landscaper workshop shows that landscaping businesses want to be able to offer the green infrastructure property owners need. We worked with The Watershed Institute to create this hands-on training experience so companies and crew members have the practical knowledge to install and manage rain gardens with native plants and other types of green infrastructure that reduce flooding from stormwater runoff and protect our biodiversity,” Christine Symington, Executive Director of Sustainable Princeton, said. “As we encourage property owners to install rain gardens on their properties or as required by regulations, we also need to support our local landscaping community with resources and training like this workshop.”
“The Watershed Institute was thrilled to partner with Sustainable Princeton to deliver this program for landscapers,” Sophie Glovier, Chief of Strategy and Program at The Watershed Institute, said. “The feedback from participants last year was overwhelmingly positive, and they were interested in learning more. Bringing accessible information about green infrastructure to the landscaping community is vital as we work to combat climate-related flooding issues and challenges to our water quality, like harmful algal blooms. We will share this program design and lessons learned so that other communities across the state can learn from this successful program in Princeton”.
Workshop presenters included Fredy Estrada, a former landscape company owner and community liaison consultant; Lucia Middleton, a Community Water Advocate from the Watershed Institute; Steve Tuorto, Ph.D., the Watershed Institute’s Director of Science & Stewardship; and Molly Jones, a nonprofit consultant.
Businesses represented at the workshop included:
- ALF Landscape Design & Maintenance, LLC
- Apollo Gardening
- Cristian Landscaping
- Delis
- Dogwood Lawn Service LLC
- Green Future Landscaping
- Helper’s Evergreen
- Lopez Aparicio Landscaping
- Marcelino’s Design Landscaping LLC
- MC Lawn Care Services
- New Dawn Landscaping
- New Meadow Landscaping and Hardscaping LLC
- Paul Browne Landscape Masonry
- Pensive Weeds
- Plantlife Landscaping
- Randi Landscape
- R+S Landscape
- Vito Rossi Lawn Service
Sustainable Princeton and The Watershed Institute congratulate and thank these businesses and their employees for their commitment to improving our community’s resilience to climate change through sustainable infrastructure.
About Sustainable Princeton
Founded in 2012, Sustainable Princeton is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire the community to develop and implement solutions that positively impact the environment. We envision Princeton as a model town that examines every action through the lens of sustainability, ensuring a healthy environment, a strong economy, and the well-being of all community members now and in the future. Our office is located at 1 Monument Drive, Princeton, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.SustainablePrinceton.org.
About The Watershed Institute:
The Watershed Institute, established in 1949, is Central New Jersey’s first environmental group dedicated to protecting and restoring water and the natural environment through conservation, advocacy, science, and education. The Watershed Reserve spans nearly 1,000 acres of forest, meadows, and wetlands and includes a LEED-Platinum environmental center, providing a hub for community engagement and environmental stewardship. Learn more about the Watershed, www.thewatershed.org
