This workshop aimed to expand local landscapers’ sustainability offerings to customers
Landscapers learning to test soil conditions.
Photo courtesy of The Watershed Institute.
[Princeton, NJ]: On March 6, 2025, 34 landscape professionals from 14 locally-owned businesses attended a 4-hour spring landscaping workshop at the Watershed Institute. This workshop marked the 4th in a collaborative series hosted by Sustainable Princeton and The Watershed Institute. The March training was held in both English and Spanish and focused on spring planting, soil health, mulch application, organic fertilizers, rain garden maintenance, native and invasive plants, as well as a hands-on opportunity to practice new skills at the Watershed’s demonstration rain garden.
“The record-high attendance at the workshop last fall demonstrated the strong demand for green infrastructure training. Given its success, we hosted the workshop again, proving it as popular as the previous one. Partnering once more with The Watershed Institute, we provided hands-on training to equip landscaping businesses and crew members with the practical skills to install and maintain rain gardens, native plantings, and other green infrastructure solutions that help mitigate flooding and support 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. Representatives from the Municipality of Princeton included Sandra Garrity, Compliance Officer, and James Purcell, Assistant Municipal Engineer, who also presented regulations for working in town.
Landscaping businesses represented at the workshop included:
- Antonio Barillas LLC
- Blue Sky Green Earth
- Christian Landscaping
- Delis Landscaping
- Dogwood Lawn Service
- Gregorio Brothers Landscaping
- Kenny Martinez
- Lawncare Plus LLC
- Ludin’s Landscape
- Maynor Lawn Services
- Osorio Landscaping
- Plantlife Landscaping
- Randi Landscaping
Sustainable Princeton and The Watershed Institute congratulate and thank these businesses and their employees for their commitment to helping protect our community’s ecosystem and improving our shared 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
