Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden goes greener

In many ways you can’t get much greener than the grounds of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, but the Northside landmark is adopting several environmentally friendly approaches and creating opportunities for its members to learn more about going green. A few changes in the way the Garden handles its own operations include: A water management plan that […]

July 19, 2008; 11:36 AM • by North Richmond News

In many ways you can’t get much greener than the grounds of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, but the Northside landmark is adopting several environmentally friendly approaches and creating opportunities for its members to learn more about going green.

A few changes in the way the Garden handles its own operations include:

A water management plan that collects rainwater from building roofs; the careful monitoring of water usage; and garden designs that minimize the use of water through drip irrigation and other practices.

An integrated pest management program, which the Garden describes as an environmentally friendly approach to pest management that relies on a combination of commonsense practices, such as determining which pests are present at what locations before control strategies are implemented. Those control strategies include planting resistant varieties, sanitation, good horticulture, physical and mechanical controls, and reliance on weather events.

For group events, the Garden’s caterer has substituted reusable tumblers for disposable plastic cups and uses fully compostable hot cups and napkins made of 100% recycled material. Food containers are made of a corn-based product.

In the Children’s Garden, staff and young visitors help grow herbs for use in the Café and Tea House. Fruits and vegetables are harvested for the Central Virginia FoodBank.

For last year’s GardenFest of Lights, staff began replacing incandescent lights with LED holiday lights that are slightly more expensive, yet pay for themselves in the first year through electricity savings. For example, the electrical cost to light a holiday tree with LEDs is 13 to 17 cents per season compared to $6 to $10 for incandescent lights. Already, more than 25 percent of the GardenFest lights have been converted – totaling more than nine miles of LED strands in a 500,000-light display.

July 19, 2008 11:36 AM 0