Hello, I am seeking final reports and/or studies related to grasscycling campaigns;specifically campaigns that targeted single-family residents to mulch mow, cut-it-high-let-it-lie, and reduce/eliminate fertilizer use. Our plan is to deliver a program in 2012/13 that focuses on reducing the amout of grass we collect and haul to commercial composting facilities. Some ideas we had include delivering educational workshops to targeted neighborhoods and providing mulching mower rebates. Any barrier and benefit research related to grassycycling or natuarl yard care would be welcomed too. Thank you!
Ron Jones
Waste Reduction Specialist
City of Olympia, WA
360.753.8509
[email protected]
olympiawa.gov/wastewise
Ron Jones
Sr. Program Specialist
City of Olympia
United States
www.olympiawa.gov
GrassCycling Eduction Campaign
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Joe, do you have materials you can share? Next week I have an opportunity to train Master Gardeners in New York State. Since this is my first go at this I imagine I could benefit greatly from your experience. So far I have pulled together some materials on how to keep water on one's property so it will soak in.
Sharon Anderson
Environment Program Leader
Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County
United States
Hi Joe, thank you for the reply and offer of information. If you are able to share some of your literature I'd greatly appreaciate seeing them. PDFs are fine. [email protected], or USPS C/O Ron Jones, City of Olympia, P.O. Box 1967, Olympia, WA 98507
I'm interesting in any learnings you have from the neighborhood associations. This will be my primary target audience. Do you offer any incentives to get folks to show up or take action? Do you have any way of measuring whether or not they act on what you teach them? Thanks again Joe.
Ron
City of Olympia
Ron Jones
Sr. Program Specialist
City of Olympia
United States
www.olympiawa.gov
Hi Joe
I am involved in the Stop Food Waste programme in Ireland. While focused on preventing food waste in the home we have a strong emphasis on home composting and garden waste prevention. Last year we did a brief cost benefit analysis of GrassCycling and are currently continuing this study. Obviously the costing data is in an Irish context but we hope to use this information to promote Grasscycling to Local Authorities (who are charged with cutting and managing grass in many open public areas) as well as housing associations for their common grass areas. Hope this may be of some use to you.
Regards
Colum
Colum Gibson
The Clean Technology Centre
Ireland
The City of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada, has an excellent CBSM-based "we go bagless" grassycling campaign! https://www.edmonton.ca/residential_neighbourhoods/gardens_lawns_trees/grasscycling.aspx For more information.
Teresa Looy
Compost Program Co-ordinator
Green Action Centre
Canada
Ron,
We here at Clallam Conservation District have been promoting sustainable landscaping for over 20 years. We conduct workshops, presentations and short courses that are very well attended. Last year we had 444 people participate in these educational activities. All but the short course are free. The five-session short course costs $20, which pays for facility rental and course materials reproduction costs. Like many other conservation districts, we also have a native plant sale. I must say that despite the popularity of our sustainable landscaping program, what we promote is still far from the norm. And, the people who participate are already inclined to do what we promote; they are just looking for some more information and assistance. When we've gone to homeowners associations or other groups with our presentations - situations in which the audience was not necessarily attending because they wanted to learn about what sustainable landscaping - the response isn't nearly so rewarding for us. However, our hope is that eventually (at the current rate, it may be the next generation) we will get enough folks doing sustainable landscaping to create a new norm. If you're interested, I could send you some of our educational materials.
Joe
Joe Holtrop
Clallam Conservation District
United States