Employers in offices throughout the country are putting together groups of employees who are enjoying creating their own beautiful flower gardens at work.  And since they’re working together, they’re able to share the work and the responsibility of their little flower garden while not wasting their break time around the water cooler.

It’s an easy project to arrange for your employees to create their own little flower gardens, and there are numerous ways of doing so.  Employers are declaring a “gardening day”, and with a few bags of flower mulch, some packets of flower seeds or bulbs, and small flower boxes or individual pots, an inexpensive, beautiful employee project is started.  Just add water, some plant food and a little natural sunshine, and you’re on your way.  Your employees can easily spend a few minutes on their “gardening day” setting up and planting the seeds, and within a few days, the plants will have sprouted.  Then, within a few short weeks, the flowers will have grown and bloomed.  The gardens can easily be maintained during break times so work is not interrupted.

1. Perhaps the most difficult thing about your employees growing their own little flower garden is deciding which flowers to grow.  Here are some ideas that your employees might consider when growing their own flower gardens:
2. Start out with simple, fast and easy to grow flowers such as Dahlias, Poppies or Pansies.
3. Determine the best growing season for the flowers.  Pick varieties of flowers that can be staggered so you can enjoy them year round.
4. What is a good day for an employee “gardening day”?
5. What kind of container will your flowers be grown in? 

How many people will be working on the garden? 

Because growing flowers from seeds or bulbs is such an easy break time project, there are no excuses for employers and employees to miss the enjoyment that creating an office flower garden brings out.

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The Importance of a Gardening Day for Better Employee Productivity

The world climate crisis and energy issues will highlight the event as it has for the previous seven years.
In addition, the well attended affair will focus on the concern for economic and environmental sustainability, two concerns that are overtaking town hall meetings and community gatherings across the nation.

Well known and popular visionary speakers will be available throughout the three day gathering, along with a wide array of local and national Green Businesses, community and non profit organizations.

green building, socially responsible investing, eco-fashion, renewable energy, green careers/green collar jobs, natural foods, groundbreaking films and eco-tourism are a handfule of the many attractions this long running festival has to offer.

When visiting the San Francisco bay area you may want to consider looking into San Francisco Vacation Rentals as an affordable alternative to the standard lodging offered throughout the city of San Francisco.

A good time is always had by all, so don’t miss it!

The festival will be held on November 13-15, 2009.

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San Francisco Hosts 2009 Green Festival

Many printing companies reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by buying carbon credits, which support reforestation or renewable energy.
An example of such a fund is Verus Carbon Neutral (www.verus-co2.com). Verus Carbon Neutral provides choices of how credits will be used. There are 3 choices: Reforestation, Renewable Energy, or Energy Conservation. They will audit your organization to determine your carbon footprint, provide a simple way to reduce or completely offset your CO2 emissions, and supply you with a tangible way to communicate your commitment to improving the environment.

Look for a printer that uses renewable energy sources. One printer, Monroe Litho in New York operates primarily by wind power; Ecoprint itself has gone 100 percent carbon neutral by buying renewable energy credits for the emissions they aren’t able to eliminate in the shop. This will still help in eliminating carbon footprints.

A goodpPlaces to start your earth-friendly search include Renourish’s list of green design firms (http://www.re-nourish.com/sustain/index.php?blog=7, Celery Design’s Eco-Paper Guide (http://www.celerydesign.com/), the Forest Stewardship Council’s list of certified printers (http://www.fscus.org/images/documents/FSC_certified_printers.pdf), and Renourish’s directory of U.S.-based eco-friendly printers (http://www.re-nourish.com/sustain/index.php?blog=6).

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Finding a Green Printer

First, what is a thermal envelope?  It’s all the exterior components of the house, and the additional materials that are used to protect the house from the weather outside.  This includes the roof, the framing, the exterior siding, the insulation, the vapor barrier, the windows and the foundation.

Second, let’s look at energy-efficient insulation and R-value (which measures heat transfer).  Most local building codes have a minimum requirement for insulation.  Usually, only the walls and ceilings are required to be insulated.  But an energy-efficient house will have insulation in its floors and foundation, too.  And the R-value will be higher than the building code requires.  For instance, instead of R-11 insulation in the walls, R-30 would be used.

Third, what is efficient ventilation?  It’s a way of controlling the air flow so that the thermal envelope maintains its seal, but moisture does not build up and create mold.  Ventilation is important not only to maintain the integrity of the building materials, but to maintain a healthy indoor environment.  It affects air quality and indoor pollution.  If the house is not properly ventilated, poor air quality can create health hazards.

Fourth, let’s take a look at how the first three items can lower your average utility bills for heating and cooling.  The thermal envelope includes effective weather stripping and insulated windows, as well as energy-efficient siding and roofing materials.  The quality of insulation has a direct effect on how much heat escapes on cold days or how much cool air escapes on hot days.  Controlled ventilation maintains a balance between healthy air flow and the escape of too much hot or cold air.  When all of these elements are working as they should, smaller energy-efficient furnaces and air conditioners can be used.  This translates directly into lower utility bills and less impact on the environment.

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Energy Efficient House Design

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LiveGreen Video

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Green Living

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Solar Tower

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Global Warming: Keep Holding On

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Global Warming: Point of No Return?

In addition to the positive effects of compost, the green gardener has a wide variety of other soil-enhancing products at his or her fingertips.Green manuresThese are plants that are grown to enrich and protect the soil. They reduce the harmful effects of wind and rain, reduce weeds and can provide nutrients when dug back into the soil. The idea is to grow them on bare soil in winter or between different crops of vegetables in the summer. The types of plant used produce a mass of weed-smothering foliage quickly. They include: alfalfa, mustard, buckwheat, clover, fenugreek, field beans, annual ryegrass and phacelia.

But you should note that seed germination may be inhibited by decaying green manure, so you should leave a gap of at least one month between digging the green manure in and sowing seed.

Leaf mould

This can be used as a mulch, but it is also valuable for digging into the soil or in a seed-sowing or potting compost. Since leaves need more light and less air to rot down than other compostable materials, it is best to compost them in their own container. You can make this using four wooden stakes at least 1 m (1 yd) high, driven into the ground with chicken wire stapled around the outside. Be warned: it can take up to three years before you get good compost from leaf mould, but it is well worth the wait. If you need more leaves, ask your local authority if they could donate some from their autumn sweepings - or collect them yourself.

Manure

Although manure is likely to contain hormones, pesticides and other nasty elements if it comes from a conventional rather than an organic farm, it is thought that if manure is stacked for at least a year these contaminants will not present a problem.

Spent mushroom compost

Again, this will need to be left for at least a year to make sure any chemicals used in mushroom-growing leach out. Don’t use it on acid-loving plants, but it is good for improving heavy clay soils.

Fertilizers

Occasionally, through a lack of readily available compost or severe deficiencies in your soil, you may need to resort to a fertilizer. But even then, there is no need to reach for the synthetic chemicals. There is a wide range of organic fertilizers on sale in both garden centres and by mail order, including: seaweed meal, fish bone and blood, gypsum for heavy clay soils, and hoof and horn. Animal-free products are also available if this is an issue.

Liquid fertilizers or feeds are often used in container gardening and for the green gardener there is a choice of fish emulsion, liquid manure and comfrey liquid (which is highly recommended for tomatoes and peppers). Seaweed extract is also sold as a soil and plant tonic. You can make your own comfrey liquid by growing the plant, soaking the cut leaves in a container with a tight-fitting lid for four to six weeks, and then straining off the liquid.

Mulches

A mulch is a layer of material spread around plants on the soil surface to protect the soil from erosion, reduce water loss and smother weed growth. Some mulches are also biodegradable and therefore able to improve soil structure as they decompose. These organic mulches, which include grass clippings, compost, leaves, bark chippings, straw and manure, are preferable to inorganic mulches like black polythene, carpet or woven plastic. There are also purpose-made mulching fabrics available, including flax or hemp (burlap) fibre matting.

If you use grass clippings, it is best to dry them out in the sun first before applying a layer 5-7 cm (2-3 in) deep, as otherwise they can be too slimy and may suffocate plant roots. Sheets of newspaper can be placed on the ground, covered lightly with grass clippings or another mulch to anchor them, but take care on a windy day! It is best to shred autumn leaves with a lawnmower or shredder first and then compost them over winter before using them as a mulch.

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Green Soil Helpers