Mission & Philosophy

14. January 2010 by Carol Whitaker.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in the value of the landscape as a vital element which serves the earth in its functions as habitat, temperature mitigation, as well as cleansing the aquifer, soil and air of pollutants. Plant roots are vital to these activities as well as to stabilizing soil. The Living Landscape provides this important positive contribution to our earth, contributing to our quality of life, our aesthetics and our human well being. I believe in creating and maintaining Green Landscapes which contribute to sustainability of  the planet.

Trees are the most important part of landscapes. While palm trees serve to create beautiful architectural features in a landscape, from an ecological standpoint, they do not serve as large long lived canopy trees do.

The shade from tree canopies reduces air-conditioning costs and mitigates outdoor and indoor temperatures, cooling our neighborhoods, our environment. Trees canopies supply our oxygen. They remove carbon dioxide (the major greenhouse gas), trace metals, and other industrial pollutants from the air we breathe. Rainwater is absorbed from frequent intense summer storms by tree roots which hold moisture on your property. Their roots also prevent storm water runoff which carries soil, often contaminated with fertilizers, and other chemicals such as pesticides and fungicides used on gardens and lawns, off of our properties and into storm drains, our bays and estuaries. The resultant algal blooms cloud waters, killing sea grasses, without which young fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic life have no where to feed and hide. Lake Okeechobee, a water supply to local residents and a vital fresh water body which provides habitat for local wildlife and fish, contains an accumulated sediment base of phosphorus and nitrogen, and other pollutants, which has increased in the last century. It is vital that we conserve and preserve our water supply and the health of our ecosystems for future generations. Through our landscapes and our landscape practices we can be part of the solution in our own neighborhoods, and reduce this trend toward pollution and disaster. For more information about Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades go to the South Florida Water Management website at http://www.sfwmd.gov/.

MISSION

It is my mission through this blog and my website, www.pinkshovellandcsapes, to provide useful education and information which empowers gardeners and homeowners to create and maintain Green Home Landscapes through the use of Green Gardening Tenets in their home landscapes.

As a writer and gardener, my purpose coalesces in my desire to be a conduit for improvement of our environment. I will discuss many of the environmental issues we face today with experts and researchers and share their knowledge with the public.

As a landscape designer, it is my mission to provide quality well thought out landscapes which serve these important Green functions in our environment making them Green landscapes which contribute to nature and sustainability,  in a quality design with aesthetics that will pleases and serves the environment as well, now and in the future.

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