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Jessica Schwartz
UT Turf Manager Co-Invents Solar Charging Solution For Robotic Mowers
Former University of Tennessee Turf Manager, Matthew Layne, co-invents Powershed to solve a groundskeeping issue. The tech is already being successfully used at an HOA in Florida. Turf management at the University of Tennessee (UT) had a problem. “One area of the university’s campus was so tough to access that staff had to scale down a wall holding weed eaters to maintain it—a time-consuming approach,” comments Vice President of UT Research Foundation’s Multi-Campus Office Maha Krishnamurthy, PhD, MBA. He continues, “A lack of available outlets in that area and his desire for a sustainable solution to this problem led Matthew and UTRF to search for a commercial partner to co-develop Matthew’s innovation about solar charging stations, specifically for small robotic mowers.” The result? Powershed by Solar Alliance, a patent-pending solar powered charging station for robotic lawnmowers. Now, the tech has moved beyond UT. Flagler Power Equipment recently installed the state’s first Powershed system for the landscapers at J.M. Baker Company to maintain grassy common areas in a St. Augustine, FL housing development. Here Turf talks with Layne about his inspiration for Powershed, followed by comments from Jason Baker, Vice President/General Manager of J.M. Baker Company, on implementing the technology with mowers from ECHO Robotics. Turf: Describe the landscape you maintain. Layne: The UT Knoxville properties are made up of a diverse port-folio of landscapes; including urban, residential, commercial, and park settings. I worked for UT for around six years as the turf manager. My job was to oversee the ...
My Landscape: A Wide Ranging Residence
A design and construction project spanning six acres at the Woodlands Edge Estate in St. Louis, MO grabs award attention for Focal Pointe Outdoor Solutions, Inc. Focal Pointe Outdoor Solutions provided services to transform this residential property with a variety of plantings, hardscape, seating areas, and even a playground. This Fall, the company received an Award of Excellence from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). Here is the overview of this project and the award received by this St. Louis-area business. Focal Pointe Outdoor Solutions, Inc. was recognized in November 2020 with an Award of Excellence by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). The award was presented for Focal Pointe’s landscape execution of the Woodlands Edge Estate project, a residential property in St. Louis, MO. The six-acre property includes hillside perennial gardens that incorporate native woodland perennials, a dry creek bed that serves as drainage for surrounding properties, as well as formal lawn areas, a playground, and a contemplation garden. The design was provided by Doug Hoerr of Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects of Chicago, IL. Founded in 1998, Focal Pointe is a premium landscape design, installation, and maintenance company serving commercial and residential customers. The company operates in the Saint Louis and Springfield/Branson, MO communities. Each year, the NALP Awards of Excellence program recognizes exceptional workmanship in landscape installation, design/build, exterior maintenance, interior plantings, and erosion control projects. This year, a total of 110 awards were granted for these categories, nationwide. Focal Pointe’s 2020 award was ...
A Platinum-Certified Green Site
At Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the grounds surrounding its Center for Sustainable Landscapes earned top SITES certification. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, the 2.9 acre site features 100 native plant species, water conserving design, and other practices that significantly lighten the environmental impact of this landscape. The facility was certified SITES Platinum in 2019. Here is an overview of the project, and how the landscape design fits into the facility’s overall sustainable focus. In 2012, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA opened the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL). Today, this is the world’s first and only facility to meet these five green building standards—the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, WELL Building Platinum, SITES Platinum, and, most recently, BREEAM Outstanding In-Use. CSL is a research, education, and administration facility designed to meet net-positive energy use with renewable energy produced on site, captures all stormwater, treats all sanitary water, and uses 70% less energy than a conventional office building. Its design blurs the line between built and natural environments; the sun, earth and wind are used to light, heat and cool the interior, plants clean wastewater for reuse, and every occupied space has views of nature. The CSL site, and now landscaping, represented an ecological rebirth for the location. Previously, the 2.9-acre site was a City of Pittsburgh Public Works Yard, entirely paved over and portions classified as a brownfield. There were no existing natural land covers or ecosystems to preserve or protect. Now, the site can now manage ...
My Landscape: Grand Award For University Grounds
Founded in 1831 in Granville, OH, the Denison University campus highlights include its 250-acre hilltop section, a 350-acre Biological Reserve, and a historic golf club. The recent award from PGMS recognizes the results of the work performed by the grounds crew there. Kevin Mercer, grounds and landscape services manager at Denison, heads up the team that performs this work. In October 2019, Denison University’s grounds crew earned national recognition for their work in sustainably maintaining and beautifying the college’s campus. The Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) bestowed its Grand Award and the inaugural Environmental Green Star Award upon Kevin Mercer, Denison’s grounds and landscape manager, at its annual conference held in Louisville, KY. The Green Star Awards program by PGMS brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence, complementing other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction. The Grounds department at Denison is responsible for the 930+ acres, including 30 acres of athletic fields. Responsibilities include general landscaping for the campus, which entails mowing, pruning, planting, athletic field maintenance, parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, outside trash removal, leaf clean-up and snow removal. Special landscaping projects and exterior signage are also the responsibility of this department. Great Work, From The Grounds Team Upon receiving the award from PGMS in Fall 2019, Mercer credited his team for their work saying, “Having a small crew with big demands is always a challenge, but with this team, anything is possible—and trust me I have been around. This ...
