Businesses Come Together to Help "Green' Saratoga County Historical Society's Site

For the fourth year in a row, a partnership between Kohl's Department Stores, and Chip's Landscaping results in a landscape upgrade at the Saratoga County Historical Society.

The Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, N.Y. is the proud beneficiary of a new natural, sustainable water garden thanks to a combined effort of a major regional corporation and a local landscaping company.

Not only does the new water feature spruce up the museum's grounds, it will also be used in the museum's educational efforts. The sustainable ecosystem created by the water garden will serve as an outdoor history learning lab.

"We call it Learning and Making History with Green," says Sue Ann DuBois, the master gardener at Chips Landscaping, the local firm that headed up the work. "The new water garden compliments the historical nature of the grounds."

Kohl's Department Stores also donated time and money to the effort.

"We had more volunteers from our stores this year than the past 3 all together," enthused Suzanne Trudell, a manager at Kohl's.

The design includes a waterfall with a natural stream, and a rainwater harvesting system to capture and reuse rainwater from the museum's extensive roof system, which has the potential to capture over 34,000 gallons of annual precipitation. A portion of this recaptured water will also be used as an irrigation source for perimeter gardens.

"I know my passion for the sustainable is contagious," remarks DuBois, "but this year's build has offered our county museum, rich in Saratoga History, the opportunity to make history with green technology. Children and adults from the region will be able to experience, firsthand, new green technology and mini ecosystems in an environment that respects our local history."

Joy Houle, Brookside Museum's director added, "I'm very excited about the new installation, not only because it's "green' and beautiful, but also because it should draw visitors to the museum's beautiful site, where they can see an ecosystem at work."