GO GREEN Community Event Benefits National Museum Of Dance

By SueAnn DuBois

Above: Chip DuBois, SueAnn DuBois, Robert Crist, Fred Pape with Suzanne Trundell and her Kohl's Volunteers all smile at the finished project. Below: Before the project. Photos courtesy of: Chip's Landscaping

For the second consecutive year, Chip's Landscaping served as project leader for the Kohl's A-Team volunteers and their National Go-Green Community Event. This daylong all-volunteer initiative created a sustainable garden bed and water feature at the entrance of National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Chip's Landscaping is a landscape design/construction business specializing in sustainable practices. Chip DuBois, a trained landscape specialist and nationally certified (ICPI) interlocking paver installer, invited other national and local businesses to partner in the project and donate labor, materials, or food and beverage for the day's build.

Design of the new feature boasts components that reduce storm water run-off from driveways filtering and collecting 500 gallons of rainwater for re-use to sustain the water feature and reducing approximately 75 percent of previous system water use for irrigation of the garden area. The water feature is pondless waterfall spillway with high efficiency pumps, and LED lighting. The rainwater harvesting system, was made of 100 percent recycled material. A booster pump allows rainwater to be reused in the drip irrigation system. An eco-friendly electronic clarifying system was installed to provide clear water without use of chemicals.

Robert Crist and Art Elmers installing the donated Netafirm drip irrigation system.

Fred Pape and Chip DuBois got dirty, laying the liner for the 500-gallon pond.

The New System

The newly installed drip irrigation is a high efficiency state of the art drip system that saves 30-70% water over traditional irrigation systems. The Museum will no longer have to worry about sprinklers pummeling incoming and out-going entrance traffic or inconveniences during special events.

All plants selected for the garden were specific to the site characteristics. Shrubs and flowers were installed with organic-only practices and will provide all-season interest and return every year. In combination with the water feature the plants will attract birds and butterflies. A combination of natives and site-specific perennials are included in the design.