Middlebrook Gardens Wins Award for Sustainable Gardens

By Leslie McGuire

Alrie Middlebrook, President, Middlebrook Gardens and Laura Teksler, Chair, Business Environmental Awards/Member, Board of Directors.

Acterra, whose mission it is to protect, promote greenbelts, preserve open space, and protect and restore natural habitats has given its prestigious 2004 Business/Environmental award in the Open Space and Habitat preservation/Restoration Category to Middlebrook Gardens of San Jose. The award is given to companies who work to create greenbelts and protect and restore natural habitats. Middlebrook Gardens was one of thirty companies who were competing for the prestigious award.

Middlebrook designs and builds gardens using California native plants and sustainable practices to save water, lower costs and bring the natural beauty of California into homes and businesses. They have designed and built over sixty gardens throughout the region.

Founded in 1976 by Alrie Middlebrook, firm president, Middlebrook Gardens has become the premiere firm specializing in sustainable landscaping for both commercial and non-commercial properties. The environmental benefits are obvious?EUR??,,????'??+they eliminate the need for pesticides, insecticides and extensive irrigation. They attract wildlife and help reconnect people to the natural world, teaching them about basic ecology. After creating a garden, the company establishes a garden management program with the owners. They want to encourage other companies to practice sustainability when designing landscapes, as well as making communities better places to live.

Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth is based in San Francisco, and gives out awards annually to forward-thinking businesses. In addition they maintain a Library and Resource Center, a Native Plants Nursery with over 1,000 species raised in the watershed for the watershed, and The Arastradero Preserve. They also run Green Teams and a High Schools Group in their ongoing effort to encourage sustainable landscapes through stewardship, education and leadership. Examples of techniques they encourage include replacing concrete with more permeable surfaces, strategic tree planting, installing innovative water capture and infiltration technologies, and other sustainable urban landscaping concepts.

For more information go to www.acterra.com or www.middlebrook-gardens.com