Last week’s rain created waterfalls in my rock walls and lake sized puddles at the corner of my house which resulted in a stream of water across my laundry room floor. Hunched under a torrential downpour I dug drainage ditches from my new lakes to the front slope – it worked!
Within a couple of hours the lakes were empty, even as the rain continued. This has caused me to reconsider “Rain Gardens”. The smattering I know of rain gardens makes me think I have inadequate distance between my foundation and my neighbors’ for creating one.
But hey, maybe I’ll just call it a dry creek and when it rains it’s a rain garden. I’m definitely going to have to research this more. In the meantime, my yard looks like giant earthworms have excavated trails in search of…? Oh well, since the rain has started again, I guess I prefer them to lakes.
Speaking of earthworms, recently I was downtown in the Seattle office of Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects and discovered those green architects have a working worm bin up on the 24th floor. They compost their lunch scraps in the worm bin. It takes about 4 months for enough worm castings to accumulate for the office lottery, which turns out to be a much desired prize. The worms eat 6lbs of food per week (roughly 50% of ZGF’s total food waste). In the process they help reduce the estimated 114,000 TONS of food that are thrown away in Seattle each year. I was totally surprised by how little space it takes and how well it works and how clean it is. If they can do it 24 floors up then I guess I can manage it in my backyard. Maybe in 2008?
If you want to make a worm bin in your office or home or are interested in knowing more just call ZGF 206 623-9414 in Seattle and ask for their 20th anniversary brochure on how to get started with worms. (Jill is the worm nanny.)
Because my architect friend works there I was aware of their green and sustainable building designs but I just found out that they go further and try to integrate an ongoing green operations practice into their clients’ buildings. After designing for healthy, healing and efficient spaces they set up a Green Team populated with their client’s staff, hopefully ensuring that those healthful, energy efficient, healing properties continue rather than becoming compromised through poor purchasing decisions and maintenance practices. A friend of mine works in one of the buildings they designed (Children’s Hospital) and she’s on one of those Green Teams. She is a dedicated environmentalist and is very excited about Children’s Hospital’s commitment to staying green, sustainable and healthy.
Remember my intention to ask businesses for their green card? Well I think Zimmer Gunsul Frasca’s Green Card is solid. I don’t know that I’ll be needing an architect anytime soon, my building plans are mostly garden related, but if I did, I’d pick them. I just gotta love architects who have a worm bin in their office – in my book that’s walking the walk. Maybe they know something about rain gardens, I’ll have to ask.
These short days have me using the SADD light and now that solstice has marked the return of the light I’m looking forward to, maybe 9 hours of daylight soon. In the meantime I’m dreaming of Spring planting and checking often to see if the crocus have sprouted yet. My primroses are glorious, bless their little sunny faces. Come on sun! Happy Holidays to you all.
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca
925 Fourth Avenue
Suite 2400
Seattle, WA 98104
206 623-9414
www.zgf.com
info@zgf.com