Ecological Landscaping Conference

Eco-Landscape 2005: Eco-Effective Landscapes Equal New Business Opportunities will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2005 at the Samuel Pannell Community Center at 2450 Meadowview Road in Sacramento, CA. This event will build on the success of the 2004 conference by providing cutting-edge information on how to design, install, and maintain landscaping in an environmentally-sound manner. Topics will address water conservation, peak run-off reduction, soil enhancement, storm water pollution, and pesticide and fertilizer reduction. Highly-acclaimed speakers, combined with a mini-trade show of innovative products and services, will help landscape professionals meet the challenges of landscaping in the 21st century.

Three keynote speakers will address the audience in the morning, and four workshops will be presented in the afternoon. Keynote speakers are Robert Thayer (University of California, Professor Emeritus in Landscape Architecture), Kim Sorvig (University of New Mexico, Landscape Architecture), and Vickie Bess, (President of BBC Laboratories, Inc. and professor at Arizona State University).

Robert Thayer will suggest how the trends and challenges we are facing now and in the days ahead affect the way we landscape in the future. He will discuss the concept of the "life-place" or bio-region in which we live, and how our increasing identification with our natural surroundings may affect the way we landscape.

Kim Sorvig will discuss how landscapes need to not only be designed to function in a more sustainable manner, but they need to be beautiful in order to be valued by the public. 

Vickie Bess will provide a general introduction to soil microbiology and microbial diversity with an emphasis on how different functional groups of microbes impact the plant health.

Afternoon workshops will address water conservation, compost tea, sustainable design, and Integrated Pest Management.  DPR credits and other certifications will be available.

The mini-trade show will feature commercial and non-profit exhibitors focusing on products and services that will help professionals create and maintain more ecologically sound landscapes. A bookseller will be on hand providing publications to enhance the presentations of speakers and provide participants additional sources of information.

Presented by The Eco-Landscape Working Group and The Ecological Farming Association, the conference is sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, City of Sacramento Department of Utilities, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and the Sacramento County Stormwater Program.  

Early registration (by 1/15/05) is $80.00 and $90.00 after 1/15/05 or at the door.  The first 100 early registrants will receive a free copy of Bay-Friendly Landscape Guidelines. For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.ecolandscape.org or call 916/492-0393.

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