GOING GREEN WITH RIVER VALLEY NURSERY, LANDSCAPE

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GOING GREEN WITH RIVER VALLEY NURSERY,
LANDSCAPE GARDEN CENTER INC.
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One inch of rain doesn't seem like much rain in
the rain gauge. Every inch of rain that falls on
one acre delivers 27,150 gallons of water. As
much as 60 of that (16,000 gals per acre) runs
off impervious and compacted urban landscapes
(including roofs and parking lots.) Instead of
infiltrating into the soil to restore groundwater
base flow and recharge aquifers, that water is
piped and sent rushing into creeks and rivers.
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Why River Valley Nursery?

• River Valley Nursery, Landscape Garden Center,
  Inc. is the only landscape firm in Dubuque, Iowa
  that provides sustainable landscape services.

• Registered Live Roof installer
• Expertise and Training in the following Green
  solutions
• Iowa Storm Water Management Manual
• Unified Sizing Criteria
• Small Storm Hydrology
• Low Impact Development (LID) Hydrology
• Infiltration Trenches and Basins
• Bioretention Systems
• Soil Quality Restoration
• Native Landscaping
• Urban Infiltration Practices for Stormwater
  Quality BMPs
• Filtration Systems
• Detention Practices
• Stormwater Wetlands
• Vegetated Swales
• Pavement Systems
• Integrating LID in Watershed Management
• Conservation Design Development
• Weaving Stormwater Quality into MS4
  Post-construction Requirements

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SUSTAINABLITY is defined as products or services
that improve ground water, reduce the heat island
effect, reduce storm water run off, reduce the
energy required to heat and cool our buildings,
as well as the reuse of recycled products.
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EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE

• Live Roofs
• Pervious Pavement
• Rain Gardens
• Bio Swales
• Erosion and Sediment Control
• Terra Seeding (seeding with compost)
• Filter Socks for erosion sediment control
• Infiltration Systems
• Low Impact Design Development

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LIVE ROOFS
Historic Dubuque Federal Building, Dubuque, IA

• Live Roofs are designed to retain 1 of rain,
  saving 27,150 gals of water per acre from running
  into our creeks and rivers. This retained water
  is then made available to the plants to sustain
  them during times of dry weather.

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Benefits

• EXTEND SERVICE LIFE OF ROOF
• REDUCE SOUND REFLECTION
• IMPROVE AESTHETICS

SAVE 20-30 IN ENERGY COSTS REDUCE HEAT ISLAND
EFFECT REDUCE STORM WATER RUN OFF IMPROVE WATER
QUALITY

• SAVE 20 -30 IN ENERGY COSTS
• REDUCE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT
• REDUCE STORM WATER RUN OFF
• IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

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City of Chicago saves over 23 of their energy
cost per year over black tar roof.

• The birthplace of the skyscraper has something
  new to be proud of the green roof. Chicago is
  home to over 200 green roofs, covering 2.5
  million square feet, more than any other U.S.
  city. They sit atop Mayor Daleys City Hall,
  Target, the Apple store, and a McDonalds.
  Pictured below is the roof of the Chicago City
  Hall which is a good example of an extensive
  rooftop garden.

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Ford Motor Companys Truck Plant in Dearborn MI.
has the largest green roof in the world with 10.4
Acres of Sedum.

• Other than the watering required during its early
  growth stage, the living roof is maintenance
  free, requiring no mowing or trimming. On
  average, the succulent sedum plants grow only 6
  inches tall and spread horizontally, crowding out
  weeds and other undesirable plants. When fully
  developed, the roof will resemble a meadow with
  varying lengths of growth and small red, white,
  yellow and purple flowers.
• Rather than being planted in loose soil, sedum on
  the living roof grows on a four-layer, mat-like
  system that is only 3 inches thick. The bottom
  layer is a root-resistant membrane, followed by a
  drainage layer, a fleece mat, a vegetation
  blanket of semi-organic material and finally
  sedum plants.
• When rain falls on the living roof, it is
  absorbed or filtered through the plant roots and
  soil bed. Excess runoff then is directed into an
  intricate storm-water management system composed
  of filtering rock beds and ground-level
  plantings ditches filled with greenery, called
  swales porous pavement installations retention
  ponds and underground storage basins.

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PERVIOUS PAVEMENT is used in place of asphalt or
concrete in parking lots and sidewalks, allowing
water to be purified and infiltrated as opposed
to going into the storm water system. Pervious
pavement, when properly designed and installed,
will infiltrate over 8 of rainfall per hour.
Asphalt
Brick
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Rain Gardens retain and allow rain water to
infiltrate into the soil. Rain Gardens are
designed to capture the first 1.5 of rain
allowing water to be purified and infiltrated as
opposed to going into the storm water system.
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BIO SWALES function like rain gardens but are
typically larger and typically placed in parking
lots, or other areas prone to large amounts of
run off. allowing water to be purified and
infiltrated as opposed to going into the storm
water system.
Turf
Vegetated
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SEEDING WITH COMPOST (TERRA SEEDING )is the
process of injecting the seed into the compost
which eliminates the need for fertilizers and has
quicker germination times.
7 days after seeding
Military Rd Dubuque, IA
12 days after seeding
Mt St Francis Convent Dubuque, IA
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POSSIBLE FUNDING SOURCES

• Stormwater Best Management Practices Loans (BMP)
• Low-interest loans for developers, landowners,
  watershed organizations, non-MS4 cities and
  others.
• For more information visit www.agriculture.state.
  ia.us/stormwater.htm
• Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB)
• City would have to apply for funding for
  watershed
• Low Interest Loans from American Trust and
  Savings Bank

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Some or all of the green solutions covered in
these slides may pertain to your property. Let
River Valley Nursery assess your individual
circumstances and provide you with a plan to help
you go green. Not only will it benefit you or
your company financially, but it will also
benefit the environment. A win/win situation for
everyone.