Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Year of the Bat


Bat Conservation International has become a 2011-2012 International Year of the Bat lead partner and we urge you to participate in the global celebration. http://www.yearofthebat.org


2011 October 15. Chicago, Illinois. BCI Bat Symposium will take place at The Field Museum. Featured speaker will be the Founder and President Emeritus Bat Conservation International Dr. Merlin Tuttle. This is a great opportunity for all members of NNA to learn from leading bat biologists about our friend and neighbor the bat.  To register http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/year-of-the-bat.html

Friday, July 15, 2011

Designing the Building-Landscape Interface


As borders between buildings and their natural surroundings become more permeable, experts see green surfaces and related features as functional components of building systems, with evolving standards, clearer metrics, and definable benefits.

Nature has been prototyping designs far longer than humans have. And as architects strive to keep up with the rapidly evolving world of green-building standards, some of them are looking to exploit that experience by bridging the gap between nature and the built environment. The end goal: creating a functional interface between the two that improves building performance.
In the second half of the 20th century, buildings and landscape became disconnected. Many architects saw nature as an unruly force to be excluded at all costs. Nonetheless, a small but vocal group maintained interest in the interplay of the built and natural environments. And today, architects increasingly see biomimetic and biophilic approaches as practical strategies.
For the complete article follow...

http://www.architectmagazine.com/articles/continuing-education/designing-the-building-landscape-interface.aspx?playlist=playlist____20_830842&plitem=1

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Bridge between NNA's Garden Walk & Environmental Committee 2011


NNA gardeners celebrate the first completed Parkway Corner
All things are possible in the Northcenter Neighborhood! This year the Garden Club stepped up to do their part by embracing several of the Environmental Committee's initiatives. Proving once again that residence of the Northcenter Neighborhood Association are “home to many progressive and forward-thinking families who are committed to lives that make a small footprint on the earth’s resources.”

Here are the numbers on the successes of this years Garden Walk…

5th ANNUAL GARDEN WALK
44 Gardens participated in this year’s garden walk
250 maps were handed out!

GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE GREEN LAWN INITIATIVE
6 registered their gardens as TRANSITIONAL
3 registered their gardens as ORGANIC
2 registered their gardens as BIODYNAMIC

GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE PARKWAY INITIATIVE
The 1st corner was completed in time for this years garden walk (SW corner of Hamilton and Byron) The corner was designed by Rinda West, maintained by Mercedes Prause and sponsored by NNA)

GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE BEE TRAIL
21 registered as BEE FRIENDLY

GARDENERS THAT CERTIFIED THEIR BACKYARDS AS WILDLIFE HABITATS
3 certified their backyards as a WILDLIFE HABITAT  

A special thanks goes out to Karen Carter-Lynch and Julie Hobert for all their support in helping to build this bridge!