Last year, NOFA Organic Land Care Program updated its curriculum for the Accreditation Course including having 2 tracks for students to choose from - either 4 hour sessions in organic turf or green infrastructure - at our Mid-Atlantic NOFA Accreditation Course on December 2- 5, 2013 in Philadelphia.
Glen Abrams serves as Director of Sustainable Communities at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) where he leads the development, management and delivery of high-quality programming around urban greening, community stewardship and sustainable practices. This year,Glen is coordinating the NOFA Accreditation Course at Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and he would like to share the updated curriculum and presenters.
Green stormwater infrastructure is an engineered landscape system that intercepts rainfall, infiltrates a portion of it into the ground, evaporates a portion of it into the air, and in some cases releases a portion of it slowly back into the city’s sewer system. The intention is to design an urban landscape to restore natural hydrologic processes to reduce the volume and water quality impacts of the built environment while achieving additional social and economic benefits from the project.
The Mid-Atlantic NOFA Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care will feature a track dedicated specifically to Green Stormwater Infrastructure, organized to discuss the maintenance requirements and implications of design decisions concerning these green stormwater practices.
- Michele Adams, a frequent lecturer and educator on water and sustainability and founder of Meliora Environmental Design, will present an overview of green stormwater infrastructure and highlight case studies of projects from around the country.
- Rachel Ahern and Hasan Malik are two experts from the Philadelphia Water Department’s (PWD) Office of Watersheds. They will discuss PWD’s programs and projects and discuss lessons learned regarding green stormwater infrastructure design and maintenance.
- Mark Highland, Founder and President of Organic Mechanics, a manufacturer and distributor of premier organic potting soils and soil amendments, will discuss soils for infiltration practices.
