A sustainable summer at the Arboretum
Summertime at the Arboretum kicked off with the Summer Solstice Sustainable Fashion Show, a display of thrifted clothing modeled in high fashion style on an Arboretum runway around the koi pond. This trending practice of upcycling previously worn clothing reduces waste caused by the frequent purchase of cheap, fast fashion. From the article “What is sustainable fashion?” published in the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, “Sustainable fashion is an ideal that highlights environmental and ethical concerns raised by the current “Fast Fashion” trend of the apparel industry. It focuses on ethical conduct, reducing apparel production, and purchasing quality over quantity. From an environmental perspective, reusing, recycling, and traditional production techniques with renewable or organic materials are considered sustainable.” Businesses can change the way they produce clothing to be more sustainable, but consumers can also change the way or where they buy clothing. Will you?
As the summer progressed, our gardens benefited from much needed rainfall. Often, the rapid rainfall of summer storms can carry pollutants across pavement, down storm drains and into our nearby waterbodies/creeks affecting the quality of the water for humans and aquatic life. Not so at the Arboretum. We’ve added several innovative stormwater management models that do the sustainable thing with rainwater: slow it down, spread it out, or sink it in. We have permeable pavement in our parking area. A thousand-gallon cistern collects rain from the plant clinic rooftop. Overflow from the koi pond is captured in a constructed wetland. Main building and surface runoff is directed to an engineered stormwater infiltration zone, landscaped in a meadow style with native plants – a pollinator smorgasbord. Auditorium gutters are directed to display rain gardens. Could you add a rain garden to your yard to help slow it down and sink it in? Here’s some guidance from our Natural Resources agent Amy Mead: https://brunswick.ces.ncsu.edu/natural-resources-2/rain-gardens/.
Speaking of native plants - that pollinator smorgasbord - we end this summer with lots of education around the importance of using native plants in our landscapes. You can listen to a recent WHQR Coastline episode here: https://www.whqr.org/show/coastline/2022-08-16/coastline-native-plants-in-urban-and-suburban-landscapes-boost-ecosystem-support-human-life/. You can join a live webinar with the famed author and entomologist, Doug Tallamy, 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. Register at https://act.audubon.org/a/doug-tallamy-webinar-bringing-nature-home. And you can join in the educational opportunities of the Native Plant Festival at the Arboretum, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. More information available at https://arboretum.nhcgov.com/native-plant-festival/. Join us and learn!
We are also modeling waste-wise sustainable practices at the Arboretum. Thirsty? Bring a reusable water bottle and enjoy our chilled reverse-osmosis treated water with a refill. For groups and events, we are discouraging any single-use disposable plastics or Styrofoam, opting instead for compostable service ware or reusable items. Compost collection bins augment our recycling and landfill options to help divert biodegradable waste from the landfill and into a quality soil amendment. Our growing team of “waste ambassadors” will be on site at events to teach what goes where. And our Friends of the Arboretum have funded a kick-start to a pilot program called Garbage to Gardens, facilitating compost and recycling practices in our local schools. Are you waste-aware? We welcome you to join us in sustainable practices at your home and garden.
Lloyd Singleton is director of the N.C. Cooperative Extension - New Hanover County Center and Arboretum. He can be reached at 910-798-7660 or lsingleton@nhcgov.com. The Arboretum is located at 6206 Oleander Drive, Wilmington, the gardens are free and open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover's Arboretum models sustainable practices for home, garden
