Lend a hand to the Sustainable Turf Renewal and Improvement Project

Announcing STRIP — the Sustainable Turf Renewal and Improvement Project! By replacing the grass strips around the parking lot at Beth El with native plants, we will:

• Decrease our carbon footprint (no mowing)
• Create a home for pollinators
• Educate our community and neighbors about sustainable landscaping practices

To do this, we need donated labor and materials. On the first work day on Sunday, August 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., we’ll need:

• Rolls of ram board (the extra-thick brown paper used in construction)
• Cardboard (stripped of all labels, tape and stickers)
• Brown paper shopping bags
• Newspaper
• Donated wood chips, compost, composted manure, topsoil and landscape hay. (Are you or anyone you know having any tree work done who would be willing to donate their chipped wood? Do you have any contacts for landscapers or tree folks who could donate these materials?)
• A few trucks to pick up composted manure and other materials

If you can help with materials or labor on August 6 or in the future, please fill out this form. On that day, we’ll be laying cardboard, compost, and wood chips to smother the existing grass. This method is preferable to tilling the soil, because disturbing the soil stimulates dormant weed seeds and minimizes disruption to the soil and organisms therein. It reduces the labor and energy necessary to build a good soil bed. If you can join us, please bring your own garden gloves and water. Also let us know on the form if you can bring a shovel rake, wheelbarrow, box cutters, or snacks for our helpers. Questions? Contact Janet Buchwald at luckydog18@comcast.net.

Whether or not you can join us for our first workday, let us know if you’re interested in our ongoing efforts by:

• Donating native plants
• Watering and monitoring plant progress after the plants are in the ground
• Making signs and preparing educational materials

We would like to promote sustainable garden practices and educate folks on native plants on an ongoing basis. To this end, we’re creating a database of possible donations of native plants that will be most beneficial to pollinators, birds, and other animals. We have many beautiful plants in the existing Beth El garden, but most are not native to our region or to North America (including hosta, day lilies, peonies, and vinca). Use the form to tell us about what plants you can donate. Once we have a design and have prepared the beds, we will contact you for your donation.