Are your clients asking you for more ecologically friendly landscaping services? Whether they’re concerned about weed pressure, soil erosion, or the use of herbicides, starting with the health of the soil will help to solve those issues. In this workshop, we’ll not only cover the soil fundamentals that will allow you to provide the best results for  your clients, but also offer some of the tools you’ll need to assess soil and to landscape smarter.

Throughout the day we will:  

• Learn about the fundamentals of healthy soil and making soil assessments
• Discover innovative ways to integrate these practices into your work
• Use a variety of tools to look at soil microbes and compaction
• Discuss the benefits and challenges of transitioning to more eco-friendly practices, including cost analysis

Cost:  $30 – $50 – $70

Schedule/Agenda:

1:00 pm – Introductions

1:15 pm – Soil Health 101

2:15 pm – Applying principles to your practice

3:15 pm – Assessment tool demonstrations

4:00 pm – Q&A

About the Instructors:

Trevor Smith is Design and Education Director at Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts as well as at the ReEarth Studio of Social Impact Collective in Boston. He holds several landscape certifications and is a past President and a current Board member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. He is an award-winning regenerative landscape designer, specializing in green infrastructure, native plant design, habitat creation, and implementation of ecological design principles. As host of the Peace Love and Pollinators podcast, Trevor and his guests discuss the many principles of creating climate-resilient landscapes. He is passionate about the natural world, which inspires his commitment to sustainable landscaping practices in an era of climate change.

Rubén Parrilla, Soil Technical Coordinator, NOFA/Mass 

Rubén is a Certified Lab Tech with 15 years of experience working at different capacities in the environmental laboratory industry. He trained in microscopic soil microbial identification through the Soil Food Web School and studied Environmental Design at the University of Puerto Rico. He leads and performs all components of NOFA/Mass soil technical services and has extensive experience farming and working with growers, including beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Rubén performs soil health-related outreach and education for NOFA/Mass through monthly farmer learning calls, hands-on workshops and instructional events, and networking with farmers and individuals in the agricultural industry. Finalmente, Rubén es bilingüe y quiere saber de usted.

About the Project:

The Healthy Soils Action Plan was developed over the past three years under the direction of the Massachusetts Commission for Conservation of Soil, Water & Related Resources, with crucial input from a steering committee with expertise in soils across five land use categories: farms, forests, wetlands, lawns and other developed open spaces, and impervious areas (buildings, roads, and parking lots). This event is supported by the MA Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs in order to provide a soil health curriculum for homeowners and landscapers, implementing healthy soil practices outlined in the Healthy Soils Action Plan, including turf best practices, nutrient management, tree planting, and SOC testing.

Since 1923, Weston Nurseries has provided a great selection of hardy landscape plants in New England.  As we move into our second 100 years in business, one of our core values is to offer solutions to preserve local ecology and make the industry more sustainable.  In an effort to boost the availability of native plants, Weston Nurseries reintroduced its own grow operation in 2020.  Weston Nurseries now grows over 30,000 native plants per year for sale at their retail locations.  Another recent initiative is our partnership with East Jordan Plastics to offer a recycling program for plastic nursery pots.  They continue to explore areas where they can have a positive impact, and are proud to be a part of the Healthy Soils Action Plan.

Accessibility:

The classroom is not air conditioned, but will have fans set up, in the event of a warm day.  The space is accessible by stairs, and the closest public transportation is the bus stop in downtown Hopkinton (approximately 1.5 miles away).

Refund/Inclement Weather Policy:

This event is rain or shine. For information on our refund and inclement weather policy, click here

Questions?

Contact Hannah at [email protected] with any questions.

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