Monday, November 15, 2010

Bike touring trails in Wisconsin

If you plan on visiting Wisconsin, I would recommend stopping off to ride any number of bike trails located throughout the state.  Janet is going biking and reviewing each of the trails, some of which were newly opened late this summer!  Take a look at her blog and enjoy the ride!

http://trails-behind.blogspot.com/

Posted via email from Verdant Design

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Google Earth: Louisville Loop route .kmz

Click here to download:
Louisville Loop.kmz (4 KB)

Some have asked, "Where is the Loop?" "Is it built?" "Where do I get on it?"

Well, I've attached file that shows the location of the built portion of the
Louisville Loop. The file is a .kmz file which will plug into Google Earth,
a free mapping program. First, download Google Earth at
http://www.google.com/earth/index.html. Then take the file and click on it.
It should fire up the program, insert the Loop into Louisville, KY, and then
you will see the loop as a purple line along the Ohio River. There are many
places along the path where you can jump on and do a short portion or ride
the whole thing.

A word from our sponsor:
Google Earth streams the world over wired and wireless networks enabling
users to virtually go anywhere on the planet and see places in photographic
detail. This is not like any map you have ever seen. This is a 3D model of
the real world, based on real satellite images combined with maps, guides to
restaurants, hotels, entertainment, businesses and more. You can zoom from
space to street level instantly and then pan or jump from place to place,
city to city, even country to country.

Get Google Earth. Put the world in perspective.

(http://www.google.com/earth/index.html)

Posted via email from Verdant Design

Monday, November 08, 2010

3D rain garden SketchUp model

Some projects come along and are thoroughly enjoyable.  One of these was working on a sustainable residential landscape.  The owner had rain barrels but now wanted a rain garden, a vegetable garden, and new connecting walk to a sun room.

After the summer that we have had in Louisville, Kentucky it has really hammered home that rain gardens are not wetlands or pond projects.  The nature of the rain garden’s depression and the plant choices are really designed to be in a dry condition 95 percent of the time.  They need to be well-drained planting beds.  Tying a rain garden to rain barrels may seem counter-intuitive, but again when things are dry, it’s good to hold onto the rain water we do get for use at a later time.  So it’s really a matter of thinking through how many different solutions can become a more complete answer: growing one’s food, using rain water (stored and infiltrated on site) to water the landscape, and minimizing impervious areas like rooftops and pavement.  These goals hold true for the homeowner, an institution, public lands and whole communities.

3D modeling is a helpful way to show what a new landscape will look like before making a dramatic change.  It also allows the owner to participate in the design review so the new landscape is as specific to the place and the client as possible.  Involvement breeds commitment, so an involved owner will stay committed to maintaining sustainable landscape from the design phase through enjoying the final product.

Feel free to contact us if I can help you on your next sustainable project.

John Pacyga, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP

Verdant Design LLC

www.VerdantKY.com

twitter.com/VerdantKY

502-794-8519

Posted via email from Verdant Design