MARION — Join the Marion Garden Group for a meeting and discussion with featured speaker Tom Benjamin, who will present some of his award-winning concepts in sustainable landscape design. 

 

The meeting will be held at St. Gabriel’s Parish Hall on Tuesday, April 4 at 9 a.m. The program is open to the public.

 

The talk is titled “Rain Gardens: Solutions for Managing Stormwater Runoff.”

 

As cities and towns grow, forests and meadows are replaced with roads, driveways, parking lots and other commercial surfaces. When it rains, the water runs off and picks up fertilizer, oil, pesticides, dirt, bacteria and other pollutants as it makes its way through storm drains — untreated — to streams, rivers and the ocean.  Benjamin’s talk will provide a cost-effective, attractive and environmentally sound solution to managing this problem. 

 

Benjamin has over 30 years of experience in environmental design and sustainability.  His site planning work emphasizes low-cost, low-maintenance landscape solutions for everything from large scale institutions to small community gardens.  His work often uses natural stormwater filtration systems.  He has received many awards for his innovations and currently teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a principal of Wellnesscapes of Northampton.

 

There is a $5 fee to attend.  Light refreshments will be available.