The Resource Guide to Sustainable Landscapes

New Landscaping Directory

by Wesley A. Groesbeck and Jan Striefel, 1994. Environmental Resources Inc., 2041 East Hollywood Ave., Salt Lake City, UT 84108; 801/485-0280. Softcover, spiral-bound, 152 pages, $28.00, postpaid.

The Resource Guide to Sustainable Landscapes is more than just a product directory. It also provides good background information on design and product selection for environmentally responsible landscapes. Part 1 of the Guide provides general information on selecting appropriate materials and products and integrating them into landscape designs. The topics are organized by CSI sections and include lots of specific recommendations.

Part 2 of the Resource Guide is a detailed listing of actual products, also organized by CSI divisions. Products included were drawn from companies and other resource guides that EBN readers will likely be familiar with, including the

Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements, the

Sourcebook for Sustainable Design, the National Park Service’s green materials database, and Clean Washington Center’s

Recycled Product Directory. The listings are targeted toward the intermountain region of the U.S., but most will be applicable to landscape designers anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. Each product listing includes the CSI section number and product category, company information, a description of the product, including discussion of what makes it environmentally attractive, and the information source for the listing.

Clearly, this is a first-edition. We suspect that the

Resource Guide to Sustainable Landscapes will expand significantly if it goes through future editions, but Groesbeck and Striefel are off to a laudable start.