Have you noticed how beautiful our campus looks? The Landscape Team has spent at least two long work days sprucing it up over the past few weeks. We are fortunate to have two master gardeners, Joe Robustelli and Donna Gatnarek, and a crew of amazing folks: Becky Davis, Chuck Elston,Galen Carland, and Ron Partin, all sharing their time and talents.
We now have a new Weeping Cherry tree in the spot where the other one was accidentally cut down. And thanks to Bonnie Arbuckle, a former member, we have a wonderful rain garden of grasses, perennials, and bushes that helps reduce and clean the runoff from the parking lot across the street from the church building. Under Bonnie’s guidance and supervision, our campus became a certified Wildlife Habitat in 2014 with the help of the landscape committee and students. They planted butterfly bushes and other plants that attract pollinators, added native trees and shrubs that provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife, and installed a birdbath next to the church office.
On the far side of the RE cottage is a Peace/Contemplation garden created as a project for Green Sanctuary Certification with the help of the students and Vicki Benavides. A peace pole with the word Peace in four languages (English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic) marks the entrance. A path made from our students’ brightly painted pavers wanders through the garden area. You will find native and pollinator plants, dogwood, and an oak leaf hydrangea gracing the grounds. A beautiful teak bench invites you to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature all around you.
Our love for Mother Earth and our commitment to keep her beautiful for future generations motivates us to do our part to reduce the effects of climate change. Scientists continue to warn us that warming from human-induced carbon dioxide is accelerating with fearful potential consequences for all life. We know that it will take big initiatives, like reducing the use of coal and increasing the use of renewable energy. But there are small things we can do, too. This is where we, as gardeners, can make a difference. Plants of all kinds pull carbon dioxide out of the air. Trees are especially good at this, and as a congregation, we have been doing our part recently.
The New York Times bestseller, Drawdown, The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken, a hopeful book outlining 100 solutions to reversing global warming, gives ordinary people like you and me an understanding of what we can do and what impact it can have. Pam and Charley Rogers believe so much in this book, that they are offering a workshop on the subject here at UUFH on Sunday, June 9, after the service. Please call the office and sign up to attend!
There is much work to be done, both on our campus and beyond. If you would like to be involved with the Landscape Team, please give Joe Robustelli a call! What about reducing areas of our lawn by turning part of our campus into a mini meadow and/or by planting a vegetable garden, with the idea of giving the fruits of our labor to local charities? In the meantime, local farmers’ markets offer places where we can support local growers and reduce demand for food shipped over long distances. Paul Shoemaker brings his produce to the Flat Rock Farmers Market on Thursdays from 3:00-6:00pm, located on Highland Lake Road in the parking lot of Pinecrest Presbyterian Church. And on Saturdays from 8:00am-noon, he can be found at the MillsRiver Market at Mills River Elementary School on Schoolhouse Rd.
In the spirit of Love,
Jan