Northshore Magazine

October 2014

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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May/June 2012 nshoremag.com 141 May/June 2012 nshoremag.com 141 Infinitely renewable, spreads like crazy. Positive energy is like that. And Pike students put it to good use – whether it's gathering food for the larder at Lazarus house, or raising money for a fish farm in Uganda (through Heifer International). Our motto, non sibi solum, means "not for oneself alone." And our community of incredibly invested students, parents, educators, and alumni do their best to live those words every day. (As our Head of School has been known to say, "It's not just the small classes at Pike. It's what happens in those small classes.") What happens is character development – the cultivation of a lifelong concern for the well-being of others. That's the power of positive energy. That's Pike. pikeschool.org • 978-475-1197 • information@pikeschool.org School learn more at pikeschool.org/energy. Join us for an open house, Nov. 2 nd , 1-3 p.m. and placing plants on layouts but lack the deeper under- standing of their cultural requirements. "When the plants go in, they all look very good, but it is about the test of time," says White. To ensure their plantings ace that test, the maintenance crew returns months after installation to inspect plants and confirm they have "done a good job aligning plants with the existing site's soil." White notes, "We pay a lot of attention to that, even when we are buy- ing plants, because we buy from all around the Northeast, from Michigan, all the way down to the Carolinas." Giving thought to where plants originate matters significantly in terms of their survival—if they come from the South's clay-heavy soil and are planted in New England's gravelly soil, measures must be taken and amendments made. ZEN takes those measures. Along with stonework, sustainability factors heavily into the ZEN approach. They choose noninvasive plant species, use organic materials, and opt for Integrated Pest Manage- ment techniques over chemical sprays. "We encourage clients to choose a diff rent way that may take a little more effort," explains White. They also make clear the impor- tance of not overwatering. Even in the case of clients who want a pristine "Scott" lawn, "there is an opportunity to talk with them about cutting down on the watering because oversaturation leaches nutrients down out of the soil." He spells out how to get that hyper-manicured look without chemicals and excessive watering. Despite such efforts, some projects inevitably leave a large carbon footprint. Operating expenses, water usage, electric- ity requirements, and "the negative landscape," which White describes as the "wiping out of something beautiful to put in something beautiful," all take a toll on the environment. These things are discussed up front; he and his partners talk 141 Paperwork: The Woburn office is a storehouse of ideas.

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