Your might say
we’ve gone back to our roots, literally. Thumbprint Endeavors LLC is branching
out while doubling back to capitalize on our strengths and interests in the environment
and education. We’re by no means moving
away from sustainability and Green Building consulting, its just that by addressing
the needs of the educational arena, like effective classrooms and engaging school sites, we can do
even more to promote healthy green environments. We are also moving into more projects related
to design of outdoor settings like gardens and natural areas.
One recent
example is a community service project with East End Community Center and
Ruskin School in Dayton. This nearly
1000 sq. foot garden was made possible with donations and grant monies for
plant materials and installation of a water pump.
Linda designed a Learning
Garden site plan for this empty city lot, selecting appropriate hardy plant
materials (over 115 in all – trees, bushes, perennials and bulbs) to give the
site year-round interest in all directions.
Extensive site prep, planting and laying out four raised beds for
vegetables and wheelchair accessible walkways took several weeks.
To their credit,
our group of hardy volunteers hung in there, encountering at least a million
rocks of varying shapes and sizes and with days of rain and even more rain! Before
and after pictures are already stunning and next year will be even better. Linda
is really looking forward to working with the Ruskin teachers to help them
learn about the garden and how to best utilize this space to educate K-8 students
about growing plants and healthy foods.
She has also been
working with a team to begin the process of converting the WSU Campus Community
Garden and nearby areas into a large Pollinator Garden, hopefully complete one
day with beehives. The goal is to plant
particularly delectable perennials to attract bees, butterflies and other
pollinators while providing a colorful natural oasis on campus.
Extending
the Circle, Moving Forward
Given Linda’s
environmental science expertise, love of plants and gardening and knowledge of
construction, this expansion was anticipated by those who know her. Her extensive
background and experience allows Linda to consult both inside buildings and out.
This year Linda has been happy to serve on the Advisory Committee for the 4th Annual Dayton Food Summit which will convene on Friday November 7th -- Be sure to register! In addition to Local Food-related projects and developing community gardening projects, she has been involved
with creating nature trails, outdoor play areas, and “Safe Routes to School and
Play” initiatives so parents, teachers, and children can be more active and
healthier.
At Thumbprint Endeavors, we continue to find
ways to reach out and extend all of our fingers to grasp Sustainability, particularly
focusing on healthy communities, neighborhood development and schools.
