New Grow Community Residents Tour the Site

Tulane University Students Visit Grow Community

We were thrilled to have 16  graduate students in a Sustainable Real Estate Development program, from Tulane University in New Orleans, visit with us yesterday to learn more about Grow Community and its One Planet framework, and to learn about our commitment to both economic and social sustainability.  Thank you for visiting with us and sharing your valuable insights.

Grow Play Spaces designed for Kids by Kids!

Last Saturday we gathered a bunch of Bainbridge Island kids together at the place they love best, Kids Discovery Museum, and asked them to design the play spaces for Grow Community.  The only rule: it has to be awesome!

Young ones ranging from 3-12 years of age dived right into playdough, paper cut-outs, sticks and stones to build multiple models of their ideal play structures.  A good time was had by all.  Thanks to all those brilliant and creative young minds for their invaluable ideas!

Our Grow Community Trees.

Part of the careful planning we’ve put in place for this project includes everyday environmental choices that incorporate the beauty of our surroundings. This project is in the R-14 zone, which, under the new land use code, does not require retention of existing trees on the site.  The Grow project will meet Built Green 5-Star certification, which requires substantial tree retention.  In addition, we are committed to contributing to the long-term tree canopy goal of 50% coverage in Winslow, as outlined in the Bainbridge Island Urban Forest Management Plan.   

In order to meet all these goals, our plan is to retain existing vegetation as much as possible. To accomplish this, we continue to work with a professional arborist, Katy Bigelow, to identify the maximum amount of trees that can reasonably be retained with the urban density that is planned. 

We have focused on retaining trees in clusters and larger areas, for instance, at the corner of Grow Avenue and Wyatt Way, to maintain native vegetation areas, preserving habitat and maintaining existing green corridors.  In addition, we are planting more than 250 new trees throughout the site.  The new vegetation will enhance the existing green corridors and contribute to stormwater uptake and carbon sequestration, absorbing more than 900 metric tons of carbon over the next 100 years, almost double what the existing trees would have absorbed over that same time period.

As with all projects designed for urban densities, some trees must be removed, as preserving large trees next to new construction rarely works in the long-term.  For the trees that do need to be removed or relocated we are taking the utmost care.  All trees marked for preservation have been fenced at the dripline and no root systems will be disturbed by heavy equipment.  Several Vine Maples have been saved for reuse in the project, a Dogwood is going home with one of our Contractors, several other plants will be going to a local landscaper, and we are working with the Kitsap Conservation District to salvage evergreens for Salmon Restoration projects.

Recycled Homes at Grow Site

Construction is officially underway at the Grow Community job site. All materials from the homes being dismantled at the site are being donated to Habitat for Humanity to be re-used on the future home of a person in need.

Click here to learn more about Habitat for Humanity.

Trees for Global Benefits Fundraiser - Thank You!

A huge THANK YOU to all who came to our TREES FOR GLOBAL BENEFITS fundraiser.  With the help of the Lorax we raised $1800 for EcoTrust, Uganda.

Still interested in donating to this important program?   

Send checks to:
Plan Vivo Foundation
710 John Nelson Lane NE
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110


click here to learn more

LEGO buys $500 million worth of wind turbines

Grist

By Christopher Mims

24 Feb 2012 1:10 PM 

 

The world’s third-largest toy manufacturer is going to be putting “made with wind power” labels on all those boxes of LEGOs, and not just because they bought their power from utilities with wind turbines. Kirkbi A/S, the family holding company that owns LEGO, will be buying actual wind turbines representing fully a third of an offshore wind farm, reports Reuters.

“This investment supports the Lego Group’s ambitious environmental goals,” Kirkbi Chief Executive Soren Thorup Sorensen told Reuters.

“This also provides a solid long-term investment for us with a reasonable return.”

LEGO’s share of the 277-megawatt Borkum Riffgrund 1 wind farm, which will be finished in 2015, should provide all the energy the company needs through 2020. Considering that LEGO produces 19 billion bricks every year, that’s a surprisingly efficient use of wind power.