When the City of Albany renovated the grounds of its Civic Center, they used sheet mulch and compost to naturally improve soil quality, helping create a Bay-Friendly landscape that's healthier for plants and people.

LANDSCAPE HIGHLIGHTS

• Compost and natural fertilizer amendments tilled in 8 inches
• Sheet mulch used to establish new planting areas and suppress weeds without herbicides
• Water-saving drip irrigation system installed with weather-based controller
• Plants grouped by water needs to conserve water and improve plant health
• No turf; new plants are low water-using or California native species
• Landscape maintained using integrated pest management (IPM) practices with no synthetic chemical pesticides

RESULTS

• 130,000 gallons of water saved annually compared to a conventional landscape
• 29 tons of local, recycled compost used
• 27 tons of local, recycled mulch used
• 75% of plants are low water-using species
• Bay-Friendly landscape practices reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 14 tons CO2E

PROJECT DETAILS

• Project owner: City of Albany
• Landscape architect: Sentient Landscape, Inc.
• Location: 1000 San Pablo Ave., Albany, CA
• Landscape size: 11,500 square feet
• Landscape accessible to the public? Yes

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Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape score: 93

Year rated: 2010

Bay-Friendly Rater: Cynthia Greenberg, Placeworks