June 15, 2009
Members win green awards
Two members of Landscape Ontario were honoured during the Green Toronto Awards, handed out on Apr. 23 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto.
Chris Le Conte, president of Smart Watering Systems, and Terry McGlade, owner of Gardens in the Sky, were among the winners of the prestigious award.
The recipients were announced by Toronto mayor David Miller, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone and special guest Ed Begley Jr. Both LO members received an Environmental Award of Excellence.
Terry McGlade was among the Green Roof Award recipients. Gardens in the Sky is renowned for rooftop gardens and green roofs. McGlade has won a dozen LO Awards of Excellence over the years. The Toronto awards brochure stated that Gardens in the Sky won a Green Toronto Awards of Excellence, “Proving what a green roof can do for an urban environment. The Training Academy for Toronto’s men and women in blue had one built in 2008 by Gardens in the Sky. Its modular LiveRoof trays, made of 100 per cent recycled materials, reduce storm water runoff and the need for air conditioning. Almost best of all, its drought-tolerant plants create a habitat for butterflies, insects and songbirds.”
The Awards program highlighted a system installed by Le Conte’s company, Smart Watering Systems, at Yorkdale Mall, “Although Yorkdale Mall only has 3½ acres of landscape, vandalism and aging infrastructure were resulting in significant potable water use. Smart Watering Systems stepped in, identifying water waste—and remedies. It installed efficient nozzles and central control technologies that allow Yorkdale to use water efficiently and only when needed. The end result is water savings of nearly 12-million litres and a GHG reduction of 2,400 kilograms.”
Chris Le Conte serves as chair on the LO irrigation sector group and as vice-chair on the environmental stewardship committee.
Chris Le Conte, president of Smart Watering Systems, and Terry McGlade, owner of Gardens in the Sky, were among the winners of the prestigious award.
The recipients were announced by Toronto mayor David Miller, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone and special guest Ed Begley Jr. Both LO members received an Environmental Award of Excellence.
Terry McGlade was among the Green Roof Award recipients. Gardens in the Sky is renowned for rooftop gardens and green roofs. McGlade has won a dozen LO Awards of Excellence over the years. The Toronto awards brochure stated that Gardens in the Sky won a Green Toronto Awards of Excellence, “Proving what a green roof can do for an urban environment. The Training Academy for Toronto’s men and women in blue had one built in 2008 by Gardens in the Sky. Its modular LiveRoof trays, made of 100 per cent recycled materials, reduce storm water runoff and the need for air conditioning. Almost best of all, its drought-tolerant plants create a habitat for butterflies, insects and songbirds.”
The Awards program highlighted a system installed by Le Conte’s company, Smart Watering Systems, at Yorkdale Mall, “Although Yorkdale Mall only has 3½ acres of landscape, vandalism and aging infrastructure were resulting in significant potable water use. Smart Watering Systems stepped in, identifying water waste—and remedies. It installed efficient nozzles and central control technologies that allow Yorkdale to use water efficiently and only when needed. The end result is water savings of nearly 12-million litres and a GHG reduction of 2,400 kilograms.”
Chris Le Conte serves as chair on the LO irrigation sector group and as vice-chair on the environmental stewardship committee.