Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

When you arrive by elevator on the 4th floor of our new office, you are greeted by this beautiful and unique wood wall:

What’s unique about it?

It’s made of wood beams from the former Epstein’s department store, which previously existed on this site. The beams were identified and salvaged by CitiLog, a New Jersey-based firm which specializes in reclaiming and recycling wood, such as trees knocked down by storms, or wood from soon-to-be-demolished buildings.

After Citilog removed the beams from the site, they sent it to Mifflintown County, Pennsylvania, where an Amish group repurposed the wood into two decorative woods walls for our office.

As the folks at Citilog will tell you, building material reuse diverts tons of waste from landfills and reduces the amount of raw materials that must be extracted and processed for use in construction.

Now that you’ve been seeing those crocuses in your yard and around the neighborhood, and the daffodils are poking through the ground too, are you starting to think about your garden?

The National Wildlife Federation’s website has a superb section on gardening tips and resources that includes how to attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife to your yard, how to use native plants (and even a map that helps you find plants native to your region), as well as tutorials on building bat and bee houses and many other interesting and useful articles designed to help you create a sustainable haven for wildlife in your neighborhood.

And once you’ve made your garden the favorite gathering spot for all the furry and feathered friends in the neighborhood, you can register your yard as a certified wildlife habitat, and share your photos with the National Wildlife Federation’s Flickr group.

Photo by Craig Pitts

Our friends at D&R Greenway Land Trust have two programs from their “Voices of Vision” series they’d like to share:

Mira Nakashima

“Nature, Form & Spirit”

Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.

Mira Nakashima, architect, furniture designer, and daughter of the late woodworker, George Nakashima, will speak about her father’s legacy in her book, entitled: Nature, Form and Spirit. Selections of her work, inspired by the natural shape and texture of wood, will be on display at the Johnson Education Center. Advance reservations please: 609.924.4646 or by e-mail to info@drgreenway.org.

Tim Searchinger

“Hot & Hungry Planet”

Thursday, April 22, 7:00 p.m.

Dr. Searchinger will discuss global energy policy issues related to global food policy issues. This program will be co-sponsored by Princeton Environmental Institute and D&R Greenway Land Trust at the Johnson Education Center, Advance reservations helpful: Call 609.924.4646 or e-mail to info@drgreenway.org.

According to Scientific American, our homes and offices account for more than one-third of all greenhouse gases caused by human activity (most of it from heating and air-conditioning). Their “How to Green Your Office” in-depth report gives tips and information on new, easy and sometimes quite cheap ways to make our home and work environments more eco-friendly.

Don’t miss their slideshow, “A Magnificent Seven,” of green buildings from around the world.

Pictured above is a London skyscraper that uses 50 percent less energy than a conventional skyscraper through solar heating and natural ventilation. It also consists of materials that can be easily recycled.

Here’s another handy item from Real Simple Magazine: an interactive Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Tool, so that you know which fruits and vegetables are the freshest right now.

What’s your favorite spring fruit or vegetable?