Archived News Release from 2010

For Immediate Release

Redwood City Honoring Dozens of Newly-Certified Professional “Green Gardeners”

Redwood City, CA - May 24, 2010 - At its meeting tonight (May 24, 2010), the City Council of Redwood  City will hold a graduation ceremony for nearly 90 professional residential landscapers who have just completed the Bay Area Green Gardener Training and Certification program. This special recognition takes place at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1017 Middlefield Road in Redwood City.

The Bay Area Green Gardener Training and Certification program, the first of its kind in San Mateo County, provides training and development to professional residential landscapers so they can operate in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The demand is increasing for landscape services that help residents reduce their water usage, incorporate drought tolerant plants, and minimize the need for pesticides. These newly-certified Green Gardeners are now trained to meet this growing demand.

During the ceremony, each graduate will be presented with a certificate noting their completion of the program, which was funded through grants and the participation of Redwood City and its Water Conservation Program, the Bay Area Gardeners Association, the City of Menlo Park, the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, and the San Mateo County Water Pollution Prevention Program. Significant support and coordination was provided by Acterra.

The course included two hours of class time per week for 11 weeks, a great deal of study time, a field trip to Hidden Villa farm and wilderness preserve, and a grueling final exam. One-hundred percent of the students passed the exam and are now Certified Green Gardeners.

Promoting water conservation in Redwood City was one of the driving forces behind the City’s involvement in the Green Gardeners Certification Program. By training dozens of landscape professionals in the many water conservation tools available, Redwood City can bring water conservation, and other sustainable landscape practices, to the greatest number of residents. This program is associated with Redwood City Verde, a program which includes all of the City’s environmental initiatives. More information about Redwood City Verde is available online at www.redwoodcity.org/verde.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter and other City documents by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/egov.

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Contact:
Beth Ross
Environmental Initiatives Manager
650-780-5917