The Green Meridian Podcast - A Landscape Design/Build Toolkit

For this episode, we speak with Ryland Longoni of Federated Insurance (rjlongoni@fedins.com), a specialist insuring landscape designers, landscape architects, general contractors and other green industry professionals. Ryland answers key questions, such as "How much insurance do I need?", "How much liability insurance is enough?" - and covers the ins and outs of Errors & Omissions insurance, talks about importance of approp...

What if there was almost universal agreement on what constitutes good landscape design? What if we could break a "hidden code" that unlocks the secret to any successful landscape layout? It's fascinating to consider that human beings have a largely consistent sense of what constitutes beauty in art - most of us stand in awe of Michelangelo's talent and line up for hours to see the works in the Louvre or The Metropolitan Museum of A...

Today's topic is Tough customers: Managing problematic landscape design/build clients.

Do you have occasional client problems?

Why is it important to try to try to anticipate client behavior?

You need to have an awareness about the real Impact client disfunction can have on your business.

A lack of understanding can create put stress on staff and resources, and cause time to be wasted

Without an ingrained and practiced understanding, yo...

I am taking a moment to restock my understanding of my career here, with a compilation of missed opportunities, unforced errors and last minute three-point shots that bounced from the rim. Mixed in like oil in a bucket of water - are some thoughts about Joan Didion's brilliant essay "On Self Respect". 

Joan Didion's essay: "On Self Respect"

https://sites.gatech.edu/alexburgin/on-self-respect-by-joan-didion/

We are joined by some irrigation experts for this timely Summer discussion, from national irrigation product marketing managers, to some talented technicians - as we discuss the possibilities and pitfalls in marketing water saving irrigation products.

Our guests include: Mark Guthrie of Puget Sound's Saving Water Partnership, Bryce Carnehl, Specification Marketing Manager Hunter Industries, Sergio Lopez, Business Development Ma...

From navigating the sudden onset of harsher Summer and Winter weather events, to articulating ideas about lessening the impact of diminishing habitat, landscape professionals need to not only relate the larger climate to what is happening on a specific property, but show and specify new and innovative solutions. From water saving ideas, to pollution limiting drainage solutions, we are in a unique position to contribute a fractional...

On this episode we speak with Andrew tenBrink, the lead landscape architect for the Seattle’s Central Waterfront and Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion.

Working with the firm Field Operations, Andrew is responsible for the overall implementation of this incredibly complex and expansive urban renovation, that includes redirecting urban streets, installation of thousands of native plantings and reconstruction of the Seattle seawall, ...

On this episode of the Green Meridian podcast, we learn about the busy Mason bee and how these beneficial insects can transform the vibrancy and health in your gardens and landscapes. We discuss how to introduce mason bees to your outdoor area - and how you can purchase, manage and nurture bee populations at your home or landscape project site.

We talk here with Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees. You can learn more at Dave'...

Today we speak with three senior designers with the multi-disciplinary Landscape architecture and urban design firm - Field Operations. Field Operations is known for a wide range of large scale municipal and campus projects - including Seattle's new Waterfront project. You can find more info on this and other large scale work here ⁠https://www.fieldoperations.net/projects.html ⁠

We are talking today to three Senior associates: ...

Today we have a conversation with landscape architect Ken Yocom about the evolving students of landscape design, how community college programs yield a different kind of student, how academics is changing in the field of Landscape architecture and the conflicts between designers and contractors.

Ken is an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture. He also has an adjunct appointment in the Depa...

Risk management can take many forms. When we think about it, our thoughts usually go directly to the job site and we think of safety issues. But there are many aspects around this kind of topic.

From insurance concerns to contract clauses and safety in the form of training, today we cover a range of facets of risk management. Hosted by my associate Bill Peregrine, he references a graphic that takes the idea ...

The Green Meridian video meeting and discussion "Books on Your Shelf" was really insightful today.

Thanks to all that joined! 

The books we discuss include:

Design with Nature, by Ian McHarg

Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope. by Douglas Tallamy and Rick Darke

A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold

Landscape Architecture, by John Simonds

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacob...

Laura Wildfong is the well regarded owner and manager of Northwest Nurseries, a professional plant wholesaler just northeast of Seattle. With decades managing a small and focused nursery operation, Laura reflects on the last 20 years, how the business has changed, botanicals that no longer perform - and how to hire and keep people who do. What kind of tree would she be if she could be a tree? You'll have to listen to find out! We a...

Back in the 80s I remember getting my first computer, it was the original box Macintosh , what is now affectionately called the "Mac Classic". It was an unbelievably amazing machine - which now, looking back appears as a quaint and simple relic of some bygone era. I remember playing games from discs that we would have to pop out and place back in. I feel fortunate to be a person that can look back and feel a part - of what was a re...