On December 11, ABC Chicago Channel 7 aired this report on their “Live Green” segment at 5 pm.

“We are constantly looking for more sustainable techniques, systems and products. This FilterPave^TM porous pavement may be the way of the future,” says Kris Bachtell, Arboretum Vice President of Collections and Facilities.

In September, area reporters were invited to watch as crews poured the gleaming, multi-colored product on a 1,000 square foot walkway near the Thornhill Education Center. Emerald Site Services of Frankfort donated the material and installation.

Only a handful of Chicago-area locations have installed the cutting-edge material, and the Arboretum is proud to be on the leading edge of efforts to test it, Bachtell says. The glass has been specially processed to round its edges and is “structurally sound and as safe as any traditional surface,” according to manufacturer Presto Geosystems, of Appleton, WI.

Porous materials, such as pavement or certain bricks, help the environment by trapping dirt and other pollutants, thereby keeping them out of the groundwater. On a traditional surface such as asphalt, these pollutants are usually swept away by fast-moving rainwater, and deposited into storm drains, detention areas and streams.

Additionally, porous pavement can actually reduce the “heat island” effect by trapping and mitigating heat, rather than reflecting it, as a blacktop surface does. Such reduced heat in the pavement and surrounding soil is beneficial to tree roots.

REDUCE
Pollution
• The Arboretum maintains their fleet of vehicles and equipment frequently to ensure efficient use and a reduction of air pollution
• The Arboretum grounds are now open to biking! Bring your bike and get some exercise while reducing pollution.
• A no-idling policy is in place to reduce pollution. The policy states no diesel vehicle should idle more than 10 minutes in adherence with the state law.

Energy Consumption
• The Facilities department has replaced incandescent bulbs with CFLs and continues to upgrade all lighting to more energy efficient systems.
• Building automation systems are installed in both the Visitor Center and Thornhill Education Center to control temperatures, establish set points and turn systems down in the evenings
• Automatic light switches are being tested in several offices and restrooms in the buildings.

Since its founding in 1922, the Arboretum has demonstrated sustainable practices to benefit the community. As an outdoor museum, the Arboretum showcases trees as essential elements of livable communities and a healthful environment. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the major source of greenhouse gas (up to 50 pounds per tree each year), and release oxygen. They shelter and provide nesting habitats for wildlife, retain moisture in soils, hold topsoil in place, and provide shade and cooling.

REDUCE
Water Consumption
• To reduce the use of municipal water, the Arboretum uses water from Meadow Lake to supply the irrigation systems in the core visitor area. This saved over 6 million gallons of domestic water in 2007. The Thornhill campus also uses a well water system to irrigate adjacent areas.

• Water conservation flush valves have been installed on all toilets in the Visitor Center to conserve water. The green handles will use 30% less water when pulled up or the typical 1.6 gallons of water if pushed down for a flush.

Plastic Use
• Twenty-ounce plastic soft drink bottles are collected and donated to Terra Cycle where they are reused for packaging their products

• Volunteers and employees wash plastic planters acquired when purchasing plants from nurseries that are then reused. The plastic these containers are made of is difficult to recycle and that service is currently not available in this area.

Since its founding in 1922, the Arboretum has demonstrated sustainable practices to benefit the community. As an outdoor museum, the Arboretum showcases trees as essential elements of livable communities and a healthful environment. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the major source of greenhouse gas (up to 50 pounds per tree each year), and release oxygen. They shelter and provide nesting habitats for wildlife, retain moisture in soils, hold topsoil in place, and provide shade and cooling.

Tree-lined Chicago streets provide a picturesque image, but that image is likely to change with the recent discovery of Emerald ash borer (EAB) within city limits. Does the EAB find mean infested trees must go to the chipper? The simple answer is no.

Just as these ash trees have brought beauty to Chicago streets, they can be reclaimed and reused to create new, practical and striking creations. Some marvelous examples were recently on display at the Rising from Ashes: Furniture from Lost Trees, a traveling furniture exhibition at The Morton Arboretum that ran from August 22 – September 7.

“The show provided an opportunity to raise awareness, share with a greater audience, and bring the problems of EAB to the forefront. Through this exhibition, we hoped to show that art and beauty can be created out of wood that would otherwise be wasted,” said Anamari Dorgan, Arboretum Manager of Interpretation and Exhibits.

The exhibition, which was a joint venture between the Arboretum and the Chicago Furniture Designers Association (CFDA), emphasized the value of urban forests and the destructive effects of EAB. Some 30 pieces of furniture, created by CFDA members out of ash wood felled due to EAB infestation, were featured during this exhibition with messages focusing on the Emerald ash borer, the steps to process harvested ash trees into lumber, the furniture making process and the properties of ash and its uses.

Ash wood has excellent working properties that make it suitable for a multitude of different projects. It is generally straight-grained, with cream-colored sapwood and brown to grayish-brown heartwood. Because the Emerald ash borer does not damage or even reach the heartwood, there is no danger of spreading EAB when reclaiming infested wood. It can be used as furniture, flooring, cabinetry and sporting goods such as baseball bats. Trees not  suitable for lumber can be used to generate heat or electricity, as mulch or as wood chips.

Chicago streets contain an estimated 20 percent ash. Illinois has an estimated 131 million ash trees. Dead, damaged, diseased or otherwise unwanted urban trees could supply nearly a quarter of the annual hardwood consumed in America, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Therefore, by reclaiming and reusing trees that would otherwise be destroyed, there would be less need to remove perfectly healthy trees for lumber.

The Illinois Emerald Ash Borer Wood Utilization Team, which is chaired by Arboretum arborist and Community Trees Advocate Edith Makra, is working to facilitate the follwing four “building blocks” that will be essential for urban timber to see a new life:

1. Arborists must bring down urban trees in a manner that leaves their wood marketable, that is, in sections at least eight feet long. In conventional techniques, arborists remove trees in much shorter sections.

2. We need more local sawyers able to cut and process urban timber, which is often variable in quantity, character and availability.

3. Wood workers and others who purchase wood need to be aware that urban timber could meet their needs.

4. Consumers need to request and purchase products made of urban timber.

“Urban trees in general are treated as waste. There is valuable lumber in our landscape trees that can and should be harvested,” Makra says.