Sustainable Landscape Conference set at Cuyamaca College

Cuyamaca College is hosting its fifth annual Sustainable Landscape Conference Thursday, March 7, at the campus performing arts theater, with topics ranging from local resource-conservation efforts to the role of trees in ecological landscapes.

“We will examine sustainable landscaping as a regional issue and focus on the environmental elements of air, earth, water and fire,” said Don Schultz, conference chairman and coordinator of the college’s ornamental horticulture department.

Starting with registration and a continental breakfast at 7 a.m., the conference continues until 4 p.m. with keynote speaker Jeff Fulgham, who has worked for three decades promoting global energy and water conservation. He is currently the chief sales, service, strategy and sustainability officer at Banyan Water, Inc., a Bay Area water management consulting firm. Also on tap are a panel discussion on sustainability in the city and the county moderated by a San Diego County Water Authority official, a trade show highlighting green products and services, and multimedia presentations in the digital theater.

Admission is $90 for the general public, $60 for students, and includes breakfast, lunch and a post-event reception. Free parking will be available.

Organized by the ornamental horticulture department, the event typically draws more than 250 attendees and is geared toward landscape professionals, educators and others interested in keeping current with the latest in sustainable landscape practices.

“Cuyamaca College prides itself as being a regional leader in the area of sustainability,” said college president Mark J. Zacovic. “From our physical campus to our academic programs and career-preparation initiatives, we have been in the forefront of the green movement.”

Fulgham, the keynote speaker, is the face behind Banyan Water, which provides the technology and services to reduce consumption, as well as the expertise in the area of alternate water supply and reuse to offset municipal water supplies. He previously was the chief sustainability officer at GE Power and Water, where he partnered with customers, organizations, and governments to increase awareness of current water challengers and solutions A frequent speaker on water and power topics, he describes himself as a salesman, marketer, strategic planner and entrepreneur with a passion for proving that “green is green – doing what’s right for the environment is also economically smart.”

Other conference speakers and topics include:

• Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute, on promoting nature education to encourage community to connect with their environment
• Catherine Hollinger, president of Hollinger and Assoc. Inc. Water Management and Water Conservation Consultants, on watershed issues affecting local landscaping
• Vicki Estrada, president of Estrada Land Planning in San Diego, on land planning issues that impact the sustainability of open spaces in the county
• Dan Simpson, horticultural department manager and certified arborist at the San Diego Zoological Society, on the role of trees in sustainable landscapes
• Nick DeLorenzo, president of DeLorenzo International, who will close the event with a conference overview.

The Cuyamaca College student center will be the site for lunch and the trade show, which includes such vendors and exhibitors as the County Water Authority, Hydro-Scape Irrigation and Landscape Supplies, Rain Bird, Nature Designs and Agri Service.

To register for the conference, go to www.cuyamaca.edu/OHweb. For further information, contact conference chairman Don Schultz at donald.schultz@gcccd.edu or call (619) 660-4023.

Cuyamaca College is at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway in Rancho San Diego. For more information about Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges, go to www.gcccd.edu