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To the average dog-walker, bird-watcher or picnicker, retention ponds are just part of the background. Sure, most people might know something about their usefulness or necessity, and some people might even appreciate them.

After all, a well-designed and maintained retention pond can be very pretty to look at.

But for those of us in the know, retention ponds are an integral part of stormwater management. There are a lot of ways to manage stormwater, but retention ponds, or, I should say, properly managed retention ponds, are a key part of stormwater management.

Operating as both storage for extra water from storms or snowmelt that can overwhelm urban infrastructure, and as a water quality treatment, the design can be fantastic.

There’s only one problem. If not properly designed or maintained (frequent problems when cities are dotted with retention ponds), there can be some pretty serious impacts on water quality.

When your best mate, or, in this case, best mutt, leads you to the career of a lifetime, it has to be fate.

That’s what happened to Bruce Kania, founder, CEO, President and Research Director of Floating Island International over fifteen years ago.

Rufus, a swim-loving lovable mutt, spent his free time taking laps in late summer on a pond on Bruce and his wife Anne’s 340-acre home along the Yellowstone River northeast of Billings, Montana. The land was idyllic. It had water, wildlife, gorgeous sunset views and a pond, where black-furred Rufus would emerge after his swim a questionable shade of red. And he’d stink.

So, maybe that part wasn’t so idyllic.

Worried about the pond, and the stench coming in waves off his dog, Bruce sought the advice of friends who worked at Montana State University. They told Bruce that the worrisome reddish hue coating Rufus was actually cyanobacteria.

Bruce asked what he could do. And a new career began.

This year, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine a Day Without Something. Remember when you thought you’d have to go without toilet paper? Or hand sanitizer? And the run on potatoes and pasta was something to see!

We don’t mean to poke fun. Back in the spring, when it felt like suddenly we might not have access to whatever modern day or basic supply we might want was shocking, and a little scary.

Which makes this year’s Imagine a Day Without Water a little close to home for most of us, and incredibly relevant as we think about what we want our world to look like in the coming years.

There are probably as many reasons to add a Floating Wetland to your property as there are benefits for doing so.

But we’re guessing one reason that doesn’t make the list is that you want to spend a bunch of money.

We get it. Everyone wants their landscape to be both beautiful and functional, without breaking the bank. Floating Wetlands – ticking both the beautiful and functional boxes – are no different.

If you’re thinking of installing a Floating Wetland, probably one of two things have caught your attention. One, you are having water quality issues and heard about their incredible value. Or two, you’re looking to add an eye-catching feature to a water body.

In deciding if installing a Floating Wetland is the right water quality solution for you, you really need to take a look at your other alternatives. We call this the Dark Side.

Algae blooms are a serious problem, mucking up waterways, killing fish and endangering humans. What can we do?

Red tide (not to be confused with Red Dawn, which is an awesome movie) is a phenomenon pretty much all of us have heard of.

Likewise, almost everyone has experienced a bummer of a summer day or two, in which the local lake or river was closed to swimming due to algal blooms.

If you’ve ever walked along the shore of a normally crystalline body of water, only to witness a murky green more appropriate to The Creature from the Black Lagoon than to a picnic, you know what we’re talking about.

Algae blooms, also known as algal blooms, are a serious problem these days. They deplete oxygen in the water supply, choking out the organisms that live there. Some species of algae may even produce neurotoxins, which is dangerous to fish, wildlife, other plants and even humans.

While some blooms occur naturally, much of the issue comes down to eutrophication. Today, let’s turn our attention to this critical concept so we can make a game plan to change the future and make the world a greener place.

You’ve heard of a wetland, and you know what floating is. But how can a wetland … float? We’re here to answer that question, so grab that coffee and start scrolling.

No one needs to tell you that water pollution is a big issue.

(Or at least, we hope they don’t. Because it’s Kind of a Big Thing these days.)

The trouble is, water pollution is astoundingly common. Our lakes, rivers and oceans are devastated by chemicals.

We’re not just talking the toxic runoffs from water treatment plants or industrial factories, either. Nutrients from fertilizers, which are seen as “good” by the agricultural sector, also wreak havoc on waterways. They’re poisoning our drinking water and even dosing our fish with antianxiety drugs.

Why? Because those fertilizers that make plants grow also make algae grow, which then uses up all the oxygen and chokes out other plant and animal life. You know all those green lakes you see when you fly over Florida? Yeah, that’s what’s going on.

The result: Bodies of water that are chemical-ridden, inhospitable to wildlife and sometimes straight-up poisonous. And that’s before stormwater rushes in, carrying toxins and disease with it.

We need to clean our water bad … but which types of green infrastructure can get the job done?

Enter the floating wetland.

If you’ve long believed that you must choose between a garden that looks like a magazine spread and one that helps the Earth, think again: Jack Pizzo is here to set you straight.

(Download a free PDF of this interview to take with you, and share it with family and friends!)

With the global climate crisis in full swing and environmental panic mounting, more people than ever are asking: “What can we do?”

When they’re told to change their gardens, plant more natives and keep a weather eye on their pollinator populations, however, many folks become a bit wary. They like their gardens how they are, thankyouverymuch.

That’s where The Pizzo Group comes in, self-described as “a family of four companies that restores ecosystems and provides sustainable landscape solutions that are both beautiful and functional.”

Jack Pizzo, president and senior ecologist of all four companies, as well as the past president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, is happy to report that interest in natural landscapes is rising, from residential backyards to large swaths of public land.

Increasingly, individuals, organizations and municipalities are reaching out to design landscapes that, as Pizzo says, look “like Martha Stewart’s perennial garden except that it’s native plants. People are beginning to see nature as an asset and not a liability.”

A development of which, it goes without saying, we are huge fans.

That’s not to say we’ve fixed every problem in the landscape industry or that we’re perfect stewards, however. Far from it. Recently we were lucky enough to sit down with Jack and have a heart to heart on these issues.

The landscape industry is rife with environmental problems, but several big organizations are stepping up to change that. Prime among them is the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), a leading voice since 1959.

Download a free PDF version of this report to share with your colleagues and friends!

It’s no secret that the landscaping industry is one of the most problematic for the ecosphere, though it is sadly less talked-about than it should be. Even green roofing, ostensibly a purely environmental effort, adds to the issue.

Among the leading troubles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are higher pesticide concentrations in urban and suburban areas than agricultural ones. (If you’re gobsmacked by this, you’re not alone.)

Pesticide exposure – affecting non-target plants and humans alike – is also a major concern. As the EPA says, “more than 31,000 pesticide exposure incidents related to the use of pesticides on lawns were reported from 1995 to 2002.” And because people don’t know enough about these issues, they don’t know what to do instead.

For decades, the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association has striven to be a voice of change, fighting for the rights of the environment. Today, that message is more important than ever.

Recently, we were lucky enough to catch up with several members of the ILCA Sustainability and Ecological Landscape Committee to talk more about it.

In partnership with the Village of Orland Park, the Ecogardens team developed a novel model of green roof construction. Not to brag, but this consultation-based approach to green roof design and installation is something we need more of.

Download our FREE infographic explaining the benefits of green roof consulting.

Here at Ecogardens, we like to be groundbreaking.

Not just in the literal sense (although we do enjoy the prospects of a fresh project), but also in the figurative sense: If we can put a novel spin on an old model and make it work better, why wouldn’t we?

That’s why when the Village of Orland Park reached out to us to build them a green roof, we came back with a truly collaborative idea: Why not work together?

Our thinking was simple: If we could save the village money, impart ecologically conscious ideas to village workers, and create an amazing municipal amenity space all at the same time ... obviously we’re going to, right?

... Right? RIGHT.

So that’s exactly what we did. From the first foray into design through to the last native planting – and the ongoing tweaking that is a part of any stewardship contract – we have put our very best ideas into this project.

It stands to reason, therefore, that we had to tell you all about it. If you are considering a green roof, but want to cut costs and learn lots, we’ve included all our secrets below.

Read on, or download our beautiful infographic to share with family, friends, colleagues, peers and fellow restaurant-goers. (Okay, maybe not that last one. It’s lunchtime; sue us.)

That water pollution exists is hardly a state secret. What form it takes and what we should do about it, however, are facts a little less well-known. Here’s the skinny.

The Blue Planet got that name for a reason (and it’s not because it’s full of Democrats.)

Earth earned its moniker for the simple reason that it is largely composed of water – 71 percent, according to our good friends at NASA. It’s spread out across the oceans, lakes and rivers of the world, and trickles through soil, aquifers and Other Underground Spaces.

Sadly, that water is not as pure as it used to be. Not by a long shot.

Today, water pollution is one of the biggest issues we face, and solving it is crucial for the wellbeing of people, wildlife and the planet as a whole. As with most things, knowledge is the first step in becoming good stewards. Let’s take a look at where water pollution is found and what forms it takes today.