Thanks so much for making these available. What a wonderful tool to really help me absorb all that I saw and heard that day. It was a great experience. Thank you all for your time and dedication to this incredibly important piece of the sustainability picture.

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<a href="http://www.cbs4denver.com/video/?id=53182@kcnc.dayport.com" target="_blank">2009 Symposium on Channel 4 News</a><br/>
<a href="http://cbs4denver.com/local/Rainwater.Harvesting.illegal.2.934360.html" target="_blank">2009 Symposium News Article</a>

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Many of the things we consider sustainable are based on intuition. Many brilliant installations cannot be called sustainable (publicly) without outside scientific scrutiny. Our movement is young and we still have much to learn. I want to briefly list a few questions to get the juices flowing. Please add to this list or speak up if existing research covers any of these topics. Is anyone is looking for a good research grant topic?

1 Rototillings long term impact on clay soil structure.

2 Liquid compost impact in microbial soil makeup fungal rich vs. bacterial rich on different types of plants (woody vs. herbaceous)

3 Quantify embodied energy on many different landscape installations. Perhaps we could then quantify a complete installation.
A Rock mulch vs. xeriscaping
B KBG grass vs. flagstone patio space

5 Is it sustainable to plant large trees in a grassland area? We all idealize forested areas but do the benefits out way the cost in our short grass prairie. I will list some costs because we all know the benefits trees have to offer.
A One of the costs is the difficulty planting native xeric plants under trees.
B Water costs (nutrient pollution and consumption)

6 What is the fossil fuel costs associated with boulder installations? We all know boulders cost a lot but exactly how much, and what role does size play? Do boulders have a positive roll in the landscape beyond ascetics?
A What ecological damage is associated with surface removed rock vs. mined rocks?
B Is a boulder retained slope lower in embodied energy then a block wall?

7 Which native plants and biomes are most needed for ecological preservation on the Front Range?

8 Analyze water features.
A Is riparian habitat created worth the fossil fuel and water cost?

These questions could have answers that are difficult to quantify. Without some answers we'll be hard pressed to judge any garden greener.

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