Trinity Lutheran Eco Prayer Park

FourFront Design has been thrilled to be a part of the Trinity Eco Prayer Park design process. The park has had very positive reviews by the public and is welcomed as a positive addition to the downtown community. 

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A few of the sustainable features of the design include the use of recycled materials for the circular pathway, passive rainwater harvesting for stormwater management, and the use of xeriscape plant species native to South Dakota.

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For more information, see the great write up in the Rapid City Journal or a clip from the local news. 

We're hoping to break ground this Spring!

Making Rapid City Sustainable

Recently, Jenny Goodell of the Family Radio Network interviewed FourFront's own Eirik Heikes, along with Suzanne Markley of the Sustainable Green Cities Task Force, and Perry Schlepp of Destination Rapid City's Green Team. Making Rapid City Sustainable: the Downtown Recycling Program aired on Rapid City radio station KQFR. 89.9 FM, but in case you missed it you can listen to it here:

The interview gives a great overview of the recent development in downtown Rapid City, the background of the Sustainable Green Cities Task Force, and the Downtown Recycles program. 

Main Street Square, Downtown Rapid City. October 2011.

The Green Team, Downtown Rapid City. 

Cleaning the Creek

EcoFront is excited to be partners in the city-wide creek cleanup. We are in charge of an area behind the Abouresk Law Office to the bridge by McDonald's on West Main Street. A few weeks ago, FourFront employees cleaned both sides of the creek (it took us two different days since we ran out of trash bags the first time).

The day we chose to clean the creek was the Friday of Trash Week of our Lessen Impact Challenge. Here is a picture of those that showed up (Brittany took the picture). 

Wade, Steve, and Bernie

Curt, Garry, Erik, Brittany and friend Mendi, and Bernie helped the first trip. We picked up 10 bags of garbage that ranged from diapers to bicycles and rims, pizza boxes, a ball, cups, bottles and a lot more. It was one of those days we were glad to be wearing gloves. In the picture is the bike we found and me with my pitch fork that we used to get garbage out of the tall grass and the water. The bike was given to Cranky Jeff and he was going to fix it up and give it to a kid that needs a bike.


-Bernie


P.S. Stay tuned for a post from the grand prize winner of the Lessen Impact Challenge!

Cornerstone Mission Apartments

It was a chilly day on May 6, 2011 when our EcoFront volunteers spent a Friday afternoon shoveling dirt and compost.

One of the community projects our EcoFront team did this spring was create two garden boxes for the Cornerstone Mission Apartments. The apartments are transitional housing that is part of the Cornerstone Rescue Mission. The purpose is to  give those that live in the apartments experience is growing a garden and the responsibility of watering and weeding. The rewards are they then get to eat the produce thus saving money on some of their food and they get to feel a sense of accomplishment in watching the plants grow.

The reason for the project is to help people help themselves.

-Bernie


Update (3 months later):

Yard of the Month Award

The Beautification Committee has started a Yard of the Month award to reward Rapid City residents who have gone above and beyond to improve the appearance of their property and beautify our community. You can nominate yourself or others and winners will receive a prize!

In addition, a “Green Glove” award will be given to the resident that best exemplified principles in sustainable landscape techniques, for example drip irrigation, composting, xeriscape plantings, use of recycled products within the landscape, rain gardens, etc. 

Go here for a nomination form.

Low maintenance residential landscape in Ketchum, Idaho by Lutsko Associates.

Photo Source. 

Tis the Season

It's finally gardening season! Did you get a chance to get out and get your garden started over the weekend?

A bunch of FourFront employees use garden boxes like these for an easy, manageable way to grow vegetables and herbs.

In fact, EcoFront's efforts were recently featured in the Rapid City Journal! A few weeks ago, we helped the Cornerstone Mission Apartments plant garden boxes for their residents.

Here are some photos from the day:

Garry taking care of the soil.

Leigh and Bernie working the rakes.

Residents checking out the commotion.

Bernie showing the kids how it's done.

We had a great time and are so happy to be able to be a part of this effort.

Don't have the space or resources for your own garden? Check out this article by the Dakota Local Food Network to find out more about community gardens in the area.

Clean Up Day

Rapid City Clean Up Day is quickly approaching!

Plan to get a group together and help clean up the community on April 30th. To find out how to help, go to www.rcgov.org. or call the Mayor’s Office at 394-4110.

Farm Fresh

Get to know a local farmer.

There are more local farmers and gardeners around you than you think. Living in South Dakota, I didn't think there would be much to find, but I was wrong! I can find buffalo, Hutterite eggs, beef, honey, and all sorts of produce just at my finger tips. For those of us that live in South Dakota, there is a great website with all of the information you can handle! Check out the Dakota Local Food Network for more information. Support your community and buy local!

Rapid City Urban Orchard Project

We are so excited about this project! Skye Lawlor, a senior at Stevens High School, started a community project called, Rapid City Urban Orchard Project. This is a project in Rapid City that plants apple trees along the bike path or "green space" for everyone in the community to enjoy. Although Skye is the leader, the project is made possible by volunteers that donate time to help plant and maintain the trees. Check out the Facebook page for more information!

 

 
We at FourFront are in charge of the orchard by Evan's Orthodontics, on the west side of town. We routinely water the trees with a drip system a few times a week throughout the summertime. We planted the 30 trees in the Spring of 2010 and we look forward to some blooms this year! If you're ever on the bike path, stop and pick some apples to take home!

 

Community Weatherizing.

A group of FourFront employees and families spent a Saturday in October working to weatherize homes. The sponsors of the event were Black Hills Power and Neighborworks.

We spent the day caulking windows and doors, putting blankets on water heaters, filling holes and cracks, checking furnaces, and installing storm windows, doors and weather stripping in homes that had an energy audit done by a team of people from Black Hills Power. There were 50 people that volunteered that day and we weatherized 16 homes in Rapid City!

Black Hills Power and Neighborworks also spent a week weatherizing homes in the Black Hills region from Edgemont to Lead and did a total of 50 additional homes. Black Hills Power furnished all the supplies to weatherize the homes and even fed us lunch.