Gardening Workshops Brochure

Educational Materials Award: Promotional materials

Nominator: Lynn Barber

Materials to be Returned to Me: No

Title of Educational Material: Gardening Workshops Brochure

Description: Tri-fold brochure describing our water conserving workshops taught by UF IFAS and Hillsborough County Extension Florida-Friendly Landscaping^TM (FFL) staff.

Target audience: Hillsborough County and other county residents that are interested in learning water conservation methods for the landscape.

Issues addressed: Decreasing stormwater run-off, erosion, use of potable water for landscape irrigation, dependence on in-ground irrigation and instead installing microirrigation which provides water where the landscape plants need it, at the roots. Increasing recycling of kitchen and yard waste to be composted and used on-site as mulch, potting soil mix, soil amendment or compost tea which decreases this waste from being taken to recycling centers or landfills, the gasoline used and pollution created by trucking these materials off-site and manpower needed to do it.

Distribution: Brochures are distributed in the lobby at the Hillsborough County Extension office, to area garden clubs, public libraries, and at 38- 2010 community events where we provide exhibits and displays, including all horticulture related events. During 2010 FFL staff distributed approximately 4,500 Gardening Workshops brochures and presented 75 compost, water-wise and rain barrel workshops with a total of 3,226 people attending.

Resources: Internal and external funding is provided by Tampa Bay Water, Hillsborough County Public Utilities (Water Resource Services and Solid Waste Management) and City of Tampa Water Department. Funding provides for brochure printing, a compost bin and thermometer, microirrigation starter kit and rain barrel, one per Hillsborough County household after attendance at the educational workshops we provide. Non-Hillsborough County residents can attend also but must pay $26.00 for each workshop as funding is for Hillsborough County residents.

Expected Outcome: Increased attendance at compost, water-wise and rain barrel workshops resulting in water conservation knowledge gain, behavior changes and water conserved.

Evaluation results: Creation and distribution of the Gardening Workshops brochures have effectively impacted water conservation and the environment. Increased attendance at community events from 50,181 in 2009 to 75,727 in 2010 has also increased the number of attendees at our workshops. Post-survey results of workshop attendees indicate behavior changes and increased water conservation.

FANREP Member Role: Co-created the Gardening Workshops brochure.

Implications for Future Programming: Continue large scale distribution of brochures promoting our environmental horticulture workshops. Seek additional distribution vehicles for this brochure to include County television, HCTV, free on-line magazine publishing and radio promotion of the brochure and workshops on environmentally focused stations.

Files

Gardening Workshops

Gardening Workshops Brochure

Lynn Barber

Lynn Barber Photo

Maria Carver

Maria Carver Photo