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Western Illinois University Professor of Horticulture and Landscaping Mari Loehrlein will be signing copies of her new book, "Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practice," at a reception from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the New Copperfield's Book Service in Macomb.
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Reception for WIU Horticulture Professor's New Sustainable Landscaping Book Set for Oct. 26

October 18, 2013

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MACOMB, IL – A new textbook on sustainable landscaping was written in response to shifting environmental concerns, according to its author Marietta Loehrlein, professor of horticulture and landscaping at Western Illinois University. Loehrlein will be signing copies of her new book, "Sustainable Landscaping: Principles and Practice," at a reception from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the New Copperfield's Book Service in Macomb.

"I wanted to address such concerns as climate change and environmental degradation due to development from the perspective of landscaping practices. To write the book, I looked at what practices are actually being implemented by landscape companies throughout the United States. I also looked at what types of practices have been around for a long time that can help to minimize human impact on soil, water and air," she explained. "Urban heat islands, managing excess storm water and encouraging wildlife habitat in cities and towns are included as topics in the book."

Available locally at the WIU Bookstore and New Copperfield's Book Service or through the publisher, CRC Press, the book was fast-tracked for publication.

"The editor at CRC Press was excited to learn about this book and did not hesitate to pick it up for publication when the publisher learned about it last year," she added.

During the 2013-14 academic year at Western, Loehrlein said she is teaching a sustainable landscaping class, offered through the School of Agriculture.

"There is a big difference in the number of companies practicing sustainable landscaping today than there were when I started writing the book," she said. "One of the first assignments in the class was for students to research a company practicing sustainable landscaping and report back to the class. From individual, one-person companies to large, corporate ones, they found there were many different sizes of companies in lots of different places doing this. There is a lot more awareness and talk of sustainability in general, as well."

For more information, contact Loehrlein at (309) 298-1089 or via email at MM-Loehrlein@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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