Cipriano Landscape Design, one of New Jersey's leading landscape design companies, is building on its green industry expertise with the Cipriano Keeping It Green Foundation, a program that encompasses scholarships, internships and workshops to promote environmental responsibility.
Through the study, development and promotion of landscape architecture and horticulture, the Cipriano Keeping It Green Foundation is designed to increase public awareness of current eco-friendly practices and of the green industry in general.
"We all have a responsibility to be caretakers of the environment, yet every day we engage in practices that can have serious, long-term ecological consequences," says Chris Cipriano, president of Cipriano Landscape Design. "The only way to conserve and protect our resources is to consciously make better choices."
The Cipriano Foundation will provide a total of $10,000 in scholarships with a $2,500 scholarship awarded to four different students from accredited colleges or universities in New Jersey. The scholarships will be awarded based on the students' academic record, community activities and their desire to pursue a career in the green industry.
Internships will also play a pivotal role in the Cipriano Keeping It Green Foundation. Students from high school to college grade levels will have the opportunity to serve as interns and participate in a full range of industry practices in areas such as horticulture on Cipriano's farm and landscape architecture and design in the Cipriano Landscape Design office, headed by Certified Landscape Architect William Moore.
As a final component to the Keeping It Green Foundation, Cipriano Landscape Design will host workshops designed to educate professionals, community members and students on a wide range of landscaping themes. Topics will encompass everything from mature tree conservation, renewable gardening and water conservation in residential gardens, to recycling old residential landscapes.
"Our primary goal is to encourage New Jersey residents to adopt more ecologically-friendly practices by staying on top of environmental developments," Cipriano says. "The greater the knowledge, the better equipped people are to make informed decisions about the environment."
The Cipriano Keeping It Green Foundation is the company's latest step in integrating environmental conservation into the company's everyday practices. In the past few years, Cipriano has implemented a variety of eco-friendly procedures, including: cutting overall fuel consumption in half by updating its vehicles to improve the company's impact on the environment; recycling soils by reusing up to 90 percent of organic soils found on jobsites; creating a safer work environment through the reduction of harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs); and launching an environmentally-sensitive pest management program recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
About Cipriano Landscape Design:
Established in 1989, Cipriano Landscape Design is a recognized industry leader in luxury residential landscapes and swimming pools. In 2001, the company catapulted to the top of the state's luxury landscaping and swimming pool industries when it was awarded a $2.5 million residential landscape project. Today, the Cipriano family has a corporate office in Ramsey, N.J., along with a 10-acre farm and nursery in Mahwah, N.J., where large caliper specimen trees and other rare plants are grown. With a design office headed by Certified Landscape Architect William Moore, the Cipriano team won 12 swimming pool and landscape awards of excellence for projects completed in 2007, including the Northeast Pool & Spa Association's 2007 "Best in Competition" swimming pool award and a silver medal at the Association of Pool & Spa Professional's International Awards of Excellence. www.PlantNJ.com