Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) April 29, 2016 -- The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, one of the nation’s most esteemed living museums, has chosen a paving method more naturally suited to its conservationist goals. The SBBG has introduced Porous Pave, a permeable pavement solution from Midwest, to the miles-long pathways that connect much of the 78-acre garden.
An institution with roots that stretch back to the late 1920s, the Botanic Garden was petitioning the National Historical Society for recognition as a historical landmark. To get that recognition, the Garden’s administrators decided they needed a pathway system that was more organically constructed, aesthetically pleasing, and environmentally friendly. That’s when the SBBG contacted Midwest to seek out their natural paving solutions.
Porous Pave
After much deliberation, the two entities decided on a combination of two pavement methods that would create pathways eligible for the Garden Landmark status. While some of the grounds were paved with a mixture of decomposed granite and GreenPave® natural paving, the rest of the pathway system made use of Midwest’s new Porous Pave system.
Porous Pave blends Midwest’s powerful binding systems with small aggregate spread two to six inches thick, creating a permeable system. This porous surface allows potentially toxic residuals from tire tracks, fertilizers, and other pollutants to be absorbed by the pavement and consumed by microorganisms living below.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of the permeable pavement solution is that the resulting material doesn’t resemble asphalt, and can be made to have whatever color or shade best fits the surrounding area. This was especially important to the Garden’s administrators, who wanted a natural-looking walkway surface that wouldn’t disrupt the aesthetic that had characterized the SBBG for decades
The Benefits
Midwest was able to provide the SBBG with multiple samples that the Garden could then submit for NHS review. Despite its high standards for landmark applications, the Society was impressed with the aesthetic and biological properties that Midwest offered.
Once the material was approved, the pathway building project could be planned out and implemented in earnest. The project was entirely self-contained, meaning that the new system could be installed with little to no interruption of the Garden’s daily activities. After less than two days of work, the entire scope of the initiative had been completed.
The Garden hosts an open house each year in which new landscaping ideas and innovations are demonstrated. This year, the open house is touting an 1,800-foot stretch of Porous Pave pathway that is available for public viewing. SBBG officials say they plan to implement Porous Pave throughout the entirety of its pathway system.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden pathway system now not only has less impact on its living displays, but more stability and traction, even when the surface is wet or slick. The success of Midwest’s Porous Pave at such a cornerstone of American conservationism should do much to advance the status of permeable pavement as a viable, environmentally conscious, and cost effective alternative to traditional paving methods.
Stop by the Garden’s Open House May 1 for more information.
About Midwest
Midwest is the world leader in environmentally sound dust control, erosion control, and soil stabilization technology. We bring our customers more solutions, documentation and support than any other manufacturer.
Stephanie Cornell, Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc, http://www.midwestind.com, +1 330-224-9370, [email protected]
SOURCE Midwest Industrial Supply, Inc
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