MISC

Formecology, LLC is a Finalist in the Madison Magazine’s “Best of Madison 2022”!

Formecology, LLC Attains Green Professional Status for their 8th Consecutive Year

Formecology, LLC named NARI Regional Team CotY Winner! February 1st, 2021—The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) named Formecology, LLC (team member) and Artisan Deck and Design, LLC 2021 North Central Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) winners in the Residential Exterior $50,000-$100,000 category in its’ annual awards competition.

Formecology, LLC won three “CotY” (Contractor of the Year) awards at the “Celebrating Excellence” virtual award ceremony on November 5th! The event was hosted by NARI of Madison (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) of which Formecology, LLC has been a member of for seven years. NARI is an organization of high-quality remodeling professionals. Its members are committed to integrity, high standards, professional education, ethics and market recognition. The CotY is a prestigious award presented each year to NARI members who have demonstrated outstanding work through their remodeling projects. As first year entrants, Formecology, LLC won a CotY Award on all three of their entries. The CotY is awarded to projects that meet score requirements under the following criteria: To what degree were the expressed needs of the client met? To what degree does the project enhance the existing structures functionally? To what degree does the project enhance the existing structure aesthetically? Is there evidence of superior craftsmanship? Were innovative uses of material and/or methods of construction used in the project? Formecology, LLC entered a joint project with Artisan Deck and Design, LLC in the category of “Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living under $100,000”. This project consisted of a new entryway trellis and natural stone walkway. Both contractors in this winning project will receive a CotY award. Formecology, LLC’s second winning entry was a beautifully constructed “eco-driveway” in the “Residential Landscape Design/Outdoor Living $40,001 to $60,000” category. The driveway was built to help manage and redirect stormwater (and to help keep it from contaminating our lakes and rivers) but can also function as a patio/entertainment space. The third entry and CotY Award winning project was Evansville’s very own “ The Grove Market ” in the “Commercial Exterior” category. Local owners of this farm-to-table bistro hired Formecology, LLC to design and install a safe, ADA-accessible, low-maintenance, inviting outdoor space that tied well into their regionally based, historic building.

What are Native Plants?

Formecology, LLC reaches a 15 year milestone under the ownership of landscape architect , John Gishnock III , in Evansville, Wisconsin. When Gishnock acquired the existing nine year old business back in 2006, he knew he was about to purchase a company whose mission was very closely aligned to the type of business he wanted to run. Not just a l andscape design/build/care company that was your typical garden variety, but a firm that also stressed beauty and highly functioning landscapes that were easier on the environment. After all, we know that ‘passion’ can go a long way in business development and success, so this union was likely to prove fruitful.

More and more parents and educators today are working hard to instill the importance of taking care of our planet to children. As families and their children prepare for back-to-school, here a few eco-friendly tips to utilize throughout the school year to help support healthy children and a healthy environment: Take an inventory of what you already have that can be used again. Avoid last-minute impulse purchases by making a list of what you can re-use and what you yet still need before heading to the store. This will save materials as well as your dollars. Buying clothes doesn’t have to come with sticker shock! Hand-me-downs and second-hand stores are not only more eco-friendly, but also cheaper and more fun to hunt around for.

#1- What you do with your leaves affects the lakes -When leaf piles sit in the street, wind and rain carry them to drains and eventually into lakes and streams. Leaves contain nutrients that fertilize algae, which can turn lakes green. #2- Composting your leaves saves you time and money -Composting leaves make a great fertilizer and are a valuable mulch for gardens, flower beds and around trees. #3- Your municipality has rules for leaf collection -If you opt to rake, follow your municipality’s guidelines. They will often have leaf collection days or a location for leaf drop off. #4- Keeping your leaves out of the street shows you care for your lakes -Show your love by keeping leaves out of the street and proudly displaying a yard sign to show everyone you care. This may help get neighbors and other community members on board too! #5- What you do with your leaves affects your lakes -Rain seeping through leaf piles creates a nutrient-rich “tea” that flows along the curb and into the storm drains, even if the leaves themselves don’t move an inch. #6- Composting your leaves saves you time and money -You can replace one fertilizer application each year by using a mulching lawn mower and leaving the mulched leaves right on your lawn. #7- Keeping your leaves out of the street shows you care for your lakes -Try composting just some of your leaves even if you have too many to compost them all. Think of fallen leaves as an asset instead of waste. #8- What you do with your leaves affects your lakes -Leaves can feed plants in your garden or algae in the lakes depending on where you put them. Show you love the lakes by keeping leaves and grass clippings out the street. We would like to give a special thanks to My Fair Lakes at: www.myfairlakes.com for their Leafism information!

Say thank you – Give them a call or send an email and tell them that you appreciate what they have done, or are doing, for our country. Listen- If they want to talk about their service, let them. Send some love- Get out your phone book and find a VA hospital or nursing home and send a patriotic bouquet of flowers or a colorful collection of cookies. Add a heartfelt note thanking them for their service. Attend a parade – If there is a parade close by, take your family and buy some flags to wave. Visit a Veterans Day Services to Pay Your Respects – If you can’t find a parade, there are plenty of memorials that you can visit to pay your respects. Fly a Flag – Flying the American Flag is a great way to show pride and respect for our country. Give time or money to veterans groups – Many groups will benefit from your volunteered time or cash donations. Our favorite 🙂 Plant a tree in memory of a veteran – Planting a tree is always a great way to honor someone and will give you a permanent place to return to year after year to spend time and appreciate your freedom. See the link below for selecting hearty Wisconsin trees! https://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/a2865.pdf .

The Monroe Street Festival was fun and we enjoyed the conversation all day. Many individuals were interested in our “ecodriveway” projects and so we discussed porous paving materials and how to make our driveways generate less stormwater.

Formecology volunteers to be a part of the ‘Design for a Difference’ project for the Respite Center in Madison, WI. The Respite Center provides free services for children whose families are under stress, in crisis, or need a break. The goal of this redesign was to provide a modern, positive environment for these children.

Formecology created the backyard design for this contemporary Verona, WI home back in 2007. We were happy to return again in 2015 to complete their front yard design. The design was created to play off the unique architecture of the house and mimic the backyard features to create unity among both spaces. Similar plant and natural stone materials were used to also repeat existing landscape themes in the back. Because their front yard sloped dramatically from the house, our design also helped to level off grades by creating a horizontal plane. Our clients found the design to be very meaningful and artful, just as it was in 2007 for their backyard 🙂

As families and their children prepare for back-to-school, here a few eco-friendly tips to utilize throughout the school year: Take an inventory of what you already have that can be used again. Avoid last-minute impulse purchases by making a list of what you can re-use and what you yet still need before heading to the store. This will save materials as well as your dollars. Buying clothes doesn’t have to come with sticker shock! Hand-me-downs and thrift stores are not only more eco-friendly, but also cheaper and fun too! The days of disposable pens and pencils are gone, replaced by biodegradable pencils and refillable pens. Once you have greener options in hand, encourage your youngsters to hang on to each pencil until it wears down to the nub and to each pen as long as possible. Find green paper, notebooks and binders. Don’t brown bag it; instead opt for a washable, reusable container to tote your lunch to and from. If you don’t live close enough to walk, finding a safe bike route to school is a green way to go. School buses are also a cleaner option than single-occupancy cars. If walking, biking, or busing isn’t an option, start a parent carpool.  From all of us here at Formecology, we wish your children a safe and happy return back to school!

Eat local and organic. Purchase groceries from your local farmers’ market and choose food at the local grocery store.