On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA September - October 2017 | Page 27

Not long after speaking with this student,
I talked with a civil engineer from a global
engineering firm who supported my student’s
claim. The engineer said since he was hired 20
years ago, his company has grown 10 times.
He attributes a large percentage of this growth
to green property management, explaining
that creative management schemes with good
managers create big paybacks for clients. Roof-
top farms and other multiple uses for building
and property spaces are key to returns for their
clients’ investments. This is the wave of the
future.
Types of jobs: Green property managers,
farmers, aquaponic and hydroponic specialists,
delivery personnel, maintenance staff, etc.
Green Industry News
AHS Names New President
UR BAN FA RMS
Urban farming continues to expand in cities
throughout the U.S. and abroad. I have helped
set up one farm, Philly Urban Creators (PUC),
while teaching at Temple. This organization is
on approximately two acres of land in North
Philadelphia, an area that is economically
depressed with an extremely high, school-drop-
out rate. The farm is used as a vehicle to stress
the importance of education. Teaching children
in vulnerable years helps to bring social justice
to the neighborhood. Not only does PUC grow
fresh vegetables and fruits, it is also a hub
to help empower the disenfranchised. The
garden started out with all volunteers, but now
supports a bustling team that travels the world
setting up similar models. Funding comes
from grants, donations and sales from excess
produce.
Types of jobs: Farmers, educators, delivery
personnel, artisans, community activists, civic
leaders and others.
PE R FOR MA N CE - BA S ED A N D
A DDE D -VA LUE L A N D S C A PES
Several years ago, a landscape architectural
firm asked me for help in finding students to
learn how to measure landscape performance
in relation to storm water runoff. The city’s wa-
ter department was encouraging homeowners
and businesses to build rain gardens and install
green roofs, which would mitigate storm water
and reduce runoff into an aging infrastructure.
The water department realized it could save bil-
lions of dollars by rethinking how storm water
was managed. Tax credits, free rain barrels and
free rain gardens were being offered to reduce
the overall hard surface runoff. Tax credits were
also given for green roof installations. The pro-
gram continues, but there are more and more
people who need rain gardens and green roofs
installed, so this provides a wonderful opportu-
nity for start-up companies.
Types of Jobs: Growers, certified rain garden
installers, green roof specialists and others.
—Continued on page 28
Beth Tuttle will begin as president and CEO of the American Horticultural Society October 30.
The American Horticultural Society has
named Beth Tuttle as its next president and
CEO. Tuttle, who will join AHS in Alexandria, Vir-
ginia, on October 30, brings more than 25 years
of experience as a nonprofit leader, organiza-
tional consultant and brand strategist.
“Beth has exceptional leadership experience
from her work in cultural, educational and
advocacy organizations as well as a personal
passion for gardening and the natural world,
so we are thrilled to have her join us,” says Amy
Bolton, chair of the AHS Board of Directors.
Tuttle is President and CEO of DataArts, a
respected national resource for in-depth data
about the finances and activities of cultural
nonprofits. Before joining DataArts in 2013, she
was managing director of METStrategies LLC,
which provides strategic counsel, planning and
branding services to cultural, philanthropic and
social benefit organizations.
A well-known thought-leader in the museum
and cultural sector, Tuttle is co-author of Mag-
netic: The Art and Science of Engagement (AAM
Press, 2013), a best-selling study on the prac-
tices of high-performance museums. She has
served as deputy director and chief of external
relations and planning for the Smithsonian’s
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and
senior vice president for communications for
The Freedom Forum and Newseum. In the ad-
vocacy arena, Tuttle has worked with America’s
Promise Alliance, which is dedicated to helping
young people achieve success.
A graduate of Brown University, Tuttle is
a certified Master Gardener Volunteer who
helped to establish the community and school
garden at George Washington Middle School
in Alexandria, Virginia. In becoming the 33rd
president in the AHS’s 95-year history, she suc-
ceeds Holly H. Shimizu, who has been serving
as interim executive director following the
February departure of Executive Director Tom
Underwood.
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