Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping
PJI Fast Facts
Used 400 tons of compost and more than 5,000
yards of mulch over the life of the project.
Saved $60,000 during construction using a
natural stabilization system.
Used plants that thrive without the use of
fertilizer, pesticides, or fungicides in
well-traveled areas.
Greenscaping From the Ground Up
Summer 2006 marks the second anniversary
of Parrot Jungle Island's (PJI)
environmentally sustainable landscaping
project. The 18-acre park, located just south
of Miami, Florida, completed an extensive
four-year building plan, including elevation,
vegetation, horticultural, irrigation, and
cultivation changes. In the process, this
GreenScapes Partner has shown that a
holistic approach to landscape site
development can be successful, cost-effective, and environmentally sound.
In 2000, the project began with a 4-foot elevation change. Instead of dumping fill dirt over the
native soil, PJI removed and preserved several thousand tons of native soil and then used a
highly compressible structural fill to raise the topography from 8 to 12 feet above sea level.
Finally, PJI applied the native soil from the excavation and contouring processes for
landscaping. This approach saved thousands of dollars and provided a landscape medium with
excellent drainage and aeration characteristics.
When landscaping, PJI chose native plants accustomed to the island's climate and soil
conditions. In well-traveled areas, it planted vegetation that remains healthy, green, and stable,
even under heavy foot-traffic and without using fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides. To
supplement these sustainable plant selection techniques, PJI set up an Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) Plan, which uses biological controls to reduce the need for pesticides.
PJI also employs a plant health care program that involves the extensive use of park-produced
compost, constant mulching, strict irrigation controls, and sustainable cultivation techniques. PJI
uses compost from an offsite facility to establish new landscaping and reduce reliance on
pesticides and fertilizers. Mulch from tree- and plant-trimmings along with compost promotes
healthy soil and prevents erosion on PJI. PJI has used 400 tons of compost from its offsite
facility and more than 5,000 yards of mulch from offsite tree trimming operations since the
beginning of the project. These natural materials provide a stabilization system that replaces
ground cloth and large boulders and saved PJI approximately $60,000 during construction.
To save water on the island, PJI uses sustainable irrigation and filtration techniques. Sprinklers
water the gardens only at night and are programmed to spray the largest possible droplet of
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water, which reduces evaporation and wind throw. PJI recovers excess irrigation water for reuse
with a mechanical filtration system. This system filters runoff water, separating it into water and
organic matter. The water is reused in the irrigation system while the organic matter is collected
in a biofiltration pond, dried out, and used to fertilize the landscape.
PJI uses several techniques to manage its landscape, including selective leaf pruning to reduce
the number of insects. In addition, instead of cutting down all the trees during construction and
then planting new ones, workers removed large canopy trees from the island and held them
offsite during the elevation change. Then they repopulated the island with these trees during the
landscaping process. Use of these broad, mature trees helps to alleviate the summer "heat
island" effect, which occurs when pavement and buildings replace natural land cover and trap
heat. Foliage and tree canopy have increased since the construction project ended,
supplementing this mitigation process.
For more information, visit or contact Jeff Shimonski, PJI's
director of horticulture, at 305 206-3148 or .
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5306W)
EPA530-F-06-033
September 2006
www.epa.gov/greenscapes
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