Big news! This spring, AGZA Founder and President Dan Mabe and QC Founder Jamie Banks joined Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho and his team at the Belvedere Middle School in East Los Angeles to recognize the achievement of Level 2 AGZA certified Green Zone status at more than 800 campuses districtwide, and a Level 4 certification at the Belvedere campus. A Level 2 AGZA Green Zone is one in which landscape maintenance is performed without the use of fossil fuel-powered equipment, instead relying on electric equipment and manual tools. A Level 4 AGZA Green Zone extends those accomplishments to the use of organics, native plants, and other sustainable practices. The certification efforts were spearheaded by Manuel Enriquez and Edward Sanchez from the Maintenance and Operations Branch of LAUSD.

LAUSD is leading the way by eliminating fossil fuel-powered landscaping equipment and operations, substantially reducing noise and air pollution, creating a cleaner, quieter environment for students, administrators, and facilities crew members to learn and work. A grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services received by QC last year continues to support the project as AGZA and QC seek to create a model that can be replicated in communities nationwide. ❖

AGZA and QC help LAUSD ‘Go Greener’

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Becomes the First AGZA Green Zone® Certified Public Garden in NY State

Quiet Communities Reveals Key Findings from National Restaurant Noise Survey