Services for Sustainability

Open spaces can be managed in a wide variety of ways, including absolute preservation, managed preservation, forest products management, recreational management, wildlife sanctuary, and even as natural yard area. Openlands can give advice, information and ideas on managing spaces for low-maintenance yard care, streamways protection, erosion protection, site planning, minimizing environmental impacts of development, innovative recreational development, and a wide variety of other approaches.

Any built facility, whether it be a home, garage, storefront, other place of business, public facility, or even picnic shelter, can benefit from energy and solar planning. Consulting on the energy and solar aspects of a project, whether existing or planned, can provide benefits in reducing maintenance and operating costs and in enhancing the comfort and usability of the facility. This planning includes siting considerations, placement of HVAC mechanicals, window and door orientation, type and placement, daylighting, building sheltering, thermal mass, and many other aspects of design and operation.

If you feel that your home is costing too much to heat and cool, then and Openlands review can inform you on how you may save energy and money. Recommendations may include insulation type and placement, weatherstripping and other weatherization, directing air flow, window treatments, and many other aspects of home energy management that can reduce your energy budget.

Landscape contractors and nurseries tend to provide plans and planning ideas that are conventional and which best fit the materials and stock most easily available to them. By consulting with Openlands for ideas, plants and layouts, you can get an unbiased point of view that provides you with fresh concepts and perspectives, especially considering low maintenance, naturalistic landscapes, and unique solutions. Whether you're wanting to have a plan to use in contracting out the work, or just ideas to use in your own time, Openlands can help.

If you're interested in creating, upgrading, or reviewing a trail system, whether just a short woodland path at your home or a major hiking trail in a public land area, give Openlands a call.

If you have anything you need organized, then Openlands can do it for you. Inventory systems, workshops, filing systems, retail layouts, and in fact anything can be given a new and more usable layout or organization, and Openlands can do it. No job too large or too small. We can also provide you with a database.

John Knouse; PO Box 1196, Athens, OH 45701-1196; 740.589.4575; jaknouse@frognet.net