• St. Rose of Lima School and Church Get Landscaping Facelift - Tuesday, December 2, 2008 at 4:51 PM

  • St. Rose of Lima School and Catholic Church in Simi Valley is enjoying a newly landscaped parking lot and play area courtesy of volunteers and more than 10 tons of donated mulch from Agromin.

    The church and school on Royal Avenue needed a parking lot makeover to repair cracks and potholes and to expand and improve the safety of the play area of its school facility. Once the hardscape was refurbished and planters were placed between the parking lot and playground, the church parishioners turned their sights on "greening" the area. "Families donated funds to pay for trees, flowers and groundcover," says Rick Casanova, who along with Pat Shaffer, volunteered to oversee the project. The items were purchased at a discount from Enchanted Way Nursery.

    Almost 500 plant products, including sycamore, amber and ginko trees, day lilies, lantana, viburnum and ground cover, were selected. "The vegetation will be easy to maintain and is drought tolerant," says Casanova.

    More than 125 volunteers dug trenches, ran irrigation lines and planted trees and plants over two days in September and October. The Knights of Columbus hosted a free barbeque lunch for the volunteers.


    "We put a high priority on the safety of our children," says the church pastor Father Joseph Shea, when explaining why the project was needed. "We also try to bring beauty into people's lives. We're now protecting our children from parking lot traffic with beautiful landscaping. Parish members all worked together to complete the project. It had been 20 year since we last upgraded the parking area and we're delighted with the results."

    "It's nice to see greenery we never had before," says Casanova. "We brought the site up to date. We are very grateful that Agromin donated the soil for the project."

    Each week, Agromin receives leaves, grass clippings, wood and other green materials from the recycling containers collected at curbside throughout the county. From there, the materials are composted and used to create soil products. These products are then returned to the community in the form of mulch, bark and soil amendments.

    "The green materials we received from Simi Valley residents could very well be in the 10 tons of mulch used at St. Rose," says Bill Camarillo, CFO of Agromin. "These kinds of landscaping projects are a great example of how the community can 'close the green recycling loop.' We're happy to help." One of Agromin's green materials recycling facilities is at the Simi Valley Landfill.

    Labels: , , , , ,

  • Agromin Receives Two Awards For Its Recycling Efforts - Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 12:05 PM

  • Agromin, the green materials recycler for 19 cities in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, received two awards on October 17 in recognition of the company's long-standing recycling efforts.

    Agromin received the first-ever recycling award from the Ventura County Integrated Waste Management Division. The award was given for Agromin's leadership not only in recycling but marketing all of the green waste in Ventura County.

    "The Integrated Waste Management Division of Ventura County appreciates
    Agromin's willingness to experiment with new methods of processing difficult
    to recycle materials," says Sandy Lomeli, environmental resource analyst at the county.

    Agromin's second award came from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for the company's "outstanding recycling and waste diversion efforts."

    “I am proud of Agromin’s growing leadership in green waste recycling that is recognized throughout Ventura County and the State," says Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long. "Agromin’s recycling efforts cut waste that overwhelm our landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, curbs erosion, and improves water efficiency.”

    Each month, Agromin receives and processes 260,000 tons of urban wood and green waste from local residents and businesses. Agromin then uses a safe, organic and scientific system to formulate soil products from the processed recycled green materials.

    "Our company's primary goal is to complete the recycling loop," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CFO. "Each week, green materials collected from curbside are composted and processed until they become quality soil products for use in backyards, farms and commercial landscapes," says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CFO. "The grass clippings and leaves you dispose of in your recycling bin comes back in the form of compost or mulch products for your lawn or garden as one of the reuse options."


    Agromin compost is approved by the non-profit Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) so it is used in certified organic production or food processing in accordance to the USDA National Organic Program standards. Agromin soil products are certified and approved for organic production by the U.S. Composting Council (USCC). The certification means Agromin has met the USCC standards for compost content and its soil products are clean and safe.

    Labels: , , , ,