NATURE! - MATURING IN NATURE

Here is part 2 of my posts concerning my love, appreciation and knowledge of Nature.  (Read the first post, Growing Up In Nature.)  College is where I (and most people) really grew up and figured out what we wanted to do with our lives.  I had a wonderful experience at Ball State.  The College of Architecture and Planning (CAP) was tough, but with support from professors, family and friends, I got through it and even have a degree to prove it!   

There have been turning points in my life and some having to do with my career choice stick out well.  I was fortunate enough to go on a spring break my first year of college to Arizona with some girlfriends to visit and stay with one of the girl's grandparents.  Her grandparents took us all over central AZ!  I vividly remember a boat ride on Canyon Lake somewhere outside of Phoenix and contemplating what branch of architecture I wanted to per sue.  I had to chose my major when we returned from spring break!  My choices were: Architecture (buildings, section details, hard materials), Landscape Architecture (nature, outdoors, soft and hard materials) and Urban Planning (cities, numbers, calculations).  While on the boat ride I decided that nature was too beautiful and amazing that I had to chose Landscape Architecture.  I couldn't be stuck at a desk constantly as I envisioned architects and urban planners.  What a ride Landscape Architecture was! 

Due to various family losses and stress, I considered changing majors to Natural Resources and Environment Management at one point.  After much thought, consideration and discussion, I decided to stay in Landscape Architecture.  My favorite courses in college were plant and environment focused.  I dominated the Plant ID classes and completed studies in sustainable agriculture and outdoor recreation (among many other courses).  I obtained a minor in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture and was very proud of my accomplishments.

Finding a job outside of college that combined Landscape Architecture and Natural Resources was not an easy task!  It took me two different jobs and about three years to work my way into the field that I had long dreamed about.  No one understood what I wanted to do until I expanded my knowledge base and learned the bad, unsustainable, way of doing things.  Once at Williams Creek Consulting, I was happy with the work that our company was doing and I was learning so much about utilizing natural resources to manage stormwater!

Since becoming a part of the Williams Creek Consulting (WCC) team in 2006, I have acquired my Landscape Architecture Registration and my United States Green Building Council Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (AP) designation with a focus on Building Design and Construction (BD +C).  Both require continuing education, so I am still learning!  Which is great because in my new role as a mostly Stay at Home Mom it is easy to forget about my professional career, but having to keep up with obtaining CEU's forces me to get out occasionally and catch up on what is going on in the Landscape Architecture and Sustainability world!


I have had the privilege to work on some cutting edge sustainability projects while at WCC.  I have learned so much about native plants, what they can do for the environment, how to use them and when best to use them.  I have spent hours researching Low Impact Development.  I have designed and redesigned sites to minimize stormwater infrastructure costs and to preserve as much green space as possible on a project.  I've worked on preserving wetlands, streams and tributaries.  I have even helped mitigate for unavoidable environmental impacts.  I've generated stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPP) and then watched what happened when those plans weren't implemented properly.  I understand and am well aware of the toll that development takes on the environment.  I also know that there are things that we can all do to help lessen our impact.


As you can see, my relationship and connection with nature and the environment is deep and goes way back.  I have spent a lot of time in nature and a lot of time studying and observing nature and human impacts.  Now it is time for me to Live In Nature with my family!  My next post will discuss how my children are adapting to a life growing up in nature in the 21st century.   

What are some things that you can do to help lessen your impact on the environment?

Emily E Kusz, RLA, LEEDAP BD+C