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Minnesota native shares how to convert lawns to prairie scapes
Poetry professor turned prairie advocate and author Benjamin Vogt pinpoints a moment in his Minnesota childhood that influenced his current passions. As a boy, exploring a wood near his home in the yet-to-be-developed western suburbs, he was reveling in the quiet when a flock of geese flew overhead. “The sound of the wingbeats, the calls, woke something primal in me,” he said. Vogt gained a reputation — and following — for his philosophy on ethical gardening and innovative ways to approach home landscaping. Now he’s getting ready to release a book, “Prairie Up! An Introduction to Natural Garden Design,” on Jan. 24, outlining practical steps and detailed plans for creating…
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Prairie Village may expand home improvement funds
A homeowner used matching funds from the city’s sustainability grant program last year to help install solar panels. Photo via city documents. More Prairie Village residents could become eligible for two city grant programs aimed at helping homeowners make exterior improvements to their homes Catch up quick: City staff recommended city council approve several changes to the city’s exterior grant and sustainability grant programs. Both programs reimburse qualifying residents for portions of either exterior or sustainability-related improvements to their homes. The upshot: These changes proposed by staff are aimed at allow more homeowners to take advantage of the programs. One proposed change, for example, would reduce a homeowner’s minimum investment…
