Thomas Benjamin Email & Phone Number

Sustainable landscape design and maintenance consulting on commercial, institutional and residential projects of all scales, public or private. Design work often focuses on stormwater management/low impact design (LID), native plant community reestablishment, stream restoration, permaculture/micro-farming/food production, low maintenance and energy conserving solutions. For more information: http://www.wellnesscapes.com

Greenfield, Ma, Us

Design productive landscapes based on permaculture principles that advance food security, reduce energy and water consumption, and enhance ecosystems. Prepared master plan for state-of-the-art and highly successful 17-acre Grow Food Northampton Organic Community Garden. Designed native rain-, pollinator-, and shade gardens for cutting edge Two-Pond Farm intentional community. Preparing designs for City of Springfield/Pioneer Valley Planning Association's Rain Garden Project to design and install 10 rain gardens at public and private locations throughout Springfield in 2015. Prepared permit plans to provide new access and parking for Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Kellogg Conservation Center in Egremont, MA. Plans feature use of porous pavement and integrated green infrastructure components including native-planted bioretention swales.

Provide site design, planning and project management services to senior housing facilities in New England including stormwater management, urban forestry, slope stabilization and native low maintenance planting design. Assess sustainability of businesses, institutions and communities, and prepare plans for reducing operating costs using systems approach. Plans focus on energy, solid waste, water, emissions, and transportation systems, and highlight financial incentives for implementation. Assessments achieved creation of a municipal composting program for central business district in Shelburne Falls, MA that is now expanding. Prepared technical specifications for municipal energy retrofits funded through federal Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.

Exhibitor coordination for western New England's premier Energy Summit conference at University of Massachusetts.

Fall 2017 Update: I am now Adjunct Instructor in UMass-Amherst Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Department. Currently teaching Open Space Studio to undergraduates.Online and Live Course Description: An exploration into the fundamentals of landscape design with particular attention to integrating both existing and new buildings sustainably into their landscapes. Students investigate sustainable design strategies that address the ecological, water, energy and food system links between buildings and their supporting sites, as exemplified by the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system and Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). Topics include geology, hydrology, soils, vegetation, design principles, green roofs, green walls/vertical gardens, rainwater collection systems, native planting, edible landscapes, sustainable forestry practices and the human dimension of landscape architecture. Many real world examples discussed.

Watertown, Massachusetts, Us

Developed and maintained effective client partnerships; provided both internal and external consulting, achieving a track record for high customer satisfaction and retention. Projects included commercial facilities, medical and academic campuses, public parks, bikeways and transportation corridors, and wetland/stream restorations.

Pasadena, Ca, Us

Developed and maintained effective client partnerships; provided both internal and external consulting, achieving a track record for high customer satisfaction and retention. Projects encompassed master plans through design concept, construction packages, bid phase services, construction administration, monitoring and maintenance planning. Projects included commercial facilities, medical and academic campuses, public parks and watershed lands, bikeways and transportation corridors, and wetland/stream restorations.

Designed wetland, riparian and upland restorations and slope stabilization projects employing rapid native revegetation techniques.

Mla/Mcrp, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning

Gerontology Graduate Certificate, Designing Environments For Seniors

Certificate, Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency

B.A., Environmental Planning/Landscape Architecture