Contact Mike for availability and fees.
eHandouts
MELA Questions to Ask Your Landscaper
Garden clubs all over the state have been passing the word around. Mike Nowak is funny. He's also knowledgeable and packs more information into a handout than most people get into a full-length book. But sometimes, if you've just had a really good lunch, "funny" can be the most important thing, as you can see in this video. GreenScreen of McHenry County taped Mike talking to the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee's Natural Landscaping Seminar held at McHenry County College in February of 2008.
Mike's Presentations
I'm Not Really a Garden Expert,
I Just Play One on the Radio
(1 hour plus Q & A)
Except for the fact that he has a program on WCPT Radio and, before that, at WGN, Mike Nowak is probably a lot like you and your gardening friends. That is to say, he stumbled onto gardening somewhere in mid-life and has never looked back (except to see what he tripped over). Since then, he's interviewed dozens of horticultural experts--some famous, some not, some controversial, some cranky, some strange--who have taught him valuable lessons about gardening, environmental responsibility and life. WARNING FOR PEOPLE WHO LACK A SENSE OF HUMOR: This presentation may not be entirely serious! (Heck, even the pictures are funny.)
Good Planets are Hard to Find
(1 hour plus Q & A)
Like many of you, Mike Nowak has been around to observe the successes and failures of the environmental movement in its short history. There's some gardener out there right now asking, what in the world does that have to do with me? As a co-president of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association, Mike will answer that question, presenting new ways of looking at pests, pathogens and low-impact gardening solutions and, in the process, perhaps persuading you that ants, grubs and yes, even slugs, are less threatening than you ever imagined. (This is one is not much more serious than the other, at least in style.)
What the Heck Are You Doing To My Yard?
MELA's Questions You Should Ask Your Landscaping Professional to Get an Environmentally Friendly Yard
(1 hour plus Q & A)
Many of us want other people to do some or all of our gardening for us, so we hire designers and installers and sometimes just maintenance and lawn care types. Often the only question that gets asked is “How much is it going to cost?” while questions like “What chemicals do you use?” and “Is that design going to raise my water bill?” and “How much is it going to cost a year from now?” get left out of the equation. Mike takes the knowledge he’s gained as co-founder and president of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association (MELA - www.melaweb.org) and teaches you how to arm yourself with questions that make sense and that will help you protect your investment–and your small patch of Earth. As always, don’t be surprised if Mike throws in a joke or a funny bit along the way.