Press_Release_Middle_Georgia_Super

Super-Sod’s new
GREEN Office and Irrigation
Demonstration Gardens
A one-of-its kind sustainable site in Middle Georgia
Drive up Sod Farm Road in Ft. Valley, Georgia and you’ll be greeted by Super-Sod’s
new office for Middle Georgia. It’s a handsome dark gray building that’s really a “green”
construction. Super-Sod vice president Ben Copeland, Jr. moved ahead with the new
office and surrounding gardens after a visit to Israel to study water use with a Georgia
Department of Agriculture trade mission where he learned that, with a combination of old
technology (cisterns) and new irrigation equipment, even a desert can bloom. As well as
new sales center for the area, Super-Sod’s intention is that this site will serve as a model and
educational center for smart water use.
Customer Parking Lot: Paved in Drivable Grass®,
a new sustainable product that combines special
pavers and turfgrass to form a water permeable
pavement. This system is a solution to water quality
problems associated with runoff from impervious
surfaces and it can greatly reduce the heat island effect.
Stormwater Collection via Butterfly Roof & Cisterns:
A butterfly roof is a roof sloped toward itself to catch
more rainwater than an ordinary roof. It catches rain
drops efficiently, then directs the water into two
enormous cisterns (16,900 gallons total) that will
supply all the irrigation to the garden.
Ben’s view of water use is that we don’t have a supply
problem in Georgia; the state is blessed with rainfall,
but we do have a rainfall collection and smart use
problem. In the Irrigation Demonstration Gardens all
the irrigation water will come from collected rain
(and the gardens are not planted with drought-tolerant
plants as a feature). This is not a risky situation – the
system is designed to collect enough water to carry
the gardens through the worst drought.
For example, 1” of rain captures 3000 gallons from
the roof and the worst drought on record in the area
involved 1” of rain over 6 weeks.
Smart Irrigation Practices & Technology: Efficient
sprinkler heads, smart meters and timers, and
irrigation mats that irrigate from below. Reducing
evaporation (water loss during irrigation) is a goal
and so is irrigating based on evapotranspiraton rates
(the amount of water plants need based upon the
weather). For example, irrigating from below minimizes
evaporation and the irrigation controller accesses the
Internet to get current evapotranspiration rates. When
evapotranspiration is low the irrigation does not turn
on – this technology alone can reduce water use
by up to 50%.
Amended Clay Soil: The native Georgia clay is highly
amended with Super-Sod’s own Soil3 OMRI Listed
organic humus compost. Soil3 improves hard clay
soil by building soil structure, increasing drainage,
maintaining water holding capacity, and adding
nutrients and beneficial soil microbes.
Green Office Building
Irrigation Display Gardens
hh Low E glass (tinted)
hh Drivable Grass® permeable pavers
hh Natural lighting (few lights used in summer)
hh Butterfly roof to capture rainwater
hh Solar orientation to reduce heat gain
hh Rainwater stored in an above ground cistern
(9400-gal) and a below ground cistern (7500-gal)
hh Isis® from Big Ass Fans® to efficiently circulate
air inside
hh Reflective metal roofing – cuts cooling
hh Nest thermostat that cuts heating and cooling
by 20%
hh Efficient low-pressure drip irrigation
hh Eco-Mat subsurface irrigation from Hunter
(reducing evaporation and runoff)
hh Reclaimed poplar wood for ceilings, doors, trim
hh HermitCrab irrigation controller that accesses
evapotranspiration rates from the Internet
hh Locally harvested and milled hardwood flooring
hh Soil3 organic humus compost (soil3.com)
hh Modular construction – cuts building waste by 20%
hh Spray foam in walls and ceilings with the highest
R value
hh Sealed, insulated foundation
hh Zero stormwater runoff: reduced impervious
surfaces and water capture by cisterns
Visit the Irrigation Display Gardens anytime Monday-Friday from 8am to
5pm and Saturday from 8am to 11am. Call the office to schedule a guided
tour. For ordering any of the products sold by Super-Sod (sod, grass seed,
Drivable Grass, Soil3 organic compost), call or visit our websites.
supersod.com • soil3.com
Super-Sod
158 Sod Farm Road
Ft. Valley, GA 31030
Toll Free: 800-535-1320
Local: 478-825-7422