Yew Dell Botanical Gardens will soon break ground on a new greenhouse and horticulture center that will be powered entirely by renewable energy.Yew Dell has been around for ten years, and for the past several, the property hasn’t had a greenhouse. But that’ll change next week, when the organization will break ground on a center for exhibits and research.“As you can imagine, a botanical garden without a greenhouse and with limited nursery and production and growing facilities is pretty hamstrung,” Yew Dell Executive Director Paul Cappiello said. “And so when we went through our long-range planning process, this whole facility, the greenhouse and all the support facilities that go with it were listed as our number one infrastructure priority.”The new greenhouse will also be powered with renewable energy—both solar and geothermal elements will be used. Cappiello says besides filling a crucial infrastructure need, the new facility will also serve as an exhibit for the green industry.“Of course, the other part of it is if I don’t have to pay a higher heating bill, I’m much happier,” he said. “And this system will be very efficient. It will save us operating funds in the long run. It’ll make us a much more efficient organization. And obviously we get the benefit of burning a lot less or requiring a lot less fossil fuels to keep it heated and cooled.”The project is expected to be finished by late spring or early summer. The groundbreaking is November 14 at 2pm.
