The Gardens

Compost can be made in many different ways but always involves gathering organic matter into piles or bins and then harnessing and accelerating the natural process of decomposition. It requires green (nitrogen-rich) materials, brown (carbon-rich) materials, air, water, and decomposers like microbes and earthworms. Mixed at the right ratios, these ingredients create compost over time (anywhere from a few weeks to a few years). At Longwood Gardens, we collect organic wastes from on site, as well as from community farms and businesses, to create different types of composted products. This includes our hardwood and leaf mulches as well as our finished compost product. 

Compost is a great amendment for soil beds and potting mixes as it increases organic matter, improves structure, supplements nutrients, and boosts beneficial organisms. It is also a great way to recycle. Items such as brush, discarded green plant material, and food scraps, which would otherwise take up space in a landfill, are transformed into a useful product through composting. At Longwood, we recycle all discarded organic matter on site through our composting operations.

Read some tips for composting at home.

Compost is used as a soil amendment in many different capacities. Its main use for home gardeners is as an addition to a planting bed or a potting mix. It can also be spread on the surface of agricultural fields and turf grass or used as a cover over tree rings and planting beds. Although it is a very valuable product, compost is not soil and therefore it lacks some of the important structural components, nutrients, and living organisms that make soil so good at supporting plant growth. It also lacks the qualities of potting mixes which are carefully formulated for plant growth. For these reasons, make sure to use compost as a soil amendment instead of a soil replacement.

Local Food Sources

The Terrace is working with local farmers and produce distributors to provide our guests with the freshest seasonal foods while supporting our local farms. Local food means a dramatic reduction in transportation emissions, days of refrigeration, and packaging. Longwood is a proud member of the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture, working to further the connections between people and their food. 

Longwood seasonally grows herbs, fruits and vegetables in the Idea Garden, which are used in the 1906 Fine Dining Room. This means zero food mileage adversely affecting our environment!

Compostable Dishware, Cups, Bottles

While both compostable and ceramic dishes require resources to make and maintain them, Longwood has chosen to use compostable dishes in our Café for several reasons.

• Almost all of the compostable ware used in The Terrace goes to Longwood’s large scale compost facility.  Instead of going to the landfill, it returns to the Gardens or our farm lands. This helps us close the loop by keeping organics here on site - nourishing our soils instead of creating waste.
• While Compostable dishes may take years, even decades, to break down in a landfill, they do eventually break down. A plastic or ceramic dish will not. The energy, hot water, and detergent required to maintain re-usable dishware is also not needed.

Even our current spring water is bottled in a compostable plant-based product instead of plastic – it gets composted right along with our food waste!

Recycling

Materials such as plastic bottles, light bulbs, steel cans, paper and cardboard that cannot be composted are recycled through different programs, ensuring landfill diversion. The water used at the facility is recycled as part of Longwood’s effluent irrigation system.

Efficient Lighting

We use energy efficient lighting in both the food service and dining areas. T5 lamps are lower than incandescent lamps in energy consumption, and metal halide fixtures consume 50% less energy and have a longer lifespan than incandescent lamps.

Natural Materials

The wallcoverings in 1906 are printed with water based inks and coatings, and manufactured using raw material recycling. In addition, the wall coverings in the Terra Cotta Room use water based inks and adhesives, with no heavy metals.

Solid surfaces throughout The Terrace, including tray slides and counter tops, are made from low-emitting materials and are Greenguard certified. These surfaces are eligible for a number of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED credits.

Sustainable Furniture

The benches in the corridors are made from a minimum of 70% recycled material content, FSC certified wood, and powder coat finishes contain no heavy metals.

The outdoor patio wood seating is made from teak wood from government-managed plantations in Java that restrict the number and size of trees that can be harvested, and requires replanting of the teak forests.

Tables in the Gallery and the Lodge are made of laminated granite to reduce the amount of natural stone used.

The Lodge features an innovative use of surplus seat belts as webbing for the barstool backs.

“Green” Upholstery

Many of the fabrics used throughout The Terrace are PVC free or certified for indoor air quality under the Greenguard for Children & Schools Program.

Eco-friendly Flooring

Most of the carpeting is either made from recycled content (from 10% to 100% post-consumer material), or is 100% recyclable. The linoleum used on the lower level of the Restaurant is made from all natural materials and is SMART certified.