Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation ` For more information, Please see websites below: ` Organic Edible Schoolyards & Gardening with Children http://scribd.com/doc/239851214 ` Double Food Production from your School Garden with Organic Tech http://scribd.com/doc/239851079 ` Free School Gardening Art Posters http://scribd.com/doc/239851159` ` Companion Planting Increases Food Production from School Gardens http://scribd.com/doc/239851159 ` Healthy Foods Dramatically Improves Student Academic Success http://scribd.com/doc/239851348 ` City Chickens for your Organic School Garden http://scribd.com/doc/239850440 ` Simple Square Foot Gardening for Schools - Teacher Guide http://scribd.com/doc/239851110

1. Bay Tree Design, inc.
2927 newbury street, suite b . berkeley . california . 94703 . www.baytreedesign.com . tel . 510.644.1320 . cla no. 5054
Asphalt to Ecosystems
Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation
By Sharon Gamson Danks, Principal, Bay Tree Design, inc.
Asphalt to Ecosystems is a comprehensive and inspiring look at the
flourishing ecological schoolyard movement around the world, and
a call for a paradigm shift in the way our society uses and manages
school grounds. Illustrated with 500 vibrant, color photographs, the
book takes readers on a journey to “visit” more than 150 exemplary
school grounds across 11 countries. Written as a result of author
Sharon Danks’s field research and professional experience over a
decade, Asphalt to Ecosystems presents ideas for enhancing children’s
school grounds for learning, play, and ecology in a manner that
expands our notion of what high quality schoolyards can be.
The book encourages schools to foster a sense of place by tailoring
their grounds to their own unique physical and social contexts.
Examples showcase some of the world’s most innovative green
schoolyards including: edible gardens and outdoor cooking facilities;
wildlife habitats that reflect local ecosystems; schoolyard rainwater
catchment systems and waste-water treatment wetlands; renewable
energy systems; beautiful waste-as-a-resource and green building
projects; K-12 curriculum connections; and creative play opportunities
that entice children to explore the natural world. The book grounds
these examples in a practical framework that schools can use to make
their schoolyards more comfortable, enjoyable and sustainable.
Publication Information
New Village Press, November 2010
288 pages, 500 color photographs, index, bibliography, appendices
ISBN-10 0-9766054-8-1, ISBN-13 978-0-9766054-8-5

2. Bay Tree Design, inc.
2927 newbury street, suite b . berkeley . california . 94703 . www.baytreedesign.com . tel . 510.644.1320 . cla no. 5054
Bay Tree Design, inc.
EcoSchool Design®
& Children’s Environments
We engage school communities in transforming their ordinary, paved schoolyards into vibrant
ecosystems for outdoor learning and play, creating memorable spaces for children and adults.
Our firm has worked extensively with San Francisco Unified School District on their ground-
breaking green schoolyard program, and with other schools in California and across the country.
Therapeutic Gardens, Edible Landscapes & Interpretive Landscapes
We design gardens and landscapes for relaxation, healing, authentic experiences and community
enjoyment. We help our clients to further their goals: by harnessing the power of nature to
enhance their programs and engage their visitors; by creating community around edible harvests
and food systems integrated with local ecological cycles; and by creating landscapes that speak
to the history of the site and its surrounding context.
Community Participation in Design & Stewardship
We are experienced leaders who use participatory design processes with adults and children
to reach a community consensus for the design of outdoor spaces. We believe design is a
collaborative process of blending the client’s and community’s local knowledge, needs and desires
with our expertise and skills. The final product is a hybrid of the decisions made during the
facilitation process and a response to the character of the site. In public and community-oriented
design projects the facilitation process also provides the client with a venue for “growing” the
future stewards of the site.
Single & Multi-Family Residential Outdoor Spaces
We work closely with our clients to develop personalized, outdoor environments that embrace
residents’ lifestyles and provide year-round enjoyment for people of all ages, in settings large and
small. We create beautiful, comfortable spaces that are convenient to maintain and a joy to use.
Firm Description
Bay Tree Design, inc. is a women-owned
landscape architecture and planning firm
in Berkeley, California. We create beautiful,
inviting spaces that reflect ecological design
principles, green building practices and
edible and native planting palettes.
We offer landscape architecture and
environmental planning services for
educational, commercial, institutional,
public and residential settings. We are
experienced in leading participatory design
processes and welcome the opportunity to
work with communities in crafting public
spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Our work is informed by our research,
our travels to observe public spaces in the
United States and abroad, our volunteer
activities with nonprofit organizations, and
our ongoing collaborations and dialogue
with other professionals in the fields
of education, public health, recreation,
ecological design and architecture around
the globe.