The Massaro Garden
The Massaro Garden in RIDC Park
August 2010 - Massaro Corporation set a goal to incorporate sustainable practices throughout its corporate offices. As part of that goal, an idea sprouted to grow a garden behind our office. At first it was just a crazy thought, but it soon became reality as the enthusiasm from the Massaro Green Navigation Team turned the thought into reality. A foundation was built, fresh timber and fencing installed, mulch and soil were laid down and seeds were planted. Yes, we have a garden right here in RIDC Park!
As part of Massaro’s “expedition,” our journey toward performance excellence, we wanted to fully deploy our commitment to environmental sustainability. That is exactly what the Green Navigation Team did when the idea of a garden came to life. George Knoll, Massaro CM Services’ estimator, and Josh Kerestesi, Massaro Corporation estimator, led the efforts for the Gardening Team. George stated, “One of our targets is to become a part of the green sustainability movement. Understanding the movement and applying it to everyday life is exactly what we did with the garden.”
The garden, a 21 x 25 foot area behind our building, contains roma and better boy tomatoes, banana and green bell peppers, carrots, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, parsley, and oregano.
The Massaro Gardening Team waters the plants with rainwater collected utilizing a 55 gallon drum. And everyone knows that the best soil is created by collecting coffee grounds, fruit peels, grass clippings, etc. and incorporating it into a compost pile to fertilize the ground. This dedicated team also manages the composting efforts. The 14-member team consists of George Knoll, Josh Kerestesi, Nancy Gorgas, Annie Kirkpatrick, Barb Haas, Christina Bolla, Crystal Schafer, Della Miller, John Buechli, Lisa Ziska, Renee Batronis, Ryan Haught, Steve Peterman and Zack Walters. To date, the team has harvested three times, and Massaro employees were eager to take home the fresh produce grown right here in RIDC Park.