Garden Conservancy/Margarido House party

Submitted by Garden Design Contributor, Debra Prinzing:

At "Sip, Graze, and Be Green," Garden Conservancy's party on Oct. 1 to fete Margarido House's Green Award from Garden Design magazine, more than 100 guests arrived to join owner/developer Mike McDonald of McDonald Construction and Design and his terrific wife Jill Martenson for the event. In the spirit of "thinking green," many people carpooled or took public transportation to arrive at the Oakland home, a model of sustainable construction and landscaping.

While touring the LEED-H Platinum project, supporters of Garden Conservancy mingled with architects, landscape designers, garden professionals and sustainable vendors including Mark Rogero of Concreteworks, David and Susie Gardcia of Paver Pro, and others. Margarido House is an excellent demonstration of how to design integrated interior and exterior spaces to maximize square footage, sightlines, natural light and passive cooling/heating -- plus, be a beautiful living environment.

Julie Johnson of Tres Sabores donated organic wine to the event, which netted $1,200 for Garden Conservancy programs.

Garden Conservancy president Antonia Adezio welcomed the group and thanked them for supporting garden preservation efforts, including the gardens at Alcatraz (which we could see across the SF Bay from the spectacular vantage point of Margarido House's roof garden). Mike McDonald shared his enthusiasm for collaborative and sustainable building projects and answered a short Q&A with Garden Design writer Debra Prinzing. Designer Lauren Schneider of Wonderland Garden and Landscape discussed creating a dramatic and sustainable landscape of California native plants and low-water Mediterranean varieties. Guests went home with copies of Garden Design's September -October issue, which features an article about Margarido House.
Learn more about the home and garden at www.margaridohouse.com.