• What’s college for if not pranking the administration with bat guano?
• “Biomechanical trebuchets.” (via: New York Botanical Garden’s Tumblr)
• 4 leading botanical gardens to create first online catalog of all plants. (via @BatesNursery)
• Why efficiency won’t solve our water problems. (via @waterguru2)
• How to: reboot a terrible voicemail. (via @jasoncupp)
• Above: Environmental Business Award winner Mark Halla explains why and how he built a wind turbine at his Minnesota headquarters.

I had the chance to visit John Deere’s Turf Care Factory in Raleigh N.C. as part of customer fly-ins the company does. And I learned a lot about the products and had a chance to meet landscapers and talk with them about the industry. But it was one little sign that really caught my attention. You can read the sign for yourself in the above photo.

Now, I don’t recall John Deere being especially preachy or over the top when it comes to being green, but I thought it was great that a company that makes products for the green industry is trying to be green in as many ways as possible. And if that means asking people to use revolving doors, then that’s a request you should take into account. Besides, why do you have to ASK people to use revolving doors. They are some of my favorite doors to walk through.

Here’s our digest of fun, interesting and important links from the week. Dig in and enjoy!

• SoCal water fight heats up.
• Plans underway to create world’s largest online plant database.
• Many small businesses are avoiding loans. (via @genemarks)
• Top green building trends for 2012. (via @ValleyCrest) 
• An oldie but a goodie: Email checklist.
• Above: Mark Ciccarelli from the Neave Group and his famous bourbon bacon chicken wings. (via @chris_heiler)

Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air from ASLA on Vimeo.

This video from the American Society of Landscape Architects explains how trees and other green spaces fight air pollution, reduce the so-called “heat island effect” and generally make cities more livable.

You could soon have some more letters to put on your business card. From the American Society of Landscape Architects:

There may be a new green professional credential for design and construction professionals on the horizon. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) has launched a survey on the feasibility of professional credentialing and project certification.

SITES is currently working with the Green Building Certification Institute, which manages the certification and credentialing programs for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating Systems.

The survey is open until Wednesday, November 2, and respondents are eligible to win a $100 Amazon gift card. For questions about the survey, please contact Will Terrill with the subject “SITES Survey” at wterrill@gbci.org.

To take the survey, click here.