Renée Gunter
Bornc. 1952 (age 71–72)[1]
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUCLA[1]
OccupationLandscape designer
Gunter uses drought-resistant plants in her landscape designs.
Modeling haute couture circa early 1980s.

Renée Gunter (born c. 1952) is an American landscape designer based in Los Angeles, California.[2] She is notable for drought-tolerant gardens.

Her garden was profiled by ABC News for its water conservation ability during an extended drought for the region.[3] Gunter designed and restored several local neighborhood gardens and parks,[4][5][6] and began a landscape firm called Urbanscapes.[7] On one assignment, she asked what the client wanted from a front yard, and to meet the needs of water conservation, beauty, and privacy, Gunter recycled a fence, mounded organic earth strategically to elevate selected areas, and planted large drought-resistant plants to make the house almost invisible from many perspectives to form a "kind of private park".[8] She encourages neighbors to conserve water while organizing large block parties to build community ties.[9] Gunter uses plant groups acclimatized for low water consumption;[10] drought-resistant plants at her own garden include Agave weberi (syn. A. neglecta) and Acacia baileyana along with other grasses and ground covers, and features a dry 'riverbed' in the middle for walking.[11] Her yard has been described as the only "certified wildlife habitat" in southern Los Angeles.[12] Her conservation efforts have been lauded publicly by water officials.[12] In 2013 she also launched a mobile organic produce service called "DO! Daily Organics", delivering fruits and vegetables to residents of South Los Angeles,[13][14][15] with a storefront built from a discarded shipping container.[16]

Gunter grew up in South Los Angeles, attended UCLA and majored in psychology, went to Europe, and worked as a runway model for Yves St. Laurent and André Courrèges in Japan and Paris and Italy for seven years before returning to her native city. During the 1990s she designed clothing for Cross Colors.[1][17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Black Enterprise magazine, Feb 1993, Page 214, Renee Gunter and Angela Medlin: Designing Women of Color, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, ...UCLA, modeling, psychology degree; age 40 in 1993; clothing designer of functional/comfortable clothes...
  2. ↑ Escape Los Angeles: 10 Great Road Trips, May 2003, Los Angeles Magazine May 2003, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, (see picture on page 130) "...Renee Gunter (Urban scapes)..."
  3. ↑ June 01, 2009, KABC-TV/DT News Los Angeles, Angeleno exemplifies water-wise ways, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, "...Renee's wildlife habitat saves water and saves her money. It is made up entirely of drought-tolerant plants and doesn't need a sprinkler system...."
  4. ↑ "Urban Design Committee". backup.buildexpo.org. Build Expo. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  5. ↑ Nan Sterman, Country Gardens magazine, Spring 2012, "Low-water landscape: A Los Angeles couple swap their lawn for a front yard of colorful succulents and herbs suited to their arid environment"
  6. ↑ Fifth Avenue Times, Mar 13, 2013, Benchmark Community Newsletter, Art, education, politics and fishin', Retrieved Sept. 24, 2014, "...zoning administration to transform the former drilling site/dumping ground ... drought tolerant..."
  7. ↑ Green, Emily (30 July 2010). "The Dry Garden: A water-wise winner in West Adams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  8. ↑ BETTIJANE LEVINE, 2014, Los Angeles Times, Two gardens, one idea: Drought-tolerant doesn't have to mean dull, Retrieved Aug. 23, 2014, "...Gunter, owner of Urbanscapes in L.A., removed (and recycled) the fence ..."
  9. ↑ Feb 22-24, 2013, The California Report, Bringing the Community Together in South L.A., Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, "...Gunter decided to bring community back to her neighborhood. And she did that by starting a block party..."
  10. ↑ Renee Gunter, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Sustainable Urban Landscapes - Re-thinking the Lawn, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, "...Create sustainable gardens and living spaces using acclimatized plant groups with generous strokes of vibrant color and texture...."
  11. ↑ Lodi News-Sentinel, Oct 12, 2007, Bettijane Levine, Los Angeles Times, Drought resistant plants, Retrieved Aug. 18,2007
  12. 1 2 June 10, 2009, Water Technology, L.A. launches 'shortage' rates, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, "...Renee Gunter’s yard, the only certified wildlife habitat in south Los Angeles, doesn’t require watering, according to a June 1 ABC7 report. Gunter’s conservation efforts outside and inside the home have resulted in a monthly water bill that averages $10...."
  13. ↑ 08 August 2014, D.V. Lawrence, Neighborhood News Online, RENEE GUNTER CHANGING OUR WORLD ONE ORGANIC, JUICY PEACH AT A TIME, Retrieved Aug. 18, 2014, "...Tall, beautiful, commanding, (she had a previous life as a European runway model for Balenciaga and Givenchy) Renee has always looked like a woman on a mission. ..."
  14. ↑ Text Silke Bender, Fotos René & Radka, Lufthansa Magazin July 2014, (in German with English translations) Los Angeles: Die Stadt der grünen Engel, Retrieved Sept. 4, 2014, "...Organic farming is not new to California. Renee Gunter loads her vegetables...Renee Gunter war Model in Paris..."
  15. ↑ Sammy Lyon (July 7, 2013). "FM July 2: Grace Lee Boggs, Daily Organics & 'Reach for the Stars'". Feminist Magazine. Retrieved February 12, 2016. ... Renee Gunter, founder of Daily Organics ... is building community around food, and bringing healthy, organic produce to her neighborhood....
  16. ↑ Lourdes Linares (January 27, 2016). "How shipping containers are making shopping more fun in LA right now: Los Angeles scores a fresh mini-development consisting of shipping container-shops in Mid-City. WGSN Associate West Coast editor Lourdes Linares reports". WGSN news. Retrieved February 12, 2016. ...Stop by Daily Organics to get your dose of organic produce sourced locally ...
  17. ↑ "FM July 2: Grace Lee Boggs, Daily Organics & 'Reach for the Stars'". feministmagazine.org. Feminist Magazine. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
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