Open Register

First Project: Green article is in the mail

The January issue of Garden Center Magazine, with its first article in the Project: Green series, is on its way to subscribers today. The article focuses on recycling by profiling how 3 different groups handle their programs. Missouri Botanical Garden has arguably the most successful -- and longest running -- horticultural pot program. Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Assoc. consulted MBG before starting its program, which relies on rewholesalers to allow year-long collection and recycling. Matterhorn Nursery in Spring Valley, N.Y., began a new wide-ranging recycling program just this past fall and reduced its landfill fee from $3,567.28 to $357.12, measured over the same 3-month span in 2006 and 2007.

--Carol

Retailers with an environmental conscience

The push toward sustainability is in full force in Corporate America. Timothy Treadwell, environmental director at Juice Energy Inc., an electricity supplier with a focus on renewable sources, believes retailers who take the initiative on climate issues should be rewarded for their efforts.

Juice Energy and its staff of environmental and energy experts identified 10 companies as frontrunners in the shift to green business:

Patagonia. In 1998, Patagonia became the first California-based company to buy electricity from 100% renewable energy sources and achieved LEED gold certification for its Nevada distribution center. Patagonia is a leader in recycling, with its Common Threads Garment Recycling Program, which recycles used fleece for use in new products.

Kohl’s. Kohl’s is the second largest retail purchaser of green power and the largest among department stores. Kohl’s will complete the largest rooftop solar project in the U.S. next year, with installations at 63 of 80 California locations.

Whole Foods. A natural and organic supermarket, Whole Foods purchases green power equal to 100% of its electricity use.

prAna. In 2005, the outdoor and lifestyle apparel wholesaler launched its Natural Power Initiative to purchase green power equal to the electricity use of all 250 prAna retailers, the company’s corporate headquarters and the homes of all its full-time employees.

REI. REI has committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 1/3 from the 2006 baseline by the end of 2009.

The rest of the top 10:

• UPS.
• Timberland.
• Nike.
• Wal-Mart.
• Target.

--Kevin

Who leads our industry in sustainability?

I had a fascinating, “for background only” conversation yesterday (Dec. 5). Background interviews are one step up from “off the record,” which means that I can talk about our conversation, I just can’t tell you who the second party was. And background and off-the-record interviews are invariably much more interesting than on-the-record ones, naturally.

The interview was part of my research on “green” plants for the second article in Project: Green. An issue that keeps cropping up is how do you define when a plant has been grown in a sustainable manner?

For organic edible plants, there are nationally recognized programs in place with strict criteria. But each grower with a sustainable program has its own definition, whether it stems from the pots used, fewer inputs, plant selection, and on and on.

Programs that verify sustainability

There are certification programs out there. One is MPS, a European program that awards growers points for sustainable practices, with the highest combined total at 100 points. The giant international company, IKEA, for example, will buy plants in Europe only from MPS growers that rate an A.

The certification program that seems to be edging ahead here in the States, though, is Veriflora, which exists for the floral industry. Which leads me back to my background-only interview today with a man I will call Mystery Man.

Real Christmas trees are a green option

Consumers can take comfort. Real Christmas trees are an environmentally friendly option, a report on Yahoo! Green confirmed. Farmed trees are a renewable resource and can be recycled after the holidays. Artificial PVC trees were cast in less favorable light, due to pollution caused during production.

-- Sarah

More than a billion trees planted in 2007

The United Nations’ Billion Tree campaign met its goal in 2007, the U.N. announced. Ethiopia and Mexico were leaders in the campaign to plant more than 1 billion trees this year, according to a U.N. report.

The mass tree planting was inspired by Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai. The effort was spurred by a desire to mitigate effects of pollution and environmental deterioration.

-- Sarah

England has one. Can’t we?

While doing research for an article on horticultural recycling for Garden Center’s Project: Green series, I was thrilled when I came across a Web site of a recycler that specializes in horticultural and agricultural recycling, Southern Agri Recycle.

I’ve learned that recyclers are the big stumbling block in recycling horticultural pots. Not that it’s their fault. Recyclers handle every industry’s recycled goods, and there are a lot of extra steps needed to successfully recycle horticultural pots.

First, the pots are made from far too many different types of plastics. Take a look at the bottom of the pots in your store, and you’ll see No. 2, No. 5 or no recycling code marks.

Those three are the most common categories, but just about all seven of the recycling codes can end up on the bottom of a pot.

Since each plastic is processed differently -- such as melting at different temperatures -- you must sort them. Then there’s the dirt problem. A light dusting doesn’t matter too much, but how many pots are crusted in mud? Just a couple of those in a large delivery to a recycler can cause the entire load to be rejected.

Which brings me back to being thrilled at finding a recycler that understands horticultural pot recycling -- it specializes in hort pots. Cool!

Then I clicked to the contact page and found that the recycler is located in southern England, not the American South. Sigh.

I couldn’t resist setting up an interview, though. I wanted to see if the model could be replicated here in the U.S. And I have to say it seems to my uneducated self that it would be very easy to do.

Are you a sustainability geek, too? Then you’ll be interested in my interview with David Jones at Southern Agri Recycle.

Organic nurseries are budding business

Organic plant growers are slowly gaining ground, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Several organic and sustainable programs have been launched to help nurseries and greenhouses produce environmentally friendly crops.

-- Sarah

Watch for Project: Green in 2008

Garden Center Magazine will run a year-long series on sustainability in 2008, called Project: Green.

Operating in an environmentally friendly way isn’t always easy or straightforward. Garden retailers nationwide helped editor Carol Miller select 12 barriers to sustainable practices. Each month, experts will tackle a challenge and offer real-world solutions.

Check in each month as Garden Center Magazine tackles these sustainability topics:

• Recycling
• “Green” plants (part I)
• “Green” plants (part II)
• In-house energy sources
• Pest control and fertilizers
• Waterwise (part I)
• Waterwise (part II)
• Expansion and building issues
• Operational tweaks
• Labeling
• Education
• Marketing your sustainable program

-- Sarah