Project: Green Industry

Get the green scoop on our new blogs!

Your source for sustainability news and much more can be found on our new Web sites. Check out the blogs for Garden Center magazine, Greenhouse Management & Production and Nursery Management & Production for the 'green scoop.'

Organic food no healthier than conventionally-produced food

Organic food advocates aren’t going to be happy with an article that was published in the July 29 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine conducted an extensive review of 162 studies to assess the differences in nutrient content between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs. The studies, which extended over a 50-year period, covered 137 crop and 25 livestock products. The analyses were restricted to the most commonly reported nutrients.

Conventionally-produced crops had a significantly higher nitrogen content and organically-produced crops had a significantly higher phosphorus content and higher acidity. No difference was detected for the other nutrient categories that were analyzed. The researchers concluded that the small differences in nutrient content are biologically plausible and mostly related to differences in production methods.

The study did not look at pesticide residues, use of antibiotics or environmentally-related issues pertaining to production practices.

Laura Telford, national director of Canadian Organic Growers, told The National Post that the group didn’t dispute what the scientists found.

“We don’t make health claims based on the nutrition of organic food,” Telford said. “But we are saying they contain less of the things that might hurt, like chemicals. You can make credible claims about the benefits of organic food without saying they are nutritionally superior.”

--Dave

Aquascape launches 'green community makeover movement'

Aquascape, Inc. and hundreds of its contractors, distributors, and retailers installed more than 25 sustainable landscape projects July 17-18 during its first-ever Extreme Green Community Makeover at the Lakes of Bliss Woods neighborhood in Sugar Grove, IL. The event was the prototype and official launch of Aquascape’s “Green Community Makeover Movement.”

Ed Beaulieu, chief sustainability officer for Aquascape, Inc., and his wife Ellen, initiated the Extreme Green Community Makeover in their neighborhood and received an overwhelming response. The event provided hands-on training for installing Aquascape’s RainXchange rainwater harvesting system. Numerous contractors received Certified RainXchange™ Professional credentials during the event and are now equipped to create sustainable landscapes and green communities.

“We’re thrilled to initiate this Green Community Makeover Movement,” stated Greg Wittstock, CEO and founder of Aquascape, Inc. “Aquascape is dedicated to changing the way the world views water and we’re poised to help our customers carry this mission to their own communities. We believe the best way to do that is one community at a time. The movement is a trend we want to take nationally this winter with our new ‘Business Opportunities with Water’ seminar tour.”

Aquascape is offering the “Business Opportunities with Water” seminar series across the country beginning January 2010 to help contractors learn the nuts and bolts of incorporating the Green Community Makeover Movement into their business. Supporting marketing materials will be available at the inception of the tour.

Green projects installed at the Lakes of Bliss Woods neighborhood included ecosystem ponds, rain gardens, RainXchange Rain Barrels, and the RainXchange System paired with a Pondless Waterfall, decorative fountain, or pervious pavers and fountain. LED lighting installations, native plantings, and permeable patios were also incorporated into the residential landscapes. A large aeration system was added to the community’s retention pond and native plantings added to the banks of the pond.

For more information about the Extreme Green Community Makeover that was held July 17-18, log onto http://www.aquascapeinc.com/extreme-green-community-makeover. For additional information on Aquascape and its products and services, visit www.aquascapeinc.com

'Green' influences buying decisions

A poll by Raleigh-based marketing firm Captstrat and Public Policy Polling, and reported in Triangle Business Journal, shows that 83 percent of respondents believe a commitment to sustainability is very or somewhat important to their purchasing decisions.

At the same time, few businesses are actually promoting their green practices. Nearly half (46 percent) of the 983 adults polled said they rarely or never hear their employer talk about being green. And nearly a quarter (24 percent) says they company makes sustainability a priority.

-- Sarah

Raleigh turns to flower and solar power

The Public Utilities Department of Raleigh, N.C., has planted about 50 acres of sunflowers to harvest the seeds for oil. The cost to plant the seeds was around $12,000. The sunflower oil will be processed to produce biodiesel. Department officials hope the biodiesel could then be used to operate the city’s farm equipment.

Public Utilities Department project manager Tim Woody said the pilot project was a result of the impact of skyrocketing fuel prices on the city’s budget, reports EnergyBoom.com.

According to Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, N.C., conversion of sunflower seeds into biodiesel involves harvesting the seeds, allowing them to dry, de-hulling the seeds and then sending them through a mechanical crusher to extract the oil. The oil is then processed into biodiesel fuel. On average an acre of sunflowers can produce 100 gallons of biodiesel. That compares with 48 gallons per acre for soybeans and 127 gallons per acre for canola.

The sunflowers were planted near the city’s Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Treated water from the plant is used to irrigate the sunflowers. The treatment plant generates biosolids as a byproduct from the treatment process and uses agricultural land for biosolids application. The city is also producing vegetables on land near the treatment plant that are sold for animal feed.

Woody said the government has a role in “promoting and using some of these alternative energy technologies.”

The city is also leasing 10 acres of land near the treatment plant to Southern Energy Management and NxGen Power to install solar panels that will generate 1.7 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, reports The News Observer. The amount of power that will be generated is about the equivalent to energy used by 200 homes for a year. Progress Energy has agreed to purchase all of the electricity produced for the first 20 years the system is in operation. Estimated to cost $8.5 million, the solar installation is being constructed at no cost to taxpayers.

-- Dave

Green cities

Mother Nature Network named its top 10 green U.S. cities, with a couple of surprises in the mix. Here’s the criteria MNN used: air and water quality; efficient recycling and management of waste; percentage of LEED-certified buildings; acres of land devoted to greenspace; use of renewable energy sources; and easy access to products and services such as organic products, buying local and clean transportation methods.

10. Austin Texas
9. Chicago
8. Seattle
7. Berkeley, Calif.
6. Cambridge, Mass.
5. Eugene, Ore.
4. Oakland, Calif.
3. Boston
2. San Francisco
1. Portland, Ore.

-- Kelli

Got weeds? Getta’ a goat

An increasing number of government agencies, municipalities and homeowners are using goats and sheep to control weeds and invasive plants, reports USA Today. Conservation or targeted grazing is increasingly being considered as a more environmental way to control plants, replacing machines that burn fossil fuels, herbicide applications or the use of manual labor.

The animals have multiple uses. Goats and sheep are being rented by California homeowners to reduce vegetation around their homes which could pose a risk during wildfires. Animals have been used to remove the invasive kudzu plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Maryland State Highway Administration chose goats and sheep over heavy lawn equipment to avoid damage to a wetland area that is home to the Big Turtle, which is considered a threatened species. Transportation departments in multiple states have used the animals to control roadside vegetation.

Karen Launchbaugh, an associate professor in the department of rangeland ecology and management at the University of Idaho, told the newspaper that choosing the appropriate animal for the job is becoming more refined. She said that goats do a better job on shrubs and trees and sheep are the animal of choice for herbaceous weeds. For dense grasses, it’s time to bring in the heavy feeders—cows and horses. Launchbaugh is co-author of the “Targeted Grazing” handbook, which discusses this natural approach to vegetative management.

-- Dave

Va for victory!

Here’s a hip, another hip and even a hurrah for Mike Goatley, associate professor and turfgrass specialist at Virginia Tech University. Goatley recently joined the Virginia Green Industry Council to issue a statewide challenge to Virginians to become environmental stewards in turf management practices.

 

On Sept. 12, during the 2009 Virginia “GoGreen Garden Festival (and more),” Goatley and colleagues will host an all-day lawn clinic. To support the effort, staff from the Turf Store and the Smart Lawns Program sponsored by Henrico County Extension will be on site to teach event goers to safely manage lawns while protecting Virginia’s water resources.

 

In the meantime, Goatley is providing current and archived tips in management practices for homeowners and their lawns through the “Turf and Garden Tips” Web site.

 

The Virginia GoGreen Garden Festival (and more …) will be held rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Garner Pavilion in Richmond, Va. For details, click here.

 

-- Yale

 

San Francisco working to eliminate all waste by 2020

If San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom gets his way, his city will soon have “the best recycling and composting programs in the nation,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle. On June 9, the city’s Board of Supervisors approved the mayor’s proposal to cut the amount of waste sent to the city’s landfill and to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of the Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance (081404) which is expected to take effect in the fall, is to stop sending waste to landfills or incinerators by 2020.

The ordinance would require every city residence and business to sort waste into three separate color-coded bins: green for compost, blue for recycling and black for trash. Citizens or companies that fail to properly dispose of waste after several warnings could face fines. These fines, said officials, would only be levied in flagrant cases. Fines would initially be capped at $100 for residents and small businesses that generate less than a cubic yard of waste a week. Fines could be as much as $500 for businesses that don’t have the proper bins. No fines would be imposed until July 2011 for residents and operators of multifamily buildings or multitenant commercial properties. In building locations where recycling carts won’t fit, owners and tenants can receive a waiver.

Jared Blumenfeld, head of the city’s Department of the Environment, told the newspaper that the ordinance won’t create trash police. He said violators would receive numerous notices and phone calls before any fines were issued. Blumenfeld said the owners of apartment buildings are the ones most likely to skirt the ordinance, reports SFEnvironment. “We’re mainly focusing this new law at multitenant buildings; only 25 percent of those building owners provide recycling for renters.”

According to a USA Today Snapshot, each American generates an average of nearly 5 pounds of trash per day. Of the trash generated, 54 percent goes into landfills, 33 percent is recycled and 13 percent is burned.

--Dave

Get out and play

Charter Homes & Neighborhoods is creating a 1.5-acre TerraPark natural playground in a Mechanicsburg, Pa., development. TerraParks are playgrounds made of natural landscape elements.

Natural playgrounds are designed to let kids climb trees, roll down hills, scramble up rocks, make mud pies, hide in the grass – the things many kids used to do when our society spent more time outside playing. TerraParks combine landscape elements, sun paths, drainage courses and plant groupings. “Few places other than the outdoors can create the same sense of wonder and imagination as a great place to play,” said Rob Bowman, president of Charter Homes & Neighborhoods, an independent homebuilder.

The Mechanicsburg TerraPark was designed by architect Ron King, founder of the New Hampshire-based Natural Playgrounds Company. He said manufactured playgrounds challenge children’s physical development, but natural playgrounds challenge their emotional, social and cognitive creativity. It sounds a little deep, but I know my kids ultimately love digging in the dirt and climbing trees better than any toy in their closet.

-- Kelli