Project: Green Industry

Students get a charge out of working out

Most of us are trying to cut our energy costs and stay in shape. The University of Oregon has come up with way to help its students stay fit while helping to lower its electrical use. The university has installed 15 fitness machines in its student recreation center equipped with devices that enable exercising students to generate electricity, reports the Register-Guard. The electricity is then returned to the recreation center’s electrical supply, lowering the building’s overall electric use.

It’s not a lot of electricity. An average 30-minute workout on one of the retrofitted elliptical trainers generates enough electricity to power a laptop computer for an hour or a compact fluorescent light for 2½ hours. The paper said it would probably take about 10 years to generate enough electricity to recoup the nearly $22,000 cost of the system.

Dennis Munroe, director of the university’s physical education and recreation program, told the paper that the students are very enthusiastic about sustainability issues. “That really bodes well for our future, because they are the ones who will be out there educating and designing and building,” he said.

ReRev in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the company that installed the electronic system, which is called ReCardio. The system captures and diverts the kinetic energy produced through exercise and given off as heat. Since some of the heat produced by the elliptical machines is dissipated, it takes less air conditioning to cool the room.

Other universities in the Northwest where the system has been installed are Oregon State University and Portland State University. The same system has also been installed at the University of Florida and Gainesville Health & Fitness Center in Gainesville, Fla.

-- Dave

Use direct deposit, save a pound of paper

If employees signed up to use direct deposit, each individual would save just about a pound of paper every year. PayItGreen, a coalition of financial services companies, reports that if every employee who had access to direct deposit used it, that would save another 11 million pounds of paper and 4 million gallons of gas each year. Those are some impressive numbers, but we know everyone is not going to use it.

Are you offering direct deposit for your employees? If you’re touting the benefits of recycling and saving energy, this is another easy step to put your money where your mouth is (no pun intended).

There’s something comforting about holding a pay stub in your hand, so you may need to nudge the naysayers. But direct deposit, which has been around since 1974, is supported by online statements and automated phone service. Even if an employee doesn’t have a computer, they can still keep up with their pay. A checking account is not necessary for direct deposit. Pay can be deposited to a payroll card, which functions like a debit card.

-- Kelli

Three-point plan designed to stimulate economy

The Alternative Energy Association (AEA), a Florida-based nonprofit organization, drafted a three-point plan to stimulate the economy, reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and create new jobs. The group identified three key issues for its plan: Transportation, solar and wind.

The AEA is calling on the Big Three automakers to produce more plug-in hybrids. “60 percent of all daily vehicle usage in the U.S. consists of less than 30 miles of travel,” according to the group. “Plug-in hybrid vehicles use an electric motor for travel up to 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in, which reduces gasoline usage so that some vehicles can even get up to 100 mpg. But we are still using foreign oil.”

AEA wondered why one-half of all solar panels manufactured in the world go to Germany? The group discovered some German feed-in-tariff legislation that makes it financially beneficial for homes and businesses to install solar equipment. Lobby Congress to pass federal legislation mandating the same plan and provide financing to new solar panel manufacturers. “Widespread use of solar will create millions of jobs in the U.S. in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance,” says the group.

The wind corridor from New Mexico and Texas north through the Dakotas can produce enough wind power to generate electricity for all of the United States, Canada and Mexico. “This is the world’s cheapest and fastest-growing new energy source, along with being clean and renewable,” according to AEA. “Make Congress provide incentives for wind power infrastructure the way it did for the telecommunications infrastructure and the way it provided subsidies to oil companies for decades.”

Find out what you can do to help implement the AEA’s three-point plan at http://www.alternativeenergyassn.com/.

--Kelli

Pan for real gold

“Water -- The New California Gold Rush” is the theme of this year’s American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association annual conference in Santa Monica, Calif., Sept. 16-18. Founded in 1994, the goal of the association is to promote rainwater catchment systems in the United States. Its membership consists of more than 400 people from around the world, including city, state and federal government officials, academia, manufacturers and suppliers of rainwater harvesting equipment, consultants and other interested individuals.

Santa Monica is an appropriate place to hold the conference since it began offering financial rain harvest rebates this summer for citizens, businesses and institutions that redirect or collect rainwater. Rebates as high as $500 are available for the construction of cisterns for rainwater storage.

Jeff Kray, a partner at Marten Law Group in Seattle, expects regulators will soon begin to look at the practice of collecting rainwater as water becomes more scarce. Colorado prohibits the harvesting of rainwater. The state’s current law requires 100% replacement of any precipitation captured; thereby requiring the user to find an equal amount of replacement water. Kray said that Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, West Virginia and Washington are either regulating or considering regulating rainwater collection. In Santa Fe, rainwater collection is a requirement. Every new 2,500-sq.-ft. or larger residential or commercial building in the city must be equipped with a rainwater collection system.

This summer, EnterpriseWorks received a $4.2 million, 5-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to look at rainwater harvesting. The Washington-based nonprofit organization will analyze domestic rainwater harvesting systems throughout the world, conduct research to reduce the costs of water storage units, and develop and test a market-based approach for the introduction of domestic rainwater harvesting systems to provide drinkable water to areas in need.

As concerns for having adequate supplies of clean water continue to increase, expect to see more states and municipalities weigh in on the collection of rainwater by businesses and homeowners.

-- Dave

North Carolina passes drought legislation

On July 31, North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley signed House Bill 2499, “An act to improve drought preparedness and response in North Carolina, as recommended by the Environmental Review Commission.” The state asserts the bill encourages “greater planning, conservation and cooperation.”

The new law gives the governor and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources the ability to hasten the process for declaring a drought emergency. The governor will have the authority to declare a local water emergency based on the recommendation of the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Under the old law, the governor could only declare an emergency if there was an immediate threat to a community’s health or safety.

On the surface, this bill sounds like the government can be more heavy-handed when it comes to water restrictions. However, there is a silver lining in the bill, said Mark Peters, co-chair of the legislative committee at the North Carolina Green Industry Council and owner of Piedmont Carolina Nursery in Colfax, N.C. The bill defines essential water use as the “minimum amount of water necessary to maintain the economy of the state or region of the state.” That phrase could set a precedent against outright water bans by municipalities, he said.

“When our economic impact study revealed we’re an $8.6 billion industry, we told the state, ‘You can’t just turn off the water,’” he said.

-- Kelli

Price puts solar power out of my reach

There’s a new channel from Discovery called Planet Green. It’s got some interesting programming, and my husband is hooked. His viewing time of The Outdoor Channel has dropped significantly (which is a HUGE surprise to this hunting widow), and he’s glued to the TV. (Glued with a nontoxic soy-based adhesive, of course.) Shows like Wasted, Greenovate and Renovation Nation have inspired him to explore green choices. He excitedly talks about rain harvesting to water our 2 acres; solar power for our 2,000-square-foot home; and composting.

He hops online and begins his research. The composting idea is doable. We have the room. No problem. Check that off the list. He finds a great site hosted by Texas A&M about rain harvesting. Turns out we could harvest 20,000 gallons of rainwater from the roof. His eyes are as big as saucers. He digs deeper. The cost of this project is a little steep -- a couple of grand depending on the size of the system (pipe, pump, storage tank). We can probably swing it, plus we’ll be saving some of our well water.

Instead of a check, he puts a question mark next to rain harvesting. Next comes the solar research. If we wanted to run our entire household on solar, the system would cost a whopping $84,000 (and that was on the low end of what he found). With our electric bills, our ROI would be 16+ years. Solar power gets a big X through it.

I’m sure a big portion of the country is in the same boat as the Roddas. The cost-to-benefit ratio just doesn’t pan out. But we want to make more sustainable choices. That’s why I think the sustainability slant for plant marketing is a great way to get consumers in the garden center and add value to plants.

-- Kelli

Summer school: remedial lessons on environmental stewardship

The good news is that homeowners are enthusiastically buying into the sustainability movement. The bad news is that you’re going to have to spend more time and energy to help them along.

Nine out of 10 households believe it’s important to maintain landscapes in a way that benefits the environment. However, only half (53%) said they are knowledgeable about how to maintain lawns and gardens in an environmentally friendly way, according to the National Gardening Association’s 2008 Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey.

30% of households admit they are “not at all” or “‘not very” knowledgeable about how to care for their landscape in a way that benefits the environment.

The survey “reinforces an increased need for homeowner education about simple, actionable ways they can be a good environmental steward at home while cultivating a healthy lawn or garden,” said Bruce Butterfield, research director at National Gardening Association.

Our industry’s corporate giants are doing their part: This spring Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., in partnership with Keep America Beautiful, is educating homeowners about how watering, feeding and lawns and gardens can work together to maximize the environmental benefits of green spaces.

Now it’s time for you, the hometown retailer, to do your part. And truth be told, the role you play is more vital. After all, you’re neighbors with these folks, you sit beside them at Lions Club and you run into them in the grocery store. The grass-roots sustainability lessons you teach homeowners will have more sticking power than those developed by an ad agency across the country.

Take a look at the seminars you have scheduled for this summer. Is there room for an additional session on smart ways to water? How about your signage – do you have shelf talkers that introduce newbies to products like corn gluten, green sand and pyrethrum? Do your displays cross-merchandise not just with synthetic pest controls, but also with some of the eco-friendly ones, too?

The 47 percent of homeowners who said they need more knowledge about sustainable practices constitute huge buying power. Make sure you do what you can to get your share of their purchases.

-- Kevin

Rain barrels, the hot product of spring 2008

When I visited Bayview Farm & Garden in 2002, the year it won our Innovator Award, I noticed that rain barrels were hooked up to downspouts throughout the property. The store is on an island in Puget Sound, which makes protecting and conserving fresh water a big priority.

Those barrels stood out in 2002. They were a throwback to slower times. Charming. Rare.
Judging from the e-mails I’ve been getting from retailers over the past couple months, rain barrels have transformed into up-to-the-minute fashion. Everyone wants them and is trying to figure out the best manufacturers to use. I visited a store last month that had an extensive rainwater capture system in place, holding up to 15,000 gallons.

Homewood Nursery in Raleigh, N.C., which is just now moving out of a record drought, has a WaterWise section on its Web site, where it shows off a customer’s homemade cistern. If they can’t get a convenient supply of rain barrels, consumers are making their own.

The last product I heard this much buzz on was Crocs. But the way people are talking about rain barrels is a little different. I’ve yet to hear anyone talk about the huge volume of sales made, or the margins. I get the impression that customer demand snuck up on a lot of retailers, and they are now scrambling to bring in supplies and haven’t had enough time to analyze sales, projections and marketing.

So are the e-mails I’ve gotten isolated? Have you had any requests for rain barrels? Are you having a difficult time finding sources? Are customers satisfied with the relatively small size of rain barrels, or are you hearing of more ambitious projects like the ones undertaken by Homewood Nursery customers?

-- Carol

Production tips during drought

Managing drought in production is best handled with planning and precautionary measures, according to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. But the extension prepared some last-resort drought decisions.

• Select plants that tolerate less frequent irrigation. Choosing plants that receive irrigation every other day will cut water consumption in half. Junipers or crops grown under shade, such as rhodies, will probably grow well under every-other-day (or less frequent) irrigation cycles.
• Prioritize crops by profitability potential. Irrigate crops that make more money to maximize profits and don’t irrigate marginal crops or loss leaders.
• Consider restocking costs of crops. If cuttings and liners are expensive, such as patented or specially designed cultivars, continue irrigation. But discontinue irrigation on crops that are readily available in the trade by obtaining new cuttings.
• Analyze inventory related to crops and size availability. Eliminate one or two sizes of plants if possible. Liners, quarts and 1-gallons are worth less than larger container sizes. Most nursery crops can be propagated in fall and winter, so loss of liners may be only a six-month setback.

For planning considerations before a drought hits, visit NCSU’s publication.

-- Kelli

Politicians understand dollars

It’s time to end the madness of political leaders who execute sweeping and rigid water restrictions including outright bans on landscape irrigation.

This industry understands the severity of depleted water sources.

This industry understands the science of how the right plant in the right place help resolve drought.

And above all, this industry understands its significant economic impact to cities, counties and states. It’s all about the money.

Letter-writing campaigns and phone calls to politicians are helpful. But I urge you to schedule a face-to-face with mayors, councils, and state and national representatives. Legislators need to understand the seriousness of their regulatory actions in economic terms.

You can’t simply say, “Save our businesses, please!” Instead, tell them how many millions of dollars the green industry pumps into the local and state coffers and urge them to continue that economic benefit.

Has your state’s green industry association or extension service prepared an economic impact report lately? If so, get a copy. Highlight it. Wave it in front of every politician you can find.

After you’ve appealed to their economic side, back up your points with university research. Tell them about landscaping practices that conserve water and reduce fertilizer runoff. Explain the heat island effect.

Yeah, it’s spring and you’re busy. Let your staff run things for a day or two and head to town, to the capital city or D.C. You can’t afford not to go.

-- Kelli