Project: Green Industry

Locally grown is gaining momentum

The number of small farms is increasing in the United States and more importantly they are succeeding. John Ikerd, professor emeritus at University of Missouri-Columbia, told the St. Louis Dispatch that a fundamental change is occurring within the United States when it comes to smaller farmers. The newspaper reports that from 2002 to 2007, many of the nearly 300,000 new farms started in this country were small and operated by young farmers.

The 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, which is conducted every five years, shows a continuation in the trend toward more small and very large farms. Most of the growth in U.S. farm numbers came from small operations, where sales of no specific commodity accounted for more than 50 percent of the total value of production. The number of small farms earning under $50,000 has risen 6 percent over the last 10 years.

The census showed that the top five industries in terms of net cash income produced were: grains and oilseeds, milk, poultry and eggs, fruits and nuts and nursery and greenhouse.

Mary Hendriksen, a professor of rural sociology at University of Missouri and a coordinator of the Food Circles Networking Project, told the newspaper that small farms are seeing an opportunity and they are a real growth sector within agriculture.

The locally grown concept is not being lost on large corporations. In May, Lay’s Potato Chips, launched a nationwide marketing campaign focusing on the people and communities across the country that produce its line of chips. The “Lay’s Local” marketing campaign puts a spotlight on potato farmers from California, Florida, Maine, Michigan and Texas as the faces for the iconic brand in 30 second national and regional television spots.

The St. Louis Dispatch reports that farm equipment manufacturer John Deere is seeing shifts in demand and is promoting its smaller scale product lines. Barry Nelson, Deere’s public relations manager, told the newspaper that the company has seen an increase in the rural lifestyle and part-time farmer market. He said the small tractor category is the one of the fastest growing U.S. markets.

--Dave

A refreshing shade of green

We just got wind of this:

Eagle Creek Growers in Mantua, Ohio, has installed a 50KW Wind Turbine as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to self-sustainability and green operations. The turbine, funded by federal and state alternative energy grants from the USDA and the Ohio Department of Development, and installed by Genesis Energy Systems, is expected to reduce Eagle Creek’s annual energy consumption by 30 to 40 percent. Eagle Creek plans to apply for a second series of grants in order to install a second turbine, allowing for the company to generate approximately 80 percent of its energy on-site and off the public power grid.

The wind turbine is Eagle Creek’s newest addition to its ongoing self-sustainability program. Eagle Creek’s greenhouses will soon have high-efficiency light fixtures equipped with motion sensors that trigger the lights only when people enter, thereby reducing power consumption by one-third. Additionally, Eagle Creek has installed ebb-and-flow flooring designed to recycle all water used on site, reducing runoff and overall consumption. Moreover, all company greenhouses have energy curtains designed to maintain appropriate temperatures overnight, thus reducing heat use by 50 percent.

The company also has installed a bio-mass heating system that generates heat using recycled wood chips and horse manure, thus eliminating gas and oil consumption. Finally, Eagle Creek has a plastic pot recycling program for customers. Customers bring plastic pots back to the store, and Eagle Creek recycles them for the following season.

If ever there was a company that has turned green into gold, it’s Eagle Creek, which also has what it bills as a family-owned-and-operated indoor/outdoor lifestyle center. Eagle Creek Garden Center offers plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, landscape design, lawn and property maintenance, water feature design, hardscapes and pavers, winter services, and holiday services.

For more information, visit www.eaglecreekgrowers.com.

-- Yale

ANLA leader makes the case for container standardization

“Plastics in the Nursery and Landscape Industry” was the fairly innocuous-sounding name of a talk at last week’s ANLA Management Clinic. Marc Teffeau, the association’s director of research and regulatory affairs gave a solid overview of issues facing the green industry.

Then Platt Hill decided to shake things up a bit.

Platt is president-elect of ANLA’s retail division and owner of Platt Hill Nursery. I talked to him a few months ago about the push he’s making to standardize container sizes. His plea at Management Clinic was immediately embraced by some people in the audience, and received a skeptical reception from others. Platt contends that it would be much easier to reuse and recycle horticulture containers if they came in standard sizes. Plus, it’d just make sense.

“I look at my favorite [container] supplier catalog,” Platt told me during our interview a while back, “and there are 17 different size 1-gallon pots. Each differed in total volume of less than 1 percent; less than 1 ounce.”

Platt also offered up an analogy to the crowd: Coca-Cola and Pepsi are two entirely different products, yet they come in almost the exact same kind of container. (And soft drink companies benefit from the economy of scale that comes with consistent packaging.)

Platt called upon ANLA to initiate a task force with the goal of establishing a range of standard container sizes. Following the guidelines would be strictly voluntary. But the hope is that growers and retailers would gradually adapt to a more narrow selection.

A few growers at the talk immediately raised red flags. Large operations have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in equipment and systems to handle certain sized pots. What if the agreed upon standard size doesn’t match the dimensions of the containers they’re using? And what about branding? Many growers are producing premium plants in high-quality pots, with sizes that differ from the norm.

Nursery owner Dwight Hughes, immediate past president of ANLA, was among those attending the talk. He told the crowd that the association’s board of directors would support exploring this topic. He also said they should seek input from OFA, Society of American Florists and other constituents.

Platt Hill closed the discussion by asking the audience to do three things:

1. Contact your ANLA senator. Let them know if you think this is a good or bad idea.

2. Contact your ANLA regional director and share your opinion with them, too.

3. Wear a button. At the end of his talk, Platt passed out buttons people could wear to show support for this initiative. (See photo.)

Now it’s time for you to have your say. Leave a comment below offering your opinion on container standardization.

-- Sarah

Companies look to flex their environmental muscle

BICEP (Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy) is a business coalition founded by Nike, Starbucks, Levi Strauss, Sun Microsystems and Timberland Co. BICEP’s goal is to work directly with key allies in the business community and with congressional lawmakers to enact meaningful energy and climate change legislation that is consistent with the coalition’s eight core principles. These principles are:

• Set greenhouse-gas reduction targets to at least 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

• Establish an economy-wide greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system that auctions 100 percent of carbon pollution allowances, promotes energy efficiency and accelerates clean energy technologies.

• Establish aggressive energy efficiency policies to achieve at least a doubling of our historic rate of energy efficiency improvement.

• Encourage transportation for a clean energy economy by promoting fuel-efficient vehicles, plug-in electric hybrids, low-carbon fuels and transit-oriented development.

• Increase investment in energy efficiency, renewables and carbon capture and storage technologies while eliminating subsidies for fossil-fuel industries.

• Stimulate job growth through investment in climate-based solutions, especially “green-collar” jobs in low-income communities and others vulnerable to climate change’s economic impact.

• Adopt a national renewable portfolio standard requiring 20 percent of electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2020, and 30 percent by 2030.

• Limit construction of new coal-fired power plants to those that capture and store carbon emissions, create incentives for carbon capture technology on new and existing plants, and phase out existing coal-based power plants that do not capture and store carbon by 2030.

“Large-scale climate change would have economic, social and environmental consequences for our business and the communities in which we operate,” said Hilary Krane, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Levin Strauss. “We can voluntarily change our own behavior in the hopes of mitigating impacts and are doing so, but we believe that U.S. government leadership is essential if we are to create an environment in which every U.S. company recognizes the role it must play in addressing climate change and the responsibilities associated with doing business in a carbon-constrained world.

-- Dave

Ag standards task force seeks reference documents

As part of the initiative to develop a national standard for sustainable agriculture, reference standards and documents are being collected and assessed by the Reference Documents Task Force, which has been charged with gathering and assessing reference standards and documents.

Participation and assistance is being sought from standards committee members, observers and other interested parties. Collected documents will be catalogued and then archived into a library that will be made available for public viewing on a wiki site that is under development by Leonardo Academy.

Parties interested in contributing to the reference library should submit any relevant documents, along with the Reference Document Submission Form, to Amanda Raster. Document contributors are encouraged to use the Excel version of the form. A Word version is also available. Documents received by January 31, 2009, will be included in the gap analysis conducted by the Reference Documents Task Force. Reference documents will continue to be collected and added to the library throughout the standard development process.

-- Dave

3 E’s of sustainability help growers with the bigger picture

Lynette Von Minden, a public relations counsel from the Swanson Russell agency in Lincoln, Nebraska, has close ties to the green industry. Through her work with a variety of green industry clients, she has observed a major shift toward sustainable products and business tactics. Today, she talks with The Scotts Professional Group about how growers can make sustainable business decisions based on a balanced combination of three primary elements: efficiency, economics and ecology.

Over the past few years, the concept of sustainability has virtually exploded within the ornamental horticulture industry. Many companies are trying to capitalize on a pervasive consumer trend favoring products perceived as environmentally safe or as leaving behind a negligible environmental footprint. Is this trend here to stay -- and are we heading toward fundamental changes in both the products we use and in our growing practices?

Is the future here already?
Chris Buchheit, marketing manager of ornamental horticulture for the Scotts Co.’s Professional Business Group, is acutely aware of the challenges growers are now facing.

“Sustainability is already affecting how growers produce, market and sell their crops,” Buchheit said. “For instance, some large retailers might demand an official sustainability label on any growers’ crops before accepting them for sale, and these growers might be required to undergo a periodic business review process to maintain the ability to claim that they are using sustainable practices.”

Buchheit’s team developed its own take on sustainability within the horticulture industry by challenging the belief that inorganic fertilizer and chemical use are not sustainable.

“We’ve come up with our own definition of sustainability that we call our ‘e3’ approach,” Buchheit said. “It focuses on what we truly feel are the primary elements of sustainability -- efficiency, economics and ecology -- and how these elements can work together effectively.”

Sustainability can come in small packages

Don Eberly of Eberly Public Relations works closely with the green industry. Over the past few months, he’s seen sustainable business practices become more important to both consumers and our industry. Today he discusses ways businesses can take small steps toward sustainability.

All of us can likely agree on one thing: Going green is not a fad that is on its way out the door. Existing with sustainable products and best practices has become a central part of business management for many home and garden companies. Still, it can be an intimidating aspect of meeting the needs of the marketplace, not to mention the global obligations and related considerations.

Yet, going green doesn’t have to include an entire alteration of product inventory or major shift in all business practices. Rather, evolving to sustainability can be conquered in steps or phases.

No matter the product – plants, pots, amendments, tools, or the labels affixed to them– with a “green” or organic stamp, consumer attention can be attained. This can be accomplished one product or product category at a time.

Many consumers are willing to pay the extra few cents or dollar or two for a sustainable product as compared to another. One of the only issues now that can influence shoppers to pay a higher premium is the stressed environment. Even with the changes in the nation’s economy, people still seemed concerned about environmental issues, as evidenced by green product purchases remaining stable in many places.

However, for business owners managing plant brands, product companies and garden centers, it’s a risky business to go fully “green” in one fell swoop. Going green is a new way of smart, beneficial thinking and selling, but it involves money, time and effort – all things that are hard to find in a wavering economy and busy schedule. Still, it can be achieved in evenhanded phases. Many green activists recommend starting small or in just one or two specific areas of business or product sales.

Horticultural Identification Products (or HIP) is a plant tag company that has adopted this mentality. Specializing in sustainable hang and stake tags, Bob Lovejoy, president / CEO, created sustainable tags for this purpose, to give growers and, ultimately, retailers a way to get started developing a means to sustainable product offers.

Each of the company’s featured green product lines – BioTag, EcoTag and Repel – are sustainable in one way or another. For example, BioTag is fully biodegradable, while 30 percent of a Repel tag is developed from post-consumer waste – both providing green plant tag/labeling options for the end-consumer looking to reduce the use of typical plastics.

And, tags aren’t the only way. Companies are now beginning to release all sorts of sustainable hard good materials in increments that, in turn, growers and garden centers can utilize to market their brands as eco-friendly. Biodegradable containers, organic soils, and sustainable plant tags are only a few small ways to break into the eco-friendly movement without pouncing in headfirst and risking profit or product.

In addition, there are plant brands working diligently to produce plant material grown and sold with high-level sustainability. For instance, the new Footprints Plants brand includes live goods grown in composts made from renewable soil components and with recycled irrigation water, then potted in natural-fibered containers and labeled with tags that are completely biodegradable. Each of these components was developed individually, yet as part of a bigger picture to provide a completely green solution for garden centers and their customers. Footprints plants provide retailers an option – one that can sit beside many others and one that can give customers a choice between being green or not being green – their choice.

Sure, jump-starting the “sustainable product offer” process can be daunting, but it can be done in small, bite-size pieces that will draw customer attention and build brand loyalty.

Side note: A great book on the topic of going green is “The Everything Green Living Book” (Adams Media) by Diane Gow McDilda. It is an easy read that includes ways to conserve energy, protect health, create a green home/garden, and help save the environment.

-- Don Eberly

Applications being accepted for sustainable agriculture standards committee, user interest category

Leonardo Academy is accepting applications for three open seats on the SCS-001 Standards Committee within the 'User' Interest Category. Anyone who uses agricultural products -- including retailers, product handlers, processors, distributors and manufacturers -- and has an interest in sustainable agriculture is encouraged to apply.

The SCS-001 Standards Committee has been charged with working together to develop a national standard for sustainable agriculture that will be submitted for approval by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

To receive an application, contact Amanda Raster at Leonardo Academy (Tel: 608-280-0255, E-mail: amanda@leonardoacademy.org). Applications should be submitted by 12:00 pm (CDT) on Monday, November 24, 2008. All applicants will be notified of their committee status by Monday, December 8, 2008.

-- Sarah

What happens in Vegas hopefully won’t stay in Vegas

When you think of Las Vegas the first things that come to mind are probably gambling, glitzy shows and plenty of excess. The only green you’d probably associate with the city is the cold, hard kind -- cash. If this is the case, then you would overlook what is becoming a trend in this city that never sleeps. An increasing number of resorts are looking for ways to be more sustainable, especially in the construction of new buildings and in the renovation of old ones.

USA Today reports that Nevada has plans to build more than 100 billion square feet of new construction to standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. More than half of this construction, reports the paper, is casino-resort projects on or near the Las Vegas strip. The recently completed Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino, which cost $1.9 billion, was designated the country’s largest LEED-certified building. The paper reports other building projects hoping to garner the LEED designation include the $1.9 Caesars Palace tower addition, the $2.9 billion Fontainebleau Resort, the $4.8 billion Echelon resort and the $9.2 CityCenter Complex.

One of the exceptions that has allowed these projects to seek LEED certification is that developers have been permitted to separate the casino from the rest of the resort. This distinction is somewhat controversial because all of the casinos permit smoking which USGBC prefers to restrict in public places.

Don’t think that the resorts are trying to be sustainable solely for the good of their guests and the environment. Builders whose projects in Nevada are LEED-certified are eligible by law for property tax rebates of 25-35 percent. You knew there had to be some “real” green involved for these resorts to go green.

-- Dave

Process stalls in sustainable agriculture standards development

Earlier today, OFA issued the following e-alert:

Two key decisions made at last week's meeting of the Standards Committee appointed to develop a sustainable agriculture standard have resulted in the process slowing.

Current Draft Standard for Trial Use Put Aside
Because many on the Standards Committee did not feel that the Draft Standard for Trial Use (DSTU) SCS-001 (the standard that had been submitted to ANSI back in April of 2007) adequately represented their constituencies' viewpoints, or the development process was flawed, it was "put aside," meaning that it will be used as a reference resource, but will not be the document that the Standards Committee will be using to develop a sustainability standard.

Task Forces to be Developed for Needs Assessment
The Standards Committee recognized that, while everyone agreed that sustainability is important, no one had ever done a needs assessment about the value, market demand, and potential uses of a national standard, what the mission/vision/guiding principles of the Committee and any Standard should be, and the what/why/how of what product categories or industries should be involved. The Standards Committee voted to establish a number of internal Task Forces to work through this process before any attempt to draft a new standard takes place.

As part of the Task Force process, a review of all other existing criteria, standards, and labels will be performed. It was recognized that there were other national and international sustainability programs in effect that may be able to be incorporated into a national ag standard. Further, as part of the scope review, all of the stakeholders will be identified so that they can be aware of and be involved in the development of the ag standard through the sub-committee process (sub-committees will not be identified until the Task Force work is completed).

The Committee is still operating under the original 36-month ANSI process time line, meaning that the Committee has a goal of developing a new standard that has broad industry input that can be presented to the ag and sustainability community by April 2010.

Nearly all the 58 voting members of the Standards Committee attended the meeting September 25-26 in Madison, Wisconsin, either in person or via audio-conference, as well as a slew of observers (non-voting interested parties, many of whom had applied for positions on the Standards Committee, but weren't selected). Included observers were USDA and EPA.

This decision comes less than a week after some members of the Standards Committee sent a letter to the rest of the members urging the draft standard document be set aside until the Committee had an opportunity to discuss and agree on the scope, principles, and vision for this effort.

The Leonardo Academy on Monday issued its own report on the recent meetings in Wisconsin.