Sustainability PRACTICES

BY ALANA SETTLE

Consumers are becoming more cognizant of how their landscaping habits affect the environment. When I bought my first home in the suburbs, my neighbors, who were longtime homeowners, gave me plenty of not-so-eco-friendly advice on landscaping (such as dousing everything, even flowering plants, in Seven!). Today, as new neighbors move in, I’m seeing more and more of them using electric or reel mowers, planting fruit trees and vegetable beds, and setting up compost bins on the side of the house.

And when these new homeowners need a professional landscaper’s help, they’ll look for a company that aligns with their sustainability efforts. A Neilsen survey reports that 75% of Millennials (who are turning 27–42 years old this year) prefer to spend their money on environmentally-friendly services and products. Additionally, in a recent SurveyMonkey poll, 35% of respondents said they would even spend more on a product that’s better for the environment.

If you’ve been procrastinating on building sustainability efforts into your business plan, these statistics might have you thinking about how to get the ball rolling.

Before embarking on a new sustainability plan, why not review the environmental benefits of your current products or services and evaluate how you may improve or add to these offerings? You may be able to make a few simple changes to better align your services, or even just adjust your marketing messaging, to appeal to the growing desire for sustainable landscapes while maintaining traditional services that are still popular with your client base.

Showcase Your Expertise

Hiring a green industry professional creates healthier landscapes that should require less maintenance in the long run.

• Remind your clients that a sustainable landscape is a low-maintenance landscape. When a professional utilizes proper planting techniques and takes the time to choose the right plant for the right location, plants are less susceptible to pests and disease and will be able to grow to maturity.

• Tout the benefits of native plants, many of which you are probably already using. Have you listed your favorite native plants in an upcoming email newsletter, blog post, or social post recently, or shared imagery of natives flourishing in your clients’ landscapes? April is Ohio Native Plant Month and can be the perfect time to launch a mini-campaign promoting these plants.

• Highlight your eco-conscious projects. Potential customers may not know a rain garden might solve their drainage issues, or the benefits of permeable pavers, or that you can design for them a beautiful backyard vegetable garden with eye-catching raised beds and trellises. Perhaps you’ve installed a moss lawn or other grass alternative lately. Are you maximizing the potential for future projects with professional imagery and promotion, or do you need to invest in more training so you can confidently sell and install these projects?

• Everyone knows the curb appeal that mulch provides, but do your clients also know why using mulch is an important component of a sustainable landscape? Make sure you are educated on the products you are using, whether they are safe, and if more environmentally friendly options are suitable.

Tackle Pesticide Perceptions

The beautiful green spaces, trees, and plants the green industry provides its communities can only benefit the environment if they are healthy and well-maintained. Consumers often don’t adhere to the instructions on pesticide labels (if they read them at all), while you have licensed professionals who are trained in the proper application of pesticides to minimize the risk to the environment, human health, and wildlife. Perhaps you’ve decided to integrate organic products into your operations, or even offer 100% organic services. Are you educating your clients on why Integrated Pest Management services are superior, or do you need to invest in training your staff on IPM practices?

Community Involvement

Perhaps you’re already doing as much as you can, or you’ve decided it’s just not feasible to implement a sustainability plan at this time. Consider efforts that extend beyond your day-to-day business operations. Most public horticulture organizations have a strong sustainability focus. Donating products to community gardening initiatives, providing volunteers for public projects, or simply financially supporting community programs can show your commitment to sustainability and increase your brand awareness.

Watch Out for Greenwashing

While your sustainability efforts deserve to be a part of your brand story, making false claims or overselling your company as eco-friendly will be obvious to savvy consumers. Be wary of website copy that has too much jargon or generic cliches. Simply saying that you’re committed to sustainable business practices is not enough for knowledgeable consumers. Show the facts and share the numbers. How many pots did you recycle this year? What percentage of your equipment is electric or propane-fueled? What goals are you setting for next year?

Whether your vision is to become a leader in sustainability and environmental stewardship, or you simply want to incorporate a few ideas to see how it goes, integrating small steps and best practices into current operations is a smart way to start.

Consumers know that working toward sustainability is not an “all or nothing” approach. As much as possible, be transparent, and perhaps a little bit humble, when sharing your sustainability efforts to set yourself up for success.