As far as green goes, I’m already jaded.
As a consumer, I’m already tired of hearing the word “green.” When companies started advertising air filters, toothpicks and toilet paper as “green,” my mind blocked it and the entire concept out as another ploy to take my hard-earned green. The concept is more pure marketing than an idea that people can wrap their minds around. I know that I’m not the only one out there with this thinking, too.
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One concept that consumers (and, therefore, retailers who want to please these consumers) can digest and even embrace is sustainability.
According to Wikipedia, one of the most often cited definitions of sustainability is the one created by the Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
THE green industry
So, what can we -- as the true green industry -- do to cash in on this idea?
* One concept is by developing more new varieties and equipment ideas to help green roofs spread. Green roofs help businesses and the environment attain sustainability. Hortech in
I’ve been covering new plant varieties for the nursery and greenhouse industries for nearly 13 years, and this is the first year that I’ve seen “plants are designed to be used on green roofs” listed as a benefit.
* Another idea is to change growing practices to limit waste, save labor and actually help the environment. This spring, I attended a Ball Day at the Dallas Arboretum to learn about Ellepots. I was familiar with the concept of the limited-waste tray and growing media system, but I didn’t really understand the true benefit until I saw them in action. (Thanks, Janet, for inviting me.) The highlight of the day was a contest that pitted two three-person teams planting flats of conventional petunias versus petunias planted in Ellepots. The Ellepot team finished in nearly half of the time of the conventional team. Push this concept to your landscaper customers and you’ll see sales rise.
For your retailer customers, tell them that Ellepots are biodegradable and better for the environment. Sustainability-minded consumers will shell out the extra bucks to help Mother Earth.
* Push natives and their cultivars. As growers, you rely on consumer demand to sell your products. Basically, you grow what you can sell. But more breeders are developing cultivars from native species. These plants fit better into the environment and use the water and light needs that are already provided.
Want to see your impact?
Want to see what impact your way of life has on the environment? Go to www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp. It only takes a few minutes to answer this 15-question quiz. The quiz estimates how much productive land and water you need to support what you use and what you discard. I’d need 5.2 planets.
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- Jyme Mariani