PART 1: What does sustainability mean?
I am a director on the board of the National Landscape Association (NLA) which is part of the larger American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA). At a recent meeting in Kentucky, our board was asked to define sustainability as it would apply to landscapes. We board members are committed to sustainability but we realized that a definition will evolve as consensus develops among our colleagues. We also realized that landscapes are inherently at the heart of this urgent issue because we, as an industry, grow, install and maintain plants and trees which make life livable on earth.
Helping us along the way was Bill McDonough author (together with Michael Braungart), of the inspiring book:
“Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things”
Bill spoke at the ANLA’s Management Clinic and electrified the over 1,000 people present, who represented every business sector of our industry. He challenged us to think outside the box and described our nation’s recycling efforts to be just a stopgap until real reform occurs. He said that re-cycling is actually ‘down-cycling: everything eventually ends up in a land-fill: paper only has so many times it can be re-used before its fibers are useless and metals can become corrupted by other minerals. He called the landfill the grave and our current approach a ‘cradle to grave’ process.
Bill envisions a ‘cradle to cradle’ system where resources are re-used in a way that always maintains their integrity, where no toxic by-products are produced during manufacturing, and businesses are profitable because of these changes.
He was challenged by a Swiss textile company whose remnants were so toxic they no longer were accepted in Swiss landfills so they were shipped to another country (USA!). Through many obstacles and disappointments, they struggled to find natural, safe dyes. This information is proprietary and no corporation was willing to share it. Finally, a breakthrough occurred, and information was forthcoming. The Swiss company now makes textiles that are not only non-toxic, remnants are given away for mulch for townspeople’s organic vegetable gardens. Their water effluent is cleaner than the municipality’s drinking water. An added plus, and a primary component of their strategy, is that the company’s costs were actually reduced. It just takes careful thought and perseverance to be sustainable.
London [is he a beatle or a beetle in the garden?]
Sustainable Gardening - living with nature
by Chris Valenti, MS, APLD, MI
We are one of the most
award-winning companies in the region. Our design staff will always consider sustainability, when creating an outdoor
living space that will exceed your expectations.
For more info...
Web Sites
American Nursery and Landscape Association.
About the book
From Publishers Weekly
about
“Cradle to Cradle’
“Environmentalists are normally the last people to be called shortsighted, yet that's essentially what architect McDonough and chemist Braungart contend in this clarion call for a new kind of ecological consciousness. They argue that conventional, expensive eco-efficiency measures things like recycling or emissions reduction are inadequate for protecting the long-term health of the planet. Our industrial products are simply not designed with environmental safety in mind; there's no way to reclaim the natural resources they use or fully prevent ecosystem damage”
Nature is the model for sustainability. Plants and trees are the factories which produce oxygen, consuming CO2, preventing erosion, providing us with shelter [wood], scholarship [paper], and food.
In the garden, the two top national sustainable methods are to compost/reuse all of your leaves and debris on-site, and to keep all rainwaters that collects on your property. Sometimes, these efforts may be difficult to achieve. But, in reality, your own backyard garden is a real resource to sustain a healthy global environment.
JB Landscaping is committed to sustainability and its affordability. Shortly after I returned to my office after hearing Bill Mc Donough’s lecture, the owner of the turf management company who services most of our clients, came to visit. I told him that we are determined to provide our clients with an environmentally safe turf program. He actually stepped back and had a shocked and almost angry expression on his face. However, three months later, he started offering an lawn care program at the same cost as the “Chem-Lawn” approach. Usually, organic programs are far more expensive. We are continuing to make strides in sustainability, working side-by-side with my colleagues across America
