Landscapers Are The Green Industry.

Landscapers Are The Green Industry

This landscaping is making our clients yard a better place to live.

Carbon dioxide emissions, ozone, phosphorous run off, global warming, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon footprints. These words are all very frightening in this day and age. Corporations, small businesses, government, and many citizens are trying to analyze, correct, or just cash in on the new “Green” way of life. Even if the earth is not in a permanent cycle of global warming, we must consider getting involved with reducing pollution in order to sustain our way of living on this planet.

Many businesses and people are finding different ways to reduce the amount of pollution. The current most popular way is through the use of “Green” vehicles that run on ethanol, hydrogen, or combinations of gas and electricity. New “Green” terms such as green energy, green buildings, and green government have become the new standard we work with. This is all part of the way of life that we know we must adapt and think about to help our planet.

There is a certain group of people who have been quietly working for a great length of time creating fantastic results making our planet more environmentally friendly. Working without public acknowledgement, they go about their daily jobs without a simple thank you. They fit the definition of creating a “Green” way of life. These people are your professional landscape contractors. This industry has been around for hundreds of years and has helped our environment become more ecologically friendly. Landscapers have been installing lawns, shrubs, drainage systems, and hillside planting with little thought to how “Green” the industry really is.

Here are some facts that are worth while to consider:

1. One acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of CO2 we produce when we drive 26,000 miles.
2. One acre of well maintained lawn, supplies oxygen for 70 people per year.
3. There is an estimated 25 million acres of turf grass in the US. that supply 1,750,000,000 people oxygen per year.
4. Turf, plants, ground cover, and trees absorb large amounts of nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxides, and ozone from the air.
5. Trees absorb silt, dust, and soil runoff from entering our water systems

These are common tasks your professional landscape contractor performs everyday.

PLANET President Jim Martin, CLP states, “As Americans struggle to calculate their carbon footprint they need to keep in mind that their lawn and landscape are an important factor in carbon dioxide mitigation. It’s the obvious factor that is so often overlooked.”

Here are some more facts regarding the benefits of landscaping:

1. Trees can cool a city by up to 10% by shading our homes and streets which reduces air conditioning by 50% in the summer.
2. The cooling effect of an average sized lawn is equal to about 12 tons of air conditioning, which is greater than a typical home’s central air condition unit.
3. The greater the amount of trees creates a more natural habitat for wildlife.
4. One acre of turf can absorb hundreds of pounds of fossil fuel-created sulfur dioxide per year.
5. A well designed landscape that includes well places trees can save 25% of a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling. Three properly placed trees can save an average household anywhere from $100 to $250 in annual energy costs.

Landscaping is the true “Green” industry. Most landscape contractors are not aware that by installing lawns, trees, shrubs, and ground cover we are supplying huge amounts of oxygen and beautiful ways to offset many of the issues of pollution and air quality. While corporations and citizens are trying to come up with ways to improve air quality, reduce pollution, and improve the carbon foot print, professional landscapers, by the very nature of the industry, have been quietly making substantial inroads to the term “Green.” It is time for landscapers to take the title of “The Green Industry” with pride.

Please feel free to view some other blog posts we have written Budgeting A Landscape With A Landscape Contractor