Commercial Alternatives

The business sector may be one of the most important groups who can affect change on a large scale. Small businesses in particular have a unique opportunity to buck the trend of simply going along with the most popular lawn care solutions. Here in the Pacific Northwest there are many companies who supply a more sustainable and environmentally sound set of solutions to begin a greater sea-change with regard to how businesses think about their lawn care.

There are many companies who offer more environmentally conscious service than their competitors, and the difference can be staggering. One such business is Willamette Landscape Services, Inc. Their website (Willamette Landscape) outlines many of their practices which take an aggressive approach toward natural and manual weed control, recycling, and preventative measures against fertilizer leaching and spoiling the land.

I’ve already approached my employer about shopping around for a thoughtful groundskeeping service for our warehouse and office distribution depots in Salem and Eugene--tax write-offs can be an incentive--and this has prompted a change in practice already. Those of us in a position to make these kinds of suggestions either to our employers or to other local businesses should take this opportunity to shop around for more responsible commercial services.

Here are a few other local businesses who specialize in this type of lawn care:
Pacific Landscape Management
Oregon Sustainable Landscape

Clean Air Lawn Care

Simple Tips for Plant Species Identification

Invasive species can populate quite rapidly and will compete aggressively against the native plants for valuable resources. Identifying non-native species of plants and removing them before they get the chance to spread is one of the best preventative measures for maintaining a native plant environment. There are so many plant species in the world, so it can be hard to identify a non-native plant form a native one.

If a certain plant in your landscape or garden is unknown to you, take a picture of it and bring it to your local nursery, they will most likely be able to identify it for you. If you have a smart phone there are many applications that can also help identify a plant for you as well. These days there is always an app for that!

Where's the Sense in that?

Water conservation is an issue you have likely heard, read, or even talked about as it is a topic that exists at a global level. Water is used in a myriad of ways that affect us all on an individual level, the city we live in on a local level, and on a much bigger global scale.

Landscaping and lawn care is an industry that accounts for a staggering amount of water consumption, "Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for nearly one-third of all residential water use, totaling nearly 9 billion gallons per day" (https://www3.epa.gov). We can help conserve water resources by learning how much water we use and how we can use that water in more sustainable ways, particularly in regards to lawn care. Inefficient water use in land care causes more harm to soil quality and the environment in many ways. Understanding proper lawn care techniques and practices is one the best steps we can take to become proactive in taking care of the land we live on.

WaterSense is a program the EPA began in 2006 and has "helped consumers save a cumulative 1.1 trillion gallons of water and more than $21.7 billion in water and energy bills." Their website has a host of tools you can use to see how much you know, calculate your use, learn how to take care of you lawn sustainably, and much more access. Though the WaterSense program, you can find certified contractors that are trained in sustainable water practices and can help you find ways to reduce water use and improve the health of your lawn. Check out their website for more information and access.