1 / 33

Sustainability and the Green Industry

Sustainability and the Green Industry. GTLE – January 5, 2009 Bob Dolibois ANLA Executive Vice President. Foreword: ANLA. National trade association founded in 1876 Members: businesses that grow, distribute, retail, install and care for landscape plants. Two functions:

Download Presentation

Sustainability and the Green Industry

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Sustainability and the Green Industry GTLE – January 5, 2009 Bob Dolibois ANLA Executive Vice President

  2. Foreword: ANLA • National trade association founded in 1876 • Members: businesses that grow, distribute, retail, install and care for landscape plants. • Two functions: • Represent the industry before government • Improve the success and profitability of its member businesses

  3. Represent Industry Interests • Federal legislation and regulation • Four-person team of experts on staff • Hired consultants on labor, tax and OSHA • Lighthouse Program: Partnership with states to form a grassroots network of 15,000 industry businesses Thank you MNLA!

  4. Success and Profitability • Business development programs • Management Clinic • Sector tours • Garden Center University/Landscape Business Management • Networking • ANLA Connect • Grower Connect

  5. Sustainability... • Why this trend and why now? • What is “sustainability”? • What does sustainability mean for the Green Industry? • Major initiatives affecting the industry

  6. Why this trend and why now? • The bigger picture of consumer interest • Aging and wellness • Wealth • Environmental movement and life purpose • Changing economic patterns and globalization

  7. Sustainability: What it is not... • Just a political term or movement • Just “the Green Party” • Just about stopping growth and human progress • A soft, warm, fuzzy, do-gooder concept (Beware of “tripwire” words!)

  8. Sustainability is about: • Continuing many things we’re doing now • Discontinuing some things we’re doing now • Doing some things we do now, but doing them differently

  9. Overview • Why this trend and why now? • What is “sustainability”? • What does sustainability mean for the Green Industry? • Major initiatives affecting the industry

  10. Sustainability is... • A long-standing concept and a “given” in most of history • Marrying of modern science and technology with the historical concept • Grounded in the concepts of growth and profitability

  11. Definition of Sustainability: Sustainability: “The ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” Sustainable practices: “Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

  12. “Cradle to Cradle” Doctrine • Hannover Principles - 2002 • William McDonough, architect and visionary • Industrial revolution: “takes, makes, wastes” • Regulation: • A failure of design • Being “less bad” is not sustainable • Sustainability: includes growth and profitability

  13. Sustainability “Building Blocks” • Planet • People • Profits

  14. PLANET • Waste = Food • “Terminal” consumption: Throw it away • Dual Metabolism • Biological metabolism • Technical metabolism

  15. PLANET (cont’d) • Re-engineer • Reuse • Revert • Recycle

  16. PEOPLE • Human rights • Social responsibility • “Local” community • Labor protections

  17. PROFITS • Growth is both essential and good • Defining economic value: “eco-services” • Challenge: Assimilating profitability into accreditation programs and regulation

  18. Dilemma: Organic vs. Sustainable Which is the chicken, which is the egg, and which comes first?

  19. Overview • Why this trend and why now? • What is “sustainability”? • What does sustainability mean for the Green Industry? • Major initiatives affecting the industry

  20. Industry history • Fruit trees and windbreaks/Major estates • Post-WWII: • Middle class homeownership: suburbia • Garden center retailing • Disneyland • ’70s: Highway beautification • ’80s: commercial suburbia and office parks

  21. The Last Frontier • Greening of the cities: • Parks & greenbelts • Urban villages • Green buildings • Bio-remediation • Landscape restoration and rehabilitation

  22. Implications: Plant production • Leaders in agriculture already • Water recycling • IPM • Role of landscape plants • Controversial issues • B&B • Invasive plants • Plastic • Local-grown • Labor

  23. Implications: Landscape • Role of landscaping • Cooling and air scrubbing • Green roofs and buffers • Interior plantscaping • Controversial issues • Water use • Yardwaste

  24. Implications for Retailing • Appeal to customer base • Experience-based retailing • Attractiveness of employment • Controversial issues • Consumer use of pesticides • Plant palette/local-grown

  25. Implications for Hort Distribution • “All of the above” • Re-engineering opportunities • Controversial issues • Those pots and flats • Some other product lines • Sourcing • Materials handling • More from our panelists

  26. Overview • Why this trend and why now? • What is “sustainability”? • What does sustainability mean for the Green Industry? • Major initiatives affecting the industry

  27. Major Initiatives affecting us • Sustainable Sites Initiative (SSI) • Draft ANSI Standard on Sustainable Agriculture • Valuing the Landscape: Economically and Environmentally

  28. Sustainable Sites Initiative (SSI) • Launched by ASLA, LBJ Wildflower Center and U.S. Botanic Garden • Modeled after LEED Rating system for “Green Buildings” • Rating system for building landscapes, parks, transportation corridors and streetscapes

  29. SSI Status • Draft guidelines and criteria on website (www.sustainablesites.org) • Draft report responses: January 20, 2009 • Field testing in 2009 • ANLA is involved in this program

  30. ANSI Standard on Sustainable Ag • ANSI Standard Development Process • Draft standard introduced by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and Leonardo Academy – Now shelved • Starting process over

  31. Valuing the Landscape: Economically • Landscaping: increases in value over time • Challenge: Assessing monetary value of installed plant material • Solution: Data base of plant price points • Now: Insurance is available! www.liveassetinsurance.com

  32. Valuing the Landscape:Environmentally • National green associations collaborating on research and information • Defining the monetary value of “ecosystem services” of installed landscapes • Best argument for access to water for the installed landscape!

  33. Overview • Why this trend and why now? • What is “sustainability”? • What does sustainability mean for the Green Industry? • Major initiatives affecting the industry • Questions?

More Related