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: • Represent the industry before government • Improve the success and profitability of its member businesses

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!

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

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

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

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!)

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

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

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

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.”

“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

Sustainability “Building Blocks” • Planet • People • Profits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

Sustainability and the Green Industry