Greening your landscaping business can not only increase sales but is also beneficial to the environment. Green credentials can be displayed through various measures, including using non-native plants that require extra work, water, and pesticide use to thrive as well as using organic matter such as mulching to promote them.
Set Your Goals
As it can be easy for green industry businesses to become overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks, setting goals can sometimes fall by the wayside. But having an idea of your desired outcomes can make all the difference when it comes time to put in hard work and see results. Here are some helpful strategies for setting effective goals for your green landscaping company.
Encourage clients to use natural lawn care products and to forgo synthetic chemicals that could harm wildlife, plants and soil. Also suggest planting native species that better adapt to the climate for reduced maintenance costs as well as lessened need for pesticides and fertilizers.
Promote the use of mulch, as this will reduce weeds and moisture loss while being easily composted when no longer necessary. Also recommend planting shade trees as these can significantly lower energy bills by shading homes and buildings while simultaneously helping absorb carbon dioxide and other airborne pollutants for everyone’s health benefits.
Solar lighting can also help the environment by replacing traditional bulbs with solar lights in garden areas, as it reduces reliance on traditional bulbs. Furthermore, using raised garden beds to grow vegetables and herbs that you can either cook up yourself or give to local families in need is another effective way of going green. Just make sure that any food produced from your yard has been tested for lead levels first as old house lead paint may contaminate it and make its production unfit to consume.
If going green isn’t quite what your landscape business needs, don’t despair – there are still numerous ways that you can demonstrate your environmental concern, such as becoming involved with sustainable initiatives in your community and telling clients about them.
Research the Industry
Sustainable landscaping goes far beyond planting more plants. Instead, it requires taking an integrated and creative approach that works with nature to design landscapes that require less maintenance, are less harmful to the environment and offer benefits such as water conservation, wildlife habitat creation and food production – not forgetting erosion control! In order to truly make an impactful difference for both yourself and the planet. It is therefore crucial that your business understands all of the impacts it is having and has all necessary resources at its disposal to make a difference in this regard.
Consumers today are becoming more conscious of their purchasing power on businesses, and 84% seek sustainable commitments from the businesses they purchase from. This trend is particularly evident among residential and commercial lawn care and landscaping services as consumers demand sustainability from these service providers.
As it happens, becoming more environmentally-friendly doesn’t require drastic or disruptive steps; many steps are often easy and cost-effective solutions available to businesses wishing to implement eco-friendly practices in their operations. Shifting to electric vehicles or using eco-friendly power equipment are just some ways that a lawn and landscaping business can move toward greening themselves; composting yard and kitchen waste as well as forgoing pesticide use is another simple yet cost-effective step towards greener operations. Going digital and eliminating paper waste waste are other great steps toward greening themselves a step toward sustainability for their operations.
Long term, becoming a green lawn and landscaping company can reduce costs, expand customer bases, improve reputations and give you a competitive advantage in your market. To do this, research industry initiatives that would best fit with your business; once identified, plan their implementation through logistics and marketing channels. Furthermore, get recognized as such by third-party organizations like Green America to give credibility to these efforts.
Get Creative with the Resources You Use
Created using creative materials when sculpting a landscape in dry regions where water resources are limited is one way of being more sustainable. Instead of purchasing new mulch, rocks or plants from stores, look for ways to reuse or recycle existing items like wood waste into mulch for compost piles that help the soil. Also look out for recycled-content landscaping products, like plastic edging or lumber which help conserve natural resources while providing employment to manufacturers and sellers of these goods.
Another effective strategy for going green is xeriscaping, the art of creating attractive gardens and lawns using less or no additional water, making this option popular in regions where droughts are prevalent. You could encourage clients to recycle rainwater by installing rain barrels or rain chains on their properties.
Switch to LED lighting in your office and host more phone meetings instead of face-to-face ones when quoting jobs, and consider purchasing hybrid or fully electric vehicles when driving out to inspect properties.
Finally, as a small business owner you will be required to pay taxes on the money you earn. Before beginning your venture it would be wise to consult a tax attorney or accountant in your area regarding what laws affect your finances and the options for tax avoidance in that jurisdiction – non-profit organizations might allow you to bypass corporate income and sales taxes altogether while cooperatives allow businesses that share expenses to share costs among themselves.
Get Solar-Powered
Going solar-powered can be an eco-friendly solution for landscapers that offers numerous advantages. Not only will it lower energy costs and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability, it can also show customers your company cares for the planet while increasing brand recognition as a green enterprise. Plus, depending on where your location lies you may even qualify for tax credits or rebates that provide financial advantages!
Your business can also become more eco-friendly by choosing eco-friendly landscaping materials like mulch. Using this natural alternative to wood chips helps protect the planet by reducing waste and conserving natural resources – plus it’s healthier for both earth and customers.
Add another green touch by eliminating pesticide use from your lawn and landscaping services, both for the environment and for clients – long-term exposure can cause skin irritation, respiratory ailments and more.
Use water wisely by installing drought-tolerant plants or xeriscaping. This will both benefit the environment and save money by not needing as much additional supplemental water. If supplemental water must be used, consider conserving measures like rain barrels or rain chains which capture and use rainwater runoff for irrigation purposes.
Implement eco-friendly landscape elements like permeable pavers and green roofs that reduce stormwater runoff, use native plant species for landscaping purposes and pollinator habitat, work with local governments to encourage sustainable landscapes on solar sites through conditional use permits or community outreach efforts, or opt for non-toxic pesticides when applicable.
Start a Referral Program
Word-of-mouth marketing remains an effective strategy in business today, so offering discounts to customers who refer your services can help your green landscaping business expand and thrive. Not only is this eco-friendly but it allows customers to contribute toward helping reduce carbon emissions while contributing towards making positive impacts in local communities.
At the core of every successful green landscaping business is using energy-saving equipment to save energy while simultaneously cutting paper usage and other forms of waste. You should consider switching to hybrid or electric vans and trucks, and streamlining as many administrative processes online as possible in order to lower both carbon emissions and energy costs while cutting unnecessary travel to job sites.
Landscaping and lawn care businesses also can contribute to environmental sustainability by encouraging water-smart landscape design, including drought-tolerant plants and rain gardens. Consumers tend to favor landscapers that use organic or eco-friendly treatments and products in their designs and landscaping services.
Landscape or lawn care companies looking to become green can look into grants programs that support eco-friendly initiatives. Many government programs offer grants across industries and can provide you with money needed for new equipment or other green practices. It is best to check with local or state offices about what grant opportunities might exist in your region.
