Talking to your Customers about Sustainable Landscaping

Marilyn Witney

Talking to your customers about sustainability can be challenging. More andmore homeownersand commercial and municipal property managers are requiring sustainable practices because of concerns about the environment, health and safety and long-term cost savings. But some are still wary of the “green” movement. It’s up to you to educate them about sustainability in a way they can understand.

“Sustainability is not a look… it is a function,” says Keven Graham, a licensed landscape architect, ASLA member, and one of the founders and authors of Sustainable Sites Initiative (now called SITES). Matching site conditions to plant selection is the key to true sustainability, he stresses.

A sustainable landscape does not necessarily mean a prairie. In fact, prairie plants may actually be the wrong plants for sustainability if conditions on the site, such as compressed soil, make it inappropriate for their deep roots. Conversely, even an English garden can be sustainable if the
proper plants, soil conditions, water management, hard surfaces and other practices are “appropriate” to the landscape, he adds.

Increased initial cost factors for sustainability also scare some customers away, but that does not need to happen. Tom Lupfer, owner of Lupfer Landscaping , has found that increased costs on the front end are almost immediately offset by lower maintenance costs t later. Lupfer, who is the chairman of the ILCA Sustainability Committee and also a member of MELA, has made sustainability a real selling point in his business. But he still presents the project traditionally, with sustainability mentioned only at the end.

“It’s added value to my proposals, and sets me apart from the competition,” Lupfer says. “It’s stewardship of the land … not just mowing grass and pulling weeds.” It’s also the smart way to manage the landscape. For example, large residential landscapes in his service area can spend upwards of $1,000 per month on water bills and his company is helping homeowners devise ways to redirect rainwater and runoff to help cut the costs of irrigation. If this makes you think you need to overhaul your whole business, think again. You’re probably already practicing
sustainability in many ways. Do you use local materials to save time and fuel? Is your mulch a natural byproduct or from a renewable source? These practices are already sustainable … and you just need to let your customers know about them. Then, see how you can build on those
practices to save you, your customers and the planet even more.

Marilyn Witney is a member of MELA and serves on the Communication Committee.

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