New Addition To Eco-Industries Program

The Green Business Bureau (GBB) announced the latest addition to its best-in-class green business certification platform. GBB Eco-Industries Program for Horticultural Nurseries (E-IPHN) features initiatives and information to help members gain an edge in the competitive horticultural industry.

“The number of households that use organic gardening has more than doubled in the past five years,” says Marcos Cordero, GBB CEO and co-founder. “The National Gardening Industry estimates that today, about 12 million households are currently using all-natural methods, 17 million are planning to switch and another 22 million are considering it.”

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Cordero says that, when combined with the 27 percent of consumers who say that they are more likely to patronize a company that is mindful of their impact on the environment, these numbers illustrate the demand for green nurseries and plant suppliers.

“This is an industry that stands to benefit significantly by incorporating sustainable business practices both in the office and in the greenhouse,” Cordero says. “At the GBB, our mission is to help these businesses realize the economic and environmental benefits of going green.”

The E-IPHN features the standard menu of GBB initiatives designed to help businesses become more sustainable, and adds an additional 28 horticultural industry-specific initiatives. Incorporating guidelines set forth by entities such as the US EPA and the Sustainable Sites Initiative, E-IPHN includes initiatives that:

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– Address office and nursery operations.
–Offer a wide range of approaches for managing water use.
–Guide the recycling of industry-specific products, such greenhouse plastic/glazing.
–Improve customer satisfaction in addition to increasing environmental efforts.
–Adapt green initiatives to the local climate and needs

The GBB enjoyed significant contributions from professionals with Newton Nursery (http://newtonnursery.com/) in designing the E-IPHN program. Located throughout south Texas, Newton Nursery has served wholesale customers with high quality landscaping and specialty items for over 30 years and represents the leading-edge of the industry in their sustainability efforts.

“Newton Nursery is certified as a LEEDS Certified Plant Material Supplier by the US Green Building Council,” says Brian Adams, Newton Nursery’s President. “That means that we adhere to a stringent set of guidelines governing everything from where we source their plants, to water and waste management. Working with the GBB on developing this program just seemed like a natural fit with our own company commitment to the environment.”

In a further testament to the quality of the new E-IPHN, Newton Nursery has signed on with GBB as the first nursery-industry member under the new initiatives.  Although Cordero points out that many other existing GBB members in the same sphere will benefit from the new program as well.

“We are thrilled to work with such a well-established and committed green organization as Newton Nursery, ” says Cordero. “Their participation and endorsement of our efforts really demonstrates the legitimacy of our program.”

For more information about the E-IPHN, visit the GBB at www.gbb.org.

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