The “O” Word
June 11, 2008 For the past year, organics have dominated industry forums on sustainable practices. Even when we intend to have broader discussions, we keep getting hung up on the need to grow organically if we’re going to promote our products as sustainable or eco friendly.
At the same time, we all acknowledge that organics are just one facet of sustainable business practices. If we are too focused on organics, we’re going to miss out on the strides we could be making to address other areas, such as recycling plastics and conserving water and energy.
For many growers, organic production is the deal breaker that will prevent them from participating in sustainable initiatives. It’s one of the most controversial aspects of the VeriFlora certification program, which is the model for the Draft National Sustainable Agriculture Standard For Trial Use. Within the area of crop production, the draft standard states organic pest management and soil fertility practices are recognized as the highest tier of performance.
Although growers aren’t being required to grow organically to participate, organic production is clearly the goal. The draft standard states, "The producer is required to apply least toxic pest and disease management and control systems, integrating organic practices as these are proven to be practical, with organic conversion timeframes to be determined on a per crop, per region basis."
We have a lot of crops in floriculture. Who is going to decide what is practical and what isn’t for each crop in each region? That makes growers nervous. Crop protection and fertilizer companies that supply and advise growers are concerned, too.
On the flip side, several growers are getting out ahead of the curve and the market by getting certified and converting a portion of their greenhouses to organic production for vegetables and herbs. We are also seeing the supply chain respond to make it easier for more growers to take advantage of opportunities that come with organic and sustainable production.
One company that really impressed me in promoting its sustainable practices is perennial grower Walters Gardens in Zeeland, Mich. In the winter edition of its "Perennial Press" bulletin, the company summarizes all of its efforts as a complete package:
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Prevention – Integrated pest management practices focus on preventing the need to use chemical inputs. Using biodegradable Elle Plugs reduces plastic waste.
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Reduce – Programmable watering booms reduce waste of water and fertilizer. Energy curtains and a biomass heating system reduce natural gas consumption. A new office system reduced paper use by 67 percent.
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Reuse – Walters Gardens’ tissue culture lab reuses sterilized glass culture vessels and petri dishes. Skids, wooden cribs and sterilized planter trays also are reused.
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Recycle – This was the most impressive part. Walters Gardens recycled 280,642 pounds of materials, including pots and trays, greenhouse coverings, plastic jugs, mesh soil bags, cardboard, office paper, old labels and catalogs, scrap metal, electric motors and obsolete computer components.
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Energy Recovery – The biomass burner is fueled by wood pellets from a local furniture manufacturer.
Not once was the word "organic" used in the six-page informative bulletin. This demonstrates growing organically is not a prerequisite to growing sustainably. It is up to us as an industry and as individual businesses to define what sustainability means, what we want to achieve and how much we want it to revolve around organics.
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