Turf Summer 2021 Issue

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

Editor’s Letter: Good, Better, Best

Turf Summer 2020 Issue

In the Turf Summer 2021 issue, we focus on Sustainability & Going Green—a topic close to my heart. In my jobs over the years (park naturalist, garden center worker, floral designer), I’ve encountered the ironies that can exist within the green industry. Specifically, how the creation of a beautiful lawn, garden, or even flower arrangement, can sometimes involve practices ignorant of, or even harmful to, the environment.

The issue is particularly timely now. Climate change, water shortages, and a new generation have increasingly put lawn care practices under examination. As Vegas officials eye a “useless” grass ban and municipalities adopt leaf blower laws, it’s easy to feel under attack. So when I read a column in the Kansas City Star talking about the benefits of grass, I knew it was the sort of good news landscapers needed and contacted the author. See his article, “Defending The American Lawn,” written specifically for Turf.

Yet how do you balance aesthetics with stewardship? Must they be mutually exclusive? With Nature as an industry player, answers aren’t easy. Today’s introduction of beneficials will be tomorrow’s invasive requiring chemical control. And on it goes.

But the discussion matters. It requires honoring experience and time-tested methods. (Whose grandparents threw kitchen scraps in the garden long before “composting” was trendy?) But it also requires a willingness to embrace different ways of doing things as our knowledge — or technology, such as battery-powered equipment in “Getting Equipped” — advances. It might mean taking your business practices off auto-pilot and exploring organics, as discussed in “Organic Pesticides,” or the smart irrigation practices in “Irrigation & Water Conservation.” If calling it “change” is scary, rename it “opportunity” as the landscapers in our cover story do. A green focus may even help win certain government bids today, as pointed out in “Government Sector And Green Services.”

In an industry so often focused on best practices, maybe we start with a simple focus on “better” practices? Let’s see where we go from there!

Turf issue

 

 

Managing Editor, Turf


Turf Summer 2021 Issue | Table of Contents

Turf Summer 2021 IssueBusiness Insurance Check | Revisit your business insurance policy to ensure proper coverage.

“Greener” Landscaping Practices | Is there market demand for eco-friendly services?

Government Sector And Green Services | Differentiate your business through the lens of sustainability.

AGZA Initiatives Today | How far along is the adoption of electric equipment?

Defending The American Lawn | The benefits of healthy turf are far and wide.

Organic Pesticides | After decades, do the results rendered finally meet promises?

Late Summer Tree Care | Take stock of customers’ trees as seasons change in many areas.

Summer Lawn Disease Management | Cultural methods are part of prevention and mitigation.

Irrigation & Water Conservation | When conservation cuts costs, it’s easier to sell sustainability.

Hardscape Trends For Outdoor Living | Residential designs expanding from entertaining to everyday.

Get Equipped | Tree Care, Battery-Powered, Construction Equipment, and Business Software

My Landscape: Turf, Trees Integral To Office Park | Gothic Landscape provides sustainable maintenance to Pathline Park in Sunnyvale, CA, and was recognized by CLCA award.