Ruppert Landscape Appoints Kang President & COO
Jessica Schwartz
Sustainable Initiatives Undertaken By Largest Box Tree Grower In U.S.
The largest box tree grower in the U.S., with over 40 retail locations across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas, has undertaken major sustainability initiatives over the past year involving water consumption, clean energy, carbon emissions, and waste reduction. Moon Valley Nurseries formed an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy in 2021 by creating a team of department representatives and executive leadership to guide and maintain the company’s commitment to positive corporate social responsibility. It published its first report in early August. Here are some highlights: Water. Throughout 2021, Moon Valley implemented automatic watering systems to reduce water usage, minimized water runoff through catching basins, and educated customers and employees about water-saving tips. By the end of 2022, the ESG team will quantify water consumption rates by installing sub-meters to 50% of all points of connection at all active sites and will reach 100% of all active sites by the end of 2023. Energy. Moon Valley installed its first on-site solar array in Escondido, CA, a feature that now powers 50% of that site’s operations. Additionally, all retail locations have been equipped with electric golf carts, and new delivery trucks were purchased, comprising approximately 36% of the fleet, that feature engines that automatically shut off after five minutes of idle time. Carbon Emissions. Moon Valley has calculated its carbon emissions output and identified strategies to reduce its carbon footprint. During 2021, 80% of Moon Valley Nurseries trees sold were grown on company farms, and all Moon Valley Nurseries trees sequestered 197,000 ...
Husqvarna Introduces CEORA For Large, Commercial Turf Areas
Known for its robotic Automowers®, Husqvarna is now entering the market of larger scale, commercial turf care management with the introduction of the new CEORA platform. In a Living City 2020 presentation today, Husqvarna offered a view of a greener, more sustainable planet with reduced carbon emissions. While the big picture included rethinking urban architecture to include patios and vertical planting opportunities, more immediate measures such as increased use of battery-operated and robotic landscape tools was also highlighted—capped with the announcement of CEORA. More details about CEORA will be presented during summer 2021 and mowers will start shipping to customers from early 2022. “This is an industry game changer, marking the start of a new era in commercial turf care management,” comments Valentin Dahlhaus, Vice President at Husqvarna. An autonomous turf care solution, one CEORA machine can cover grass areas of up to approximately 12.3 acres. With CEORA, public and commercial landowners, sports field managers, and golf course owners can automize mowing while redeploying staff to focus on more value added tasks. Dahlhaus adds, “We are transforming the turf care with this innovative, high performance and reliable turf care solution. The entire 55-acre Great Lawn in Central Park can be managed by five Husqvarna CEORA, working 24/7. Everything is digitally monitored and controlled at your fingertips.” Specifically designed for demanding professional applications, the low noise and zero emission* CEORA mows autonomously and systematically within virtual boundaries. It operates fully independently within a defined area and offers cuts in parallel ...
