Green Acres Partners With STIHL To Launch Comprehensive Nationwide Carbon Emissions Reduction Programme
Wednesday, 13 September 2023, 11:47 amPress Release: Green AcresThe programme is expected to reduce carbon emissions by over 80 metric tonnes across the group per year. That's the equivalent of taking at least 25 Ford Rangers off the road every year for the next three years.1
The partnership followed a comprehensive six-month trial by Green Acres franchisees across the country comparing power, performance, weight, handling, noise and convenience of several brands in different conditions. This trial aimed to assess the overall business performance of battery-powered equipment in a commercial environment to ensure that they would improve the safety and efficiency of franchisees' businesses while reducing carbon emissions.
As well as reducing emissions, franchisees will save up to $18,343 over the life of the battery (5 years) compared to petrol equipment, with a pay-back period of only 16-18 months.
The partnership highlights Green Acres' commitment to sustainability and its determination to meet the increasing demand from customers who prioritise sustainability practices and reducing carbon emissions. In a recent survey, over 35% of Green Acres' customers who responded emphasised that they continually monitor and adapt their approach to transport, energy consumption, food, packaging and recycling. When it comes to recent changes in their households, over 57% of respondents actively monitor energy consumption, while 35% of respondents have replaced home appliances with ones that have a higher energy star rating of 4 or better.
Nationwide support and a green technology pipeline
The partnership gives Green Acres franchisees access to STIHL's nationwide service and support network, world-leading technology and R&D pipeline. STIHL's Cordless Range of battery-powered equipment provides eco-friendly and efficient alternatives to traditional fossil fuel-powered options. It delivers equivalent power and greater convenience with significantly lower carbon emissions and also contributes to noise reduction for franchisees, customers, and their neighbours.
STIHL, renowned for quality, innovative, and sustainable outdoor power equipment, offers a wide range of products designed to tackle versatile and demanding gardening tasks. With a focus on both ecology and high technology, STIHL products are known for their enduring repairability, backed by a long-term spare parts guarantee. Supported by STIHL's nationwide network of 86 STIHL SHOP dealer network, franchisees can rely on their commitment to making products long-lasting. Green Acres franchisees can also minimise the environmental impact of used Lithium-ion batteries thanks to STIHL's safe and easy national battery recycling programme, available free of charge to all STIHL's customers.
Additionally, STIHL's equipment helps promote a safer, healthier working environment for franchisees, as they are lighter, reducing weight by up to over 40% for mowers2 and 30% for line trimmers. This gives operators easier and better control of their equipment, minimising fatigue, back issues, and bodily stresses. Furthermore, battery-powered equipment eliminates the need to transport combustible fuels, ensuring a significant reduction in hazards.
A simplified approach for ANZ Business Green Loan
To make this nationwide programme attractive to franchisees, Green Acres put together a comprehensive package that covers equipment, a green technology pathway, service and support, and financing. In the long run, the transition ends up being cost-effective for franchisees because they won't have to pay for petrol or maintenance and servicing as much.
Green Acres has also worked with ANZ to provide franchisees access to the ANZ Business Green Loan to assist with making the transition. The loan allows eligible customers to borrow at a special floating rate which can be used for investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable land and water use, and the building, renovating, or purchasing of green buildings and clean transport3.
"Green Acres is dedicated to making franchisees successful, enabling them to run their businesses efficiently and achieve financial independence," said Jason Hill, Green Acres General Manager. "Our partnership with STIHL demonstrates our commitment to ongoing innovation and sustainability, positioning our franchisees as industry leaders while making group environmental impact and supporting local communities.
Not waiting for regulatory changes
"Through this programme, we also hope to change the mindset that switching to a greener business model requires lots of work," says Hill. "It is easier than you might think, and businesses can take action to drive sustainability at their own pace instead of waiting for regulatory changes. Businesses that do their homework have the power to make significant and lasting changes that contribute to a healthy environment and a sustainable future."
A model of professionalism
"STIHL Cordless Range has got to a place now where it becomes a very advanced and reliable option for anyone in the lawn mowing industry. The battery-powered range features innovative, high-quality power equipment that not only delivers exceptional performance but also contributes to a greener future, while maintenance costs are lower than petrol equipment," said Brad Cathcart, STIHL Key Accounts Manager.
"Green Acres is recognised as a leader in lawn and garden care, setting the standard in professionalism and excellence. We believe this partnership will encourage more people to make the switch, so it aligns with our commitment to sustainability and allows us to make a meaningful difference by reducing carbon emissions. Together with Green Acres, we are empowering professionals and homeowners to embrace eco-friendly alternatives while providing convenience and efficiency."
[1] Carbon output of a 2.0L single turbo diesel (manual) Ford Ranger = 212 g/km. If the vehicle travels 15,000 km per year or 3.18 metric tonnes of CO2. [2] Leading brand of internal combustion lawnmower weight: 44kg, STIHL RMA448 Lawn Mower weight 25.8 kg (including 1.8kg battery). [3] For more information on the ANZ Business Green Loan and eligibility criteria go to the ANZ website.
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Out With Lawns, In With Natives
The well-manicured lawn has long been an obsession of the average American homeowner. If a man's house is his castle, the lawn is the green moat around it. It is seen as a mark of success and a reflection of one's status in the community. In some neighborhood associations a person may be admonished—even fined—for not keeping up with the standard of a pristine lawn. In fact, Americans spend in excess of $40 billion a year on lawn care.
But there is a movement afoot to persuade homeowners to abandon their gas-guzzling lawn mowers and kill—or at least modify—their lawns through native plant alternatives. One of those activists is Alexis Doshas, nursery manager at Nasami Farm, part of the Native Plant Trust. She spoke at the Sept. 25 meeting of the Garden Club of Harvard to a full crowd, including one husband who said, laughing, that he was there since it was raining and he couldn't mow his lawn.
Doshas said she was a professional gardener on Cape Cod and got sick of putting in plants that didn't want to be there and that needed way too much water. She went back to school to learn more about ecological gardening, where land is managed with native plants and organic methods, contributing to the health of the ecosystem. She recommended a book called "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard" by Douglas Tallamy.
Nasami farm is located on 75 acres in Whately, in the Connecticut River Valley in Western Mass. Its mission is to preserve and promote native New England plants by propagating them from seed gathered in the wild to promote genetic diversity. The farm has a retail nursery, and it sells plants to other nurseries and produces plants for restoration projects. Seeds are available, but they need to be in a cold place for a certain length of time. Doshas suggested it is more convenient to buy plugs.
Acknowledging that many of us inherited the aesthetic of an ideal lawn and may still aspire to it, Doshas laid out the real "dirt" on lawns. She pointed out that the turf in our yards is not meant for our climate and is dependent on an outpouring of money for pesticides, fertilizers, and replacement seedings. The average homeowner spends 70 hours a year on lawn care—or spends a lot of money for someone else to do the maintenance. She said lawns are wasteful and boring; they don't bring anything to the ecosystem. On the contrary, the gas lawn mowers that maintain them pollute the environment. And increasingly, grass is subject to severe weather fluctuations as we have seen in the past two summers—drought, then deluge.
Native plants, said Doshas, have none of the drawbacks of turf, and in addition they have a positive rather than negative impact on the environment. Because natives are suited to our climate, they do not need watering or fertilizer. And if they need mowing at all, it may be only once a season. They attract pollinators, and some afford food for birds. They create a sense of place, said Doshas; New England has its distinct natives as do other parts of the country.
So how would you go about replacing your lawn? Doshas recommends first shrinking it. Start around the edges of a lawn, cutting out borders, perhaps undulating rather than straight, where you could grow a mix of natives. This would bring some diversity in addition to reducing the lawn area. Places that are difficult to mow, like around trees, could be replaced with natives. And slopes, both sunny and shady, are good places to eliminate grass. Most native ground covers will not be damaged by walking on them.
There are several ways of eliminating the grass so you can plant native ground covers. The fastest but least natural is to use herbicides. Solarization uses sheets of clear plastic, made airtight, to actually cook the lawn to death. It would take about three months to ensure all the seed is killed. Sheet mulching is a process of layering cardboard or newspaper on the grass, wetting it, and topping that with loam and then leaf mulch. In a few months the area will be ready for planting. You can always dig. Or, you can do nothing. Let your grass grow, mow a wide path through it so the neglect looks intentional, see what comes up and perhaps overseed with wildflowers for diversity and color.
Lastly Doshas described a dozen or so native ground covers that could serve as alternatives to turf. A colorful one is Prunella vulgaris, which has a small purple flower that blooms from May to November. Doshas said some of us may have it in our yards already, and many heads nodded. She described Carex pennsylvanica as the native that looks the most like turf. It will grow in shade and is best started by planting plugs. Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass) is taller and turns a beautiful mauve at this time of year. Bearberry kinnikinnick is a woody evergreen with a bright red berry and is well suited for slopes. Antennaria neglecta is an interesting name for pussytoes, which sounds as though it would be soft to walk on. Tiarella cordifolia (running foamflower) grows in shady areas as does Asarum canadense (ginger).
These and others can be found at plantfinder.Nativeplanttrust.Org/Plant-Search.
