Sustainability starts with a single step

4 May, 2010 LM Direct!

Jim McCutcheon, CEO and partner with Atlanta-based HighGrove Partners spoke at the Professional Landcare Network’s (PLANET) Executive Forum in Las Vegas in February. He presented research from PLANET’s 29th Crystal Ball Report, “Green Industry Economics: Innovating Toward a Sustainable and Profitable Future,” penned by Landscape Management Editor-at-Large Ron Hall.

McCutcheon offered these 10 quick-start tips to begin the journey to sustainability:

Agree on what sustainability means to you and your operation.
Conserve energy in office/shops.
Implement employee health and safety programs.
Start a recycling program.
Minimize use of disposable items.
Manage routing.
Purchase fuel-efficient vehicles.
Consider life cycle when purchasing products.
Buy local whenever possible.
Implement soil testing.

But like anything else in your business, a sustainability program doesn’t work if all you do is decree it. McCutcheon lists five causes of sustainability program failure:

Poor program design and slip-shod implementation.
Poor or skeptical employee buy-in and adoption.
No, feeble or non-engaged executive sponsorship.
Little or no accountability and follow-up.
Lack of establishment of meaningful measurement and reporting.

To get your own copy of PLANET’s Crystal Ball Report #29, visit the LM bookstore.

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