COVERSTORY
Sustainability Case Study: SeaScape Lawn Care Makes Sustainability a Priority
By Lindsey Getz
years ago, they also introduced their Water Savers Program, which incor- porates water retention products that help the soil to hold in as much water as possible.
“We have found that for our clients who have signed on for the Water Savers Program, we’ve been able to reduce water- ing by about 30 per- cent,” Wilkinson says. “The overall response from clients has been that these products work really well.” Of course, all products have to be applied properly.
WITH A PH.D. IN TURF MANAGEMENT, FINDING WAYS TO PROVIDE lawns with what they need — without overapplying — has always been a goal of Jim Wilkinson, president of SeaScape Lawn Care in Coventry, Rhode Island. In addition to developing an all-natural lawn care offering (as well as a hybrid approach), Wilkinson has also worked hard to make SeaScape a more sustainable business overall.
An industry veteran with close to 50 years of experience, this isn’t some- thing that Wilkinson just jumped into because it’s trendy right now. He has always been committed to practicing more sustainability.
In fact, in 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Man- agement (DEM) recognized SeaScape as the state’s first Green Certified Landscaping Company. In order to earn this certification, SeaScape had to complete an extensive checklist of best management practices, which covered everything from chemical use to waste management to overall safety. SeaScape has been able to maintain this certification to the present day. The company was also recognized by the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association with an award when they first introduced their natural lawn care
28 The Edge //January/February 2022
program. While Wilkinson says that 90 per- cent of their customer base desires the traditional lawn care program, he says that hasn’t stopped him from making that offering as sustainable as it can be. That includes best practices like targeted applications of weed control (rather than just a blanket approach), diligence about cleaning up hard- scaping, and using soil testing where applicable. “From a material standpoint, we stopped using phosphorous on most lawns,” Wilkinson says. “We will only use it when seeding — so we’ve eliminated around 95 percent of our phosphorus use.” Wilkinson has also invested in high-quality, slow-release fertilizers, which dramatically reduce the amount of fertilizer runoff that can occur. Three
That’s why the company also takes a strong stance on employee education. They’re heavily focused on teaching proper and safe application methods. But Wilkinson says that a huge component of sustainability is taking the time to educate customers about the cultural practices they’re perform- ing in between visits. Their mowing and watering habits also play a big role
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
