Nurseries vie to be climate friendly

New practices could save money, reduce greenhouse emissions

By Shannon Wells

Pamplin Media Group, Nov 12, 2009

Shanda Tice / Pamplin Media Group

Gary Furr and Sam Doane of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nurseries hope the Climate Friendly Nursery Project can help the Boring nursery save money and curb carbon emissions.

Oregon nurseries know they way around greenhouses; now they’re learning about greenhouse gases.

“Nurseries have always been ahead of the curve,” says Gary Furr, general manager of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nurseries in Boring, one of 13 Oregon nurseries to sign on to the Climate Friendly Nurseries project. “We’ve always tried to be good stewards of the land,” Furr says, “and I think many of our competitors feel the same way.”

A partnership between Oregon Environmental Council and Oregon Association of Nurseries, the project is a four-year effort to measure greenhouse gas emissions and identify practices and strategies to reduce energy use and costs associated with plant production. Dignitaries including Gov. Ted Kulongoski and U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby, helped kick off the project in late August.

“We’re gonna look at the whole operation — electricity use, fuel use, water use,” says Allison Hensey, healthy food and farms program director with the Oregon Environmental Council.

There are no preconceived notions, she says. “That’s what this project is meant to do — figure these things out.”

However, the initiative is focused on energy use rather than issues surrounding pesticides and chemicals.

Nursery representatives gathered at an Oct. 8 workshop in Aurora to brainstorm practices that might yield the most gains in terms of efficiency, resource conservation and lowered greenhouse gas emissions. Attendees offered feedback on a spreadsheet tool developed by Ecos Consulting. Modeled on a system used by Oregon’s wine industry, the tool will process data submitted by nurseries and quantify it in terms of carbon-emission levels. The project team will use the numbers to identify effective management processes that reduce those emissions — along with costs.

On the same page

“I left the meeting very encouraged by the unity of the group,” says Sam Doane, production horticulturist at J. Frank Schmidt & Son. “The majority of decisions were agreed upon unanimously.”

Participants agreed to measure electricity, fuel and refrigerants. Other items are being considered as optional measurement targets, Doane says, such as fertilizer, waste bypro- ducts from fields and offices, surplus materials, water usage and business-related travel. Ecos may determine which ones might become mandatory to measure for the project.

“We’re a diverse group with diverse product,” Doane says of the industry. “Finding common ground can be a challenge, so I’m surprised how much commonality we were able to achieve.”

The project team will work with nurseries to secure grants, low-interest loans and tax credits for energy and efficiency upgrades, while also providing technical assistance. These resources provide an impetus for nursery owners to explore new approaches, some of which may have been unaffordable or otherwise out of reach.

“Now we have a lot of new incentives,” Hensey says — “a lot more money and assistance for folks like nursery operators to make these changes, many of which benefit the bottom line.”

Sharing the wealth

Elizabeth Peters, Oregon Association of Nurseries communications director, says the project’s goal is to provide custom plans for individual businesses.

“The nurseries will be provided a personalized plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, along with an itemization of tax breaks and assistance with any grant opportunities for implementing the improvements,” she says. “Most compelling is that the nurseries will ultimately save money through the efficiencies they will realize through the program.”

The concept is an Oregon original.

“No other state has undertaken a project of this scope for the nursery industry,” Peters says. “Oregon’s project is unique . . . in that it’s identifying and providing assistance for energy and other cost-saving measures in nursery operations and then creating educational support for the nursery industry as a whole, using the results.”

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