Happy Earth Day!
It’s a shame that climate change/global warming has become a political issue. All the arguing about whether climate change is man-made takes attention away from things that we all should be doing to keep our own neighborhoods clean and save precious resources.
So here’s what we are doing at Smith’s Gardentown Farms:
1. This year we’re carrying more earth-friendly fertilizers and pest control products. Many are certified organic — all are less toxic than older generation products, while still very effective. We’re training our staff to help you make better choices.
2. We added a fourth large retention pond last summer to capture rainwater and runoff water from our greenhouses. We now have the capacity to store more than 500,000 gallons of water that would otherwise be wasted. We use this water again and again in our greenhouses, and have reduced our use of city water by more than 50%.
3. We reuse most all the plastic pots and bedding plant trays that are returned to us. They are cleaned and replanted with more Smith’s-grown plants.
4. We built 35,000 square feet of new retail greenhouse space three years ago that are much more energy efficient than the old houses (and we think they’re beautiful!). A typical month’s electric bill for the same square footage of the old houses was about $800. Now we use less than $30 worth of electricity for the same area. (Yes, that’s right. $30.)
Join us in remembering that no matter what goes on in Washington or Stockholm, we have to live in the world we create right here!