(click on photos to enlarge)

“Oh, and the food! What a great job the Green Industry Council members did cooking the delicious babyback ribs, succulent pig, grilled chicken, Portobello mushrooms, all the sides, hushpuppies, and three, count ‘em three desserts! I got many requests for the caterer’s name, so it was a thrill to share that it really was “down-home cooking” by our own amazing North Carolina nurserymen. A lot of attendees went to The Pit and The Mecca restaurants near our host hotel in an attempt to get more NC-style BBQ, but they had to admit that it just wasn’t the same! Thank you to Proven Winners for the free plants. Thank you to Mark for setting up a plant sale. Thank you to the volunteers who brought so much joy. Thank you to all of the staff for all of your hard work and love of the Arboretum. And, a big thank you to the GIC for feeding the masses.”

Sincerely,
Pam Beck

This was a successful event and couldn’t have taken place without all the wonderful volunteers who worked very hard! 

On September 24, the GIC also participated in a day long trade show for the National Garden Writers at the Raleigh Convention Center. All of our members were well represented with brochures and information on all aspects of the NC green industry. A big thank you to our trade show volunteers: Cyndy Allison, Sheryl Bynum, Doug Chapman, Daniel Currin, Buddy Murrow, Mark Peters and Ross Williams.

 By Mark Johnson
mjohnson@charlotteobserver.com

RALEIGH Mecklenburg lawmakers and leaders of North Carolina’s Green Industry Council are pushing for a half-million dollar pilot project that would help bring smart sprinklers to the county and potentially save thousands of gallons of water.

The key to lowering the water flow is for businesses with wide swaths of grass and landscaping to water their lawns based on satellites and high-tech weather gear, not a timer.

If successful in Charlotte, the Green Industry Council hopes to take the project statewide.

Time Warner Cable recently installed such a system at its offices on Crescent Executive Drive and anticipates saving buckets of water and money, $25,000 over three years.

Charlotte’s utility chiefs have asked state officials to fund the program with $500,000 of federal stimulus money, but Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat, fears politics may be interfering.

Charlotte already received two water grants through stimulus money, and state officials may feel like they need to spread the money around more, he said.

“We need to gear up and talk to (stimulus czar) Dempsey Benton,” Clodfelter told fellow Mecklenburg lawmakers at a breakfast Tuesday, encouraging them to telephone Benton, who oversees the federal economic recovery money flowing into the state.

The water management program would identify Mecklenburg’s top 100 water users. Those customers would be invited to workshops on managing their outdoor sprinkler systems through new technology. Instead of arbitrarily turning on the sprinklers for 20 or 30 minutes at a set time, companies could install technology that uses satellite and ground-based measurements of factors such as temperature, humidity and wind.

“It can pinpoint the weather down to a one (square) kilometer area,” said Mark Peters, a leader of the Green Industry Council, who runs Piedmont Carolina Landscaping in Greensboro.

The grass might need only four minutes of watering one day instead of 20 because of clouds and low wind.

“How many times have you driven down the street and (automatic) sprinklers are on and it’s pouring down rain?” said Susie Glass, director of corporate facilities for Time Warner.

She said the water technology is one of several environmental conservation steps the company is taking.

Companies likely would pay around $4,000 to install the system on a 2- to 3-acre site but would quickly recoup that money in water bill savings, Peters said.

Charlotte officials can examine water bills and quickly identify the largest users, said Buddy Murrow, manager of Shepherd’s Supply nursery in Huntersville and a Green Industry Council leader who joined Peters in presenting details of the water management program at the Tuesday breakfast.

“The city could have this project rolling in 30 to 60 days,” Murrow said.

Facts About Farmworkers and AgJOBS

Last week’s Water Efficiency training was covered by the Raleigh station, News 14:

Landscapers want industry regulation
05/15/2008 03:06 PM
By: Ilin Chen

RALEIGH — Lawn care professionals across the state are trying to make sure their profits don’t dry up during future droughts. That includes learning about new technology that would help their customers conserve water.

Green is the color of success for those in the landscaping and irrigation business, but when the drought hit, most of the green dried up.

“As far as our landscaping business, it had a tremendous affect on new work, so as people were not allowed to water, they didn’t want to invest money in landscaping,” explained Mark Peters, who works for Piedmont Carolina Landscaping.

Many North Carolinians are still under some kind of water restrictions to protect resources. Industry professionals said they want to do the same, which is why they propose a statewide licensing program for irrigation contractors.

 

The proposal would set up a licensing board and professionals would have to pass a test and get continuing education credits to remain active.

“What we want to do is just prove to everybody that we know what we’re talking about and we’re a professional organization that can address the water quality, the scarcity of water, and the professionalism in the industry,” added Jim Garvey, an official with the Carolinas Irrigation Association.

One of the components of being a licensed professional is using a smart controller to irrigate lawns. That’s what experts say will help use water more efficiently, and for Peters, efficiency is key to make sure the green business stays green.

“What we’re trying to do to prepare for the future is to teach ourselves and our customers how to use water more efficiently so that as the water comes back on and we come off of restrictions, we don’t see exorbitant water use for landscapes,” Peters said.

The proposed legislation still needs sponsors before it can be introduced to the General Assembly. Leaders of professional organizations hope it can be heard during the current short session, but lawmakers’ main focus during the short session is passing the budget. It’s unclear whether they will take up this matter before next year.