The GO GREEN Needham campaign, launched in 2018 by Green Needham Collaborative and the Needham League of Women Voters, highlights green practices by local businesses and organizations and encourages participants to take next steps towards sustainability.
Keeping informed about what is happening with environmentally friendly lawn and garden products and equipment is a job for a professional.
Garrett Graham at the Needham Garden Center has been concerned about lawn chemicals for the past 18 years. Garrett keeps up to date by attending trade shows to learn about the latest products. If you have a problem, Garrett has an organic or natural product to fit the bill. For example, Adios is a salt-based weed control product which is selective, meaning it can target weeds in your lawn without harming the grass. Burnout, made from citric acid and clove oil, is a non-selective herbicide (it kills all vegetation including grass) and is good for what grows through cracks in a patio. Garrett has found a sesame-oil-based product used for insect control that is safe for bees. The Garden Center will soon be introducing Pulverize, a new glyphosate-free product that kills weeds in the lawn without killing the grass.
When it comes to equipment, battery-operated lawn mowers and weed wackers are gaining in popularity, as they are very effective. The Garden Center carries all of the EGO line products which have batteries that are interchangeable throughout the line. Products include lawnmowers, chainsaw, string trimmer, pole saw, hedge trimmer, inverter, hand held blowers and backpack blowers. The blowers are 65 decibels, within the limit for most towns with blower noise ordinances.
All mulches sold are natural, meaning they are free of dye or color enhancements, and soil amendments are certified organic.
In 2016, World Energy, an Eversource-authorized Mass Save contractor, conducted a free energy audit which resulted in the installation of all LED lighting. Eversource covered 80% of the total installation cost, and after a two-year period of paying off a zero-interest loan toward his cost share, there is now a savings of $100 per month.
In addition to cutting energy use, the Garden Center is committed to reducing waste. Corrugated cardboard is placed into a separate dumpster for recycling, and both trash and cardboard are hauled away by Orifice. All metal blades and scrap equipment are taken to the Needham RTS for recycling. In addition, Western Oil takes waste oil, and Interstate Battery takes back all batteries.
Complying with the voluntary plastic bag ban, the Garden Center now uses paper bags and at the same time they are finishing up using some plastic bags with their name on it. They will keep some plastic to use for liquid products that could cause damage if accidentally spilled.
Garrett has taken all these sustainable actions and is committed to continued consumer education so that his customers can achieve their goals and be “Green” at the same time. He will be at the GO GREEN Expo on November 10 so that you can try out some of his products. This is his GO GREEN commitment. Garrett and Needham Garden Center will also be joining Green Needham and the League of Women’s Voters Needham at the GO GREEN Needham Expo, on Saturday, November 10 from 10am to 4pm at Needham Town Hall.
The GO GREEN Needham Expo is a comprehensive effort to encourage the Needham community at all levels to step up their efforts to be “green.” To see a full list of participants, click here.
Hope to see you there!
To learn more about the GO Green Needham Expo, visit www.greenneedham.org, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenneedham/.
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