Cagwin & Dorward Landscape Contractors

Bay Friendly Landscaping Team - Protecting Water & Air Quality

What is Protecting Water & Air Quality? One of the most important benefits of Bay Friendly Landscaping involves its effect on water and air quality. Effective application of holistic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is essential to ensuring a safe and healthy environment. Additional methods include strategic plantings of trees and ground covers, minimized hardscapes and efficient irrigation. Also, well-maintained, low-emission equipment, eco-friendly materials (low or toxic free) and creative natural resource storage (runoff cisterns and compost systems) can greatly lessen our impact on the natural ecosystem.

Use Integrated Pest Management:
A. Prevent pest problems
B. Train your staff to identify and monitor pest & beneficial populations
C. Educate your clients
D. Control pest problems with physical & mechanical methods
E. Control pest problems with biological controls
F. Control pest problems with the least toxic pesticide as a last resort
G. Minimize use of pesticides and allow natural predators to keep pest under control
H. Raise your pest tolerance level
Eliminate high input decorative lawns
Keep soil covered with locally produced mulch or compost - this will also reduce the carbon footprint
Choose and maintain your materials, equipment & vehicles carefully
Keep organic matter where it belongs, this will promote a healthy soil food web that will, in turn, promote plant health and resistance to pests
Minimize impervious surfaces
Plant trees
Maintain and manage the irrigation system carefully
Design a system to capture and treat water

What we learned: "Air and water quality requires a collective effort involving government, private industry, and social awareness. Our role both as employees of Cagwin & Dorward, and as individuals working in the landscape industry, provides us with a unique opportunity. By taking personal responsibility for the health and well being of our natural environment, each one of us can take pride in our select role as stewards of the earth". - Rick Hansen

Bay Friendly Landscaping Team:
Kevin Cartwright, Oliver Diaz, Lorrie Harter, Kurt Heitmeyer, Val Hinshaw, Hector Lopez, Ollie Ramirez, Paul Schultz, Lisa Stratton, Paula Tusler & Jacob Voit

Green Office Team

Projects

2007 10% Reduction Goal
Admin. Reduction Goals
Disposable Dish Ware
Drinking Water Quality Upgrade
Lighting Improvements
Links
Office Paper Improvements Projects - Current
Savings Tips