Cutting back on packaging. Shipping cost going down is just a bonus.

This story on Walmart and HP cutting back on product packaging is just interesting all around. Not only is the eco-savvy consumer going to like not having to dump a ridiculous amount of styrofoam, bubble wrap, cardboard, etc., but it's actually helping cut back on the amount of trucks used to ship the product. The article says:

"In larger terms, that means Walmart can remove the equivalent of one out of every four trucks it takes to ship the PCs."

This is pretty cool.

It's not enough to be green

An interesting article in Forbes on some sustainable clothing lines and how they've done. One is thriving because of marketing efforts and one has gone down the tubes with the stagnant economy.

Also sort of related, I just saw on Mulch Ado About Nothing that an economist predicts that oil prices will come down in early 2009. It should be interesting to see what happens to the sustainability movement once the economy is stronger. Will consumers go green with their wallets?

What I learned in the April 2008 issue of Greenhouse Grower -- About Urban Outfitters' Terrain!

- Carroll Brothers is serious about saving water. Richard Carroll is currently using Aquamats, and his ultimate goal is to build an underground reservoir for rainwater, but he hasn't figured out the finances yet. The method would save a huge chunk of water needed for his crops.

- Dr. George Elliott of the University of Connecticut attended the Leonardo Academy stakeholders meeting for a sustainability standard. He thought the most contentious subject in the talks was around genetically modified organisms, which the draft standard prohibits.

- Urban Outfitters new Terrain retail concept will target the female consumer in her 40s and 50s and will keep the best of Styer's, the garden center chain Terrain purchased as its first retail platform. Terrain is in talks with Styer's existing growers as suppliers.

- In our Variety Central section, check out my favorites argyranthmum 'Spring Bouquet' by Paul Ecke Ranch (pictured) and the great begonias 'Black Taffeta' and 'Madame Queen' by Terra Nova Nurseries.

- Keep up to date on the sustainable garden trials going on at the University of Georgia at www.uga.edu/ugatrial.

What I Learned This Issue Of Greenhouse Grower

- Who our Grower Of The Year is. But I’m not telling you. You’ll have to wait till the issue hits your mailbox or the Web.

- There are young people in the industry! Gen X and Gen Y are not completely uninterested. Congratulations to Nirmal Shah and Kris and Stacy Van De Streek on their ventures, taking over Boven’s Quality Plants.

- European research has shown several Ecke poinsettia varieties to be “energy efficient.”

- A lot happened this year. Take a look back in our 2007 Year In Review.

- Our special insert, Steps Toward Sustainability, took me to school. Scientific Certification Systems, the organization behind VeriFlora certification, is conducting meetings to gage support for the Sustainable Agriculture Practice Draft National Standard for Trial Use.

- Michigan State has tips for non-chemical height control on its Web site (second story on the page)

- Earthstone’s GrowStones look like croutons, but replace strip-mined materials like perlite, vermiculite and pumice.

- Garden Bloomers Takao Nursery isn’t shying away from Gen-Y-type marketing, even in their commercial catalogs. Fun to read!

Plants are good for the environment. Who knew?

There's no way this is promoted enough. Yahoo! News reports on a University of Washington study that poplar trees pull contaminants out of groundwater. Kudos to Sharon Doty, an assistant professor of forest resources at the University of Washington. Her study on the trees appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and it's made it to the mainstream media.

This article targets "genetically modified plants" as toxin busters. What about all the great advantages of any old plant? Who's talking about that?

Something Green To Ponder

Our sister magazine, Today's Garden Center, asked its e-newsletter readers the following question:

How important is it to you that your live goods suppliers use a sustainable production method?

Almost 60 percent said sustainable production is very important to them. A quarter of respondents said it was somewhat important. I thought these numbers might be a little lower, not sure why. I guess I saw the sustainability/eco trend being driven by box stores.

Blog Action Day

It first came onto my radar today at Beyond Sustainable Gardening. Today is Blog Action Day, the day when "bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind." Namely, environmental issues.

Almost 16,000 bloggers agreed to blog something today about environmental awareness. Some of the participants blog every day to change the world and talk about the environment a lot. Some of them are regular old bloggers who agreed to blog on the environment today. Trend or not, the environmental movement is happening today. Retailers waiting to see what you're going to do about it.

Is Sustainability All In Our Heads?

The Center For Media Research (which I have heard of) is reporting "seven in ten Americans either ‘strongly' or ‘somewhat' agree that when companies call a product "green" (meaning better for the environment), it is usually just a 'marketing tactic.'"

This report is based on information from "an Ipsos Reid study conducted this spring on behalf of Icynene" (which I've never heard of).

If the numbers hold up, that's a lot of people that don't really care about going green. I think many gardeners worry about the environment, since that's what they're trying to beautify. All those products that are out there claiming to be earth friendly, but really aren't, are tainting the term. Floriculture's are the most green products, after all, aren't they?

Sustainable Products You Recommend

Sustainable growing is really hot. Almost all the growers I talk to say they'd be interested in hearing about biodegradable pots, organic growing media, biofertilizers, biological pests, compost teas, and the list goes on.

We're putting together a special section in Greenhouse Grower on sustainability. We hope it will be something growers will pull out and keep, especially those that haven't yet jumped into the sustainability movement.

So we're looking for your advice. What products or methods are you using that would be considered sustainable? And what advice would you give to growers who are just getting their feet wet on sustainability? E-mail me or comment below.

What's Wal-Mart Sustaining? And For How Long?

Last week, Delilah and I attended Grower Talks' Greenhouse Experience here in Cleveland. Yeah, it was a little weird being at our competitor's event, but I thought the event was really good, especially the speakers focused around mass merchandisers.

Delilah wrote about one in our e-newsletter, Benchrunner, yesterday. Wal-Mart's Senior Horticultural Buyer spoke about the chain's movement toward sustainability - in its stores and in the horticultural products it sells. You can read her story here.

Almost immediately after the e-newsletter sent, we got an e-mail from a grower questioning Wal-Mart's motives.

"Maybe they should look at employee and supplier 'essentials' first, it might make it easier to swallow their 'deep concern for the environment,'" he said. If Wal-Mart really does care so much about sustainability, most would argue that fair employment and business practices should be included in that definition.

I really wouldn't blame any supplier to any of the mass merchandisers for being suspicious of movements and trends that demand they change their production processes. But you all are closer to these retailers than I am.

Are we putting all our eggs in one basket? Do you think this green movement is here to stay, both with retailers and consumers? You can comment anonymously below.