Phil Gutis's Blog
An Eco-Industrial Park?
June 22, 2007
Posted by Phil Gutis in Green Enterprise
Environmentalism is no longer confined to leftie magazines. My staff can testify that I'm always ripping environmental coverage from the oddest of sources and today I found another one in the most recent issue of Small Biz, a publication of Business Week. In its cover story, Offices that Work, the editors included four paragraphs on Christy Webber Landscapes in suburban Chicago.
Turns out that Webber was selected by Chicago officials to develop an "eco-industrial park" and agreed to build a green building as part of the site (an already developed block of land that had gone dormant on the city's West Side.) Her LEED building included a green roof and, in a really interesting twist, a storm water management system that collects rainwater in a central area where it is pumped into trucks that Webber's company uses to water nursery plants. Saving water, reducing runoff that could otherwise be polluted by ground contaminants and literally keeping the city green.
Innovations like that give me hope that we can figure our way out of the industrial mess.
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Comments
Alex Kennaugh — Jun 24 2007 10:34 AM
If you read this blog and are interested in learning more about strategies for green cities, check out NRDC's Rooftops to Rivers report.
It's a policy guide for citizens and decision makers looking to create a healthier urban environment in their areas, including nine case studies of cities that have successfully used green techniques such as rooftop gardens, more absorbent concrete, and street planters that intercept rainwater before it hits the ground.
You can download the full report for free at: http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp
Let us know if it was helpful!
christy webber — Aug 23 2007 07:12 AM
I concur with the writer, so often much of this "green" stuff is political.
If you know anything about the landscaping business our industry is anything but green. We use trucks, blowers, mowers and create lots of garbage. So to be able to (at the very least) reduce my energy consumption by building a building that hopefully will be 55% more efficient than one the same size... we're trying.
Think about it, I truly only need 6 double wides and a pole barn!!!
The whole project has me running crazy trying to over manage the company to show that a landscaping company can build a green building pay the hefty mortgage and still make money!
Say a prayer for me so you can say if that girl can do it anyone can.
Phil Gutis — Aug 26 2007 10:57 AM
What a delight to hear from you Christy. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be a leader in this movement. If you have time, would love to hear from you periodically about the challenges you face as you build this green industrial park and your green landscaping business.
Being a leader is never easy, but we need leadership to show us solutions to our man-made crisis.
Thanks for being a leader!