Not only do trees have great environmental benefits, they also have financial value. Find out more in this article then stop by Lurvey to pick the right trees for you!

 

As our industry moves progressively forward in making sustainable practices and products part of our daily lives, Lurvey believes that many of the products we supply fit that way of thinking. Many of these products may not have been considered as a component of a ‘green’ project/ practice in the past, but as we evolve in our thinking of what is sustainable and what makes economic sense, selecting responsible products and using products responsibly should reach to the core of what we do every day.

Are certain products in themselves sustainable, or is it that our product choices need to be installed in the correct space and under the right conditions? Maybe it is using less? Applying less? Being aware of how what we are doing is affecting those around us and those after us. Is it the product or the practice that makes our projects responsible? We believe that a combination of finding the balance of using the right products in the right spaces and the need to responsibly execute those projects is a great starting point.

From recycled clay pavers, to permeable pavers, to LED lighting, we will continue to find sustainable products and source them from responsible suppliers.

Lurvey is excited to be removing an old building to construct a new contractor facility in Des Plaines. The construction is being completed to LEED Gold standards. View photos of our progress and follow our Going Green discussion on Facebook.

One of the features of the new building is the Thermal Shell panels we're using for the walls and roof of the building.

ThermalShell Wall Panels: Unsurpassed, R-35+, 4X’s insulation value and 4X’s lighter panels. The outer portion of 2” thick concrete exclusive for Lurvey Landscape Supply, has a textured pattern embedded/painted in the TTI proprietary formula concrete to create a replica of a farmhouse plank siding, while giving structure and holding thermo mass. The 4-1/2” inner core Dow Chemical Polyurethane with natural bonding powers to both the inner and outer casing, hold the thermal mass while rejecting transfer of inner and outer temperature variations, thus producing the R-35+ rating. The inner layer is the same 25 gauge corrugated steel as inter-roof panels. This panel will adapt to every choice or need.

ThermalShell Roof Panels: R-35 TTI composite roof panel include 3 in 1: metal deck, polyurethane insulation and external metal finish in single application. Warranty on these panels is 40 years. This system provides significant savings in roof insulation and installation. This photo shows the beauty of the TTI overlap trademark, “Complete Triple Seal” illustrating perfectly the mechanics for the power of TTI insulation and airlock.

Another feature is energy saving lighting! All outside lighting installed at the new building uses energy-saving LED technology. In fact, halolgen lighting would use nearly three times the electricity for the 20 outdoor lights! There are 8 LED wall mount lights that are 23W LED bulbs that provide the equivilant output of a 35W High Intensity Discharge bulb, 6 28W spot lights that provide the equivilant output of a 50 W High Intensity Discharge bulb, 7 28 W 28W ceiling mount lights that provide the equivilant output of a 50 W High Intensity Discharge bulb.

Inside the warehouse we're using half the power by using compact flourescent lamp (CFL) bulbs that are turned on with motion sensors, so that we're not lighting the space when it isn't needed. Our restrooms and storage rooms also have motion switches, so we won't be wasting energy if we forget to turn off the lights!

This single GE High Intensity Discharge bulb from Grainger is cast on this loading area next to the building.
We're also encouraging our customers to be green by providing the Allen Bike Rack, which holds three bikes, and reserving parking for Fuel Efficient Vehicles and customers that carpool.

 

 

So much of "being green" is doing the little things that can make a big difference. Take, for instance, recycling your garden pots. Did you know that gardeners and garden centers in the U.S. use more than 350,000,000 pounds of plastic annually? If all that plastic ends up in the landfill, it's truly a mountain of trash! For that very reason, we have a recycling program, and garden pots are a big part of it!

You can bring your garden pots to us for recycling. We'll see that they do not end up in a landfill! It's as simple as that. We accept pots of all sizes, cell packs, hanging baskets and trays in our recycling program. Nest items together to conserve space.

Read more about recycling and sustainability in the garden in these past issues of Seasonal Solutions: Aug. 10, 2010, Oct. 10, 2010, Nov. 2, 2010.