Altruism
Pron: (ˈal-trü-ˌi-zəm)
Def: A program or movement that requires the unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.  Also, the surest path to failure for a given program or movement.

I’m of the opinion that for the green movement to be universally adopted it’s going to have to rely less on altruism and more on mutual benefit.  Don’t get me wrong; I think it’s noble to take a monkey wrench to your company’s procedures, often times harming your bottom line, all in the name of “saving the planet.”  And I think in the early stages of any movement, there has to be a group of fervent believers in that movement to get it off the ground.  And saving the planet is certainly worthy.

Jimmy Carter wanted everyone in America to turn their thermostats down to the 60’s.  But it turns out the 60’s is pretty damn cold.  The movement failed.

I think the current movement toward a greener America and greener planet can only be accepted by the masses if they truly believe in it, and for that to happen, most of those people are going to need to see something in it for them.

I just read an article yesterday about a prison that was about to be charged $25,000 per day in fines for the solid wastes leaving the prison that couldn’t be processed by the waste water treatment plant.  The problem?  Plastic eating utensils, towels and other stuff was being flushed down the toilet.  So the prison installed a $4 trap in some of the toilets.  If something was flushed that wasn’t supposed to be, the trap closed and the toilet flooded into the cell.  So now the inmates are going green, if you can call it that, because it turns out that having your own waste back up into your living quarters is a pretty strong incentive to do the right thing.

In our case I think the incentive doesn’t need to be that offensive.  Saving a finski every day or two would probably be enough incentive, wouldn’t it?

It was for me.

Here’s what we did.  I know that in my local market there’s more than a handful of people (more like thousands) who love getting things for free.  Doesn’t matter what it is, there’s always somebody that can use it.  So I started a spoils recycling program (though I think I called it “Free Junk”).

Here’s how it worked:  whenever we had non-dirt spoils from a jobsite, we’d take them back to our shop.  At the end of the driveway leading to our shop, we’d place the spoils along with this sign:

Usually within a few hours, whatever we had placed there was gone.  Occasionally the sign was taken as well.  You’re probably thinking to yourself “I love the idea of being able to get rid of those spoils we usually get charged an extra environmental fee to dispose of, but what kinds of things can we really expect to be able to get rid of this way?”

Here’s what we’ve been able to have recycled by our local garbage pickers community:

• Steel fencing
• Steel fence posts
• Wood fencing
• Wooden steps
• Pre-fab concrete steps
• Scrap flagstone (I mean the real junk)
• Scrap pavers and block - all colors, all sizes
• Wood decking
• Pallets

I’m sure there’s more, that’s just all I could think of right now.  That’s one less load of non-degradable materials being brought to the landfill, and one less check you have to cut to pay for the disposal.  The extra labor for handling is negligible, and you get to look like (and market yourself as) a company that cares about the health of the planet.  Win, win and yes, win.

The only thing left to do is remind prospective clients (via your website and maybe a press release or two) about programs like your community recycling effort, so they can fall even more deeply in love with you.

When I started checking into the idea of hanging onto our scrap metal for recycling, I have to admit, I had some false assumptions.

The first and probably biggest assumption was that I’d be able to pocket a nice wad of cash for my scrap.  As I dug into my research it was clear this was not the case.  Lemme break it to you: you will not get rich recycling the scrap metal that accumulates over the natural course of doing business.  I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but there’s just no way around it, that is unless your paver supplier is quadruple banding every paver you ever buy.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still recycle your bad rims, tie rods, dump bodies, alternators, spent diamond blades and metal banding.  When you look at the dollars (and the warm feeling you’ll get inside when you know landfills aren’t getting stocked with something that’s reusable), recycling is still the way to go.

Allow me to explain.

Even though the steady decline of our economy has also impacted the prices scrap dealers are willing to pay for steel, iron, copper and aluminum, in my local area there are still scrap metal dealers willing to pay between $20 and $70 per ton.

I know.  $20 isn’t much, is it?  The variance in dollars fetched per ton has to do with what kind of metal it is.  For example, if it was a full ton of metal banding, they tell me that’s less valuable, hence the $20/ton price tag.  If it’s better quality stuff like pieces of linkage for trucks, drive shafts, skidsteer wheels (BIG stuff), then it’d be worth $70.

And a ton is a lot, right?  Not really, when you consider the weights of some of the things we routinely deal with.  The worn out bit for our Brown Bed Edger has to weigh 30-40 pounds.  The steering linkage (that I threw away two years ago!) from our F600 probably weighed 80-100 pounds.  And I can’t even estimate how much metal banding we’ve thrown away.

Another thing to consider is that the prices have dropped precipitously since last summer.  One quoted scrap metal dealer in my area said that steel and iron have dropped in value 75% since it was last sunny and warm in Wisconsin.  Aluminum was $.80 a pound; now it’s $.25 per pound. The prices aren’t usually that low, and the dealers I contacted expressed hope that prices would rise again in summer.

And therein lies the beauty of scrap metal.  It’s scrap, so it’s not going to significantly deteriorate in time.  And you can store it in an unused part of your shop or property so it doesn’t tie up valuable real estate.  If you have a pile of it now and the value is low, just leave it in a pile.  Wait until the value goes up.  You can call your local dealers every few months to see if the price has gone up, and when it does - cash in.

The things they take?  Just about anything that’s made of metal.  They don’t want things that contain chemicals they’ll have to deal with later such as freon.  So no AC units, please.  But besides that, they’ll accept screws, brackets, doorknobs, nails, sheet metal, tube steel, rebar, metal banding, dump bodies, truck or tractor wheels, caulk guns, spent diamond blades, spent wood blades, hand saws, broken shovels (the metal part), bolts, nuts…you get the idea.  If it’s made of metal, they’ll take it.

Here’s a few tips to get your scrap metal recycling program off to a successful start:

Set up a garbage can in your workshop for all scrap metal.  That way the little things like rebar chunks will end up put to good use instead of landfilled.

Set aside a spot on your property for the larger stuff.  It can be as simple as a pile.

Call around.  Some dealers pay better than other for scrap.

Dealers will often have a different price based on the volume of scrap you’re bringing in.  One of the better paying dealers in my area differentiated price at the half ton point.  Anything less than 1,000 pounds was one price (lower) anything more than 1,000 pounds got another (higher).  So it’ll pay to have a spot to store a good quantity - but it needn’t be more than a 6′x6′ area.

Many can accept the scrap in dump trucks, so whenever you’re ready, just scoop up your metallic pile and toss it into one of your trucks.

Like I said before, if the price today isn’t very good for your scrap, just sit on it until it is.

The cost of dumping scrap metal at my local county landfill was just under $25 per ton, and they tell me they’re one of the cheapest in Wisconsin.  And in general, we tend to be pretty cheap about everything.  Expect much higher costs in more metropolitan areas like Chicago or Philadelphia.

By recycling, you’ll actually be netting out up to $100 per ton (or more) versus sending it to a landfill.  Certainly worth the almost non-effort you have to make to recycle.  And you’ll be making your back pocket and the planet just a little greener, too.

The great folks at Green Roofs for Healthy Cities are offering a $25 discount to all Ground Trades Xchange members attending their green roof classes. The classes cover a broad range of topics, from design and installation of green roofing to waterproofing and drainage, plants and growing medium. And within those classes there are also relevant subtopics, such as (as I read from my itinerary):

Construction contracts and administration

Growing medium

Pavers and pathways

Vegetation

Warranties and liability

There’s more, including design exercises and additional topics. Lots of material. Great if you’re wanting to get involved with this part of the landscaping industry. Classes are being held in the larger cities all across the United States and Canada. Visit greenroofs.org for locations, dates and times.

How do you get the discount? When you register for the class online, in the field asking for a discount code, enter: grhchost

I’m attending one of the classes next week and will be reporting back as time permits.

I’m very excited to announce that LandArts has won our Green Ideas = Free Tools contest, and with that will be receiving over $1,000 in Pave Tech tools.  Here’s the winning entry:

I try to minimize the use of wood with it’s limited life span. In the last year we have done several deck-to-patio conversions where a deck company comes in, rips out the old deck and replaces it with a much smaller landing and steps. Then we come in and install a rot-proof patio where the deck stood. It’s an EASY sell. Some homeowner go all-out and have the landing and steps constructed out of a recycled material like Trex. Grade level patios are more private and snug-feeling than elevated decks. Most decks are too small so we typically increase the size of the patio by at least 50% larger than what they had. Having the patio at the same grade as the lawn means kids can “play through” and when entertaining large groups can spill over onto the lawn.

When installing patios and walks we always find a way to reuse spoils. If there are no areas on site that need filling we might design a feature, such as a pondless waterfall that would benefit from raising the grade. If there is a recycling facility nearby, concrete and asphalt can be dropped off at little or no cost and crushed concrete base material picked up in a single trip. Saves money, saves time, saves fuel.

For the last three years our table saw has been replaced with a paver splitter. We use a lot of tumbled pavers and the splitter gives us a perfect “weathered” edge. Human-powered, no noise pollution, no expensive blade replacements.

We do a lot of water features and customers have been expressing concern about power costs and water usage. Sealing leaks (the idea is for the water to go OVER the rocks ) and testing and tweaking waterfalls means we can get away with using smaller, more economical pumps. A simple rainwater harvesting system will supply enough water to keep the water feature full and for hand watering of plants. A typical rain barrel will fill with rain in minutes…and be drained almost as quickly. A 560 gallon tank will fill with one good rainfall and provide water for weeks. Another idea is to tap onto the AC condensation pipe with flex PVC and run it into the water feature.

With rising gas prices and fairly long commutes to many of our work sites we’ve moved to a four-day work week. My guys typically are into overtime by noon on the fourth day. If there’s one day in the week when rain is expected we just go ahead and take that day off. No more driving 1.5 hours to work two hours on the job. An added benefit is the built-in rain day each week to help us stay on schedule. I’ve been trying to get my suppliers to stock all of the hardscape materials I typically use so we can get everything to the site with one delivery.

We’re looking at getting a cabover diesel dump truck. A biodiesel conversion would cost under 1k and there is a plant nearby making the stuff from chicken fat from poultry processing plants…but I wonder what that stuff smells like when it burns

We’re really excited to be providing this new segment to our already outstanding content offerings for the landscaping industry. To kick off the launch of Greening we’re offering you the chance to win over $1,000 in Pave Tech tools. And all we need from you? Three ideas.

The challenge is this: submit three (or more) ideas of ways that hardscapers could be more green when installing their projects. The ideas can relate to conservation of resources, the use of different tools, different techniques, material choices, whatever. The end result should be that if a project is installed using your ideas, it’ll be better for the environment and as good as an “un-green” installation. Added consideration will be given to those ideas that have been well developed, including data supporting an idea, estimations of the change in environmental impact as well as economic impact on the company building the hardscape.

We define hardscapes as non-plant elements in the landscape, including those things that are constructed from stone, brick or wood. Examples include (but are not limited to) patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls, pergolas, arbors, water features, outdoor kitchens and built-in grills.

To submit your entry for the contest, send a private message via the Ground Trades Xchange forums to Stonehenge (Jeff Pozniak). You can also submit your entry via email to Jeff@GroundTradesXchange.com. However, you must be a registered member of our forums to be considered for the final drawing. But don’t sweat it; becoming a member is free. Registration takes about 150 seconds.

This Green Ideas = Free Tools promotion and contest will begin today and run through April 30th. At the close of the contest our panel will judge each entry to determine which presented the most developed, feasible and impactful ideas for building green hardscapes.

The winner will receive the following from Pave Tech:

The Paver Adjuster. We use this tool in our own operations. Just slip the narrow tooth into the seam between pavers where the bond lines aren’t straight and apply a little prying pressure to scoot pavers into alignment.

The Base Rake. A wide business end and tough construction designed to push and pull heavy crushed stone in preparation for pavers or block.

The Paver Extractor. Ever tried to remove pavers after they’ve been swept in and compacted? Ever broken the heads off of flat head screwdrivers? The paver extractor is specifically designed to remove pavers from the middle of a patio. Just tap the teeth into the seams around the paver you want to remove, squeeze the handles together and pull up. Slick as snot.

The Sand Pull. Looks like a concrete float, acts like a screed board. The Sand Pull is designed to allow you to pull larger amount of sand from your base prep while standing, reducing the labor needed for installation and possibly saving someone’s back in the process.

The Screed Board Pro. Lightweight and easy to handle, this magnesium screed board won’t flex while screeding, improving the quality of your base prep. Also, it’s durability means you won’t be buying another long screed board for awhile. And it won’t get twisted out of shape if you leave it out in the rain.

The String Along. Makes quick work of setting string elevations for your hardscape projects.

The Paver Pounder. A twist on the traditional hand tamper, with the Paver Pounder you place the head of the tamper on the stone or soil where you want to compact, then use the handle on the weighted inner sleeve to provide the force for compaction. No more snapped tamper corners because you struck the ground at an odd angle.

The Paver Broom. A sturdy bristle broom with reinforced brackets and a 24″ width to make sweeping in paver sand and cleaning up a breeze.

The Paver Square. You know about the Pythagoras’ Theorem and how a triangle with sides of unit length 3,4 and 5 nets you a right triangle. But in practice, when laying out a chalk line for the paver patio or drive you’re about to lay, it’s nearly impossible to get it perfect. With the Paver Square, 4 seconds and you have a perfect right triangle to use to check square, snap chalk lines, whatever. This is a time saver and will also improve the quality of your installs by improving your bond line consistency.

That’s nine cool tools to help you make better quality hardscapes, faster. And all you have to do is give us three good ideas to make hardscapes greener.

What do you say?

Ground Trades Xchange is now in it’s sixth year.  A veritable lifetime for a website.  During that time I’ve tried to keep my ear to the ground, reading through thousands of threads, visiting hundreds of other sites and keeping up with more trade magazines than I’d like to count, to get a sense for the underlying current in our industry and where it’s headed.  And along with that, what kinds of content we need to be bringing to GTX.

Really, it didn’t take much effort to see that one of the important directions the landscaping industry is taking is in going green.  Seems appropriate for the “green industry,” doesn’t it?  Maybe even past due.  If you were watching TV in the last 3 months you probably saw PSA’s from the big networks talking about studios turning out lights as a fist-raising “Amen, brother!” to all those who are fighting the daily green fight.  TLC is even launching shows dedicated to green living.

But the green movement in and of itself didn’t seem like something that initially we should dedicate web real estate to.  Sure we’d have a discussion or two in our landscaping forums about different green-related topics like erosion control or organic lawn care, but there didn’t seem to be a strong business angle to the content.  If anything, GTX is about landscaping AND business.  The business end of going green seemed to fall short.

But over the last 24 months the catalog of potential for the green movement mounted, hitting it’s apogee with me during this past winter’s research.  Some of my favorite magazines (Fast Company, Wired and Inc.) have had articles about green businesses  every month, and I was seeing growing opportunities for earning business in this burgeoning sector of our landscape industry.  It was time to jump in.

So it’s with great excitement and anticipation that I introduce all of you to “Greening,” Ground Trades Xchange’s home for going green.  This will be the repository for new articles about all aspects of making your business green, from earning business installing work that contributes to the improvement of the environment, to making your internal operations more eco-friendly.

Keep a watchful eye on our landscaping forums.  We’ll be making a big splash for Greening with the announcement of a contest where the winner will take home over $1,000 in tools!

More soon…