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Don't Punish Those Whose Dreams Come True
by Gregg Wartgow - Friday May 18, 2012Our charismatic vice president recently made some mind-boggling comments about how Republicans just don't understand the "non-rich," whom I believe are classified as those making less than $350,000 per year. Rich people don’t seem to understand that the 99% also dream about making lots of money and being successful, he more or less barked into his podium’s microphone. What our VP doesn’t seem to understand is that it’s not about some kind of physiological, inherent inability to dream. It’s about punishing those whose dreams have come true. Who exactly are they after in this wealth envy-driven campaign? Is it “fat” Wall Street bankers, rich kids who’ve inherited tons of money, highly paid athletes and entertainers, Joe... -
Focus on the real issues with respect to professionalism
by Gregg Wartgow - Friday March 23, 2012
Landscapers are busy people, so we don’t hear from our readers as often as we might like. If I’m ever dying for some reader interaction, though, all I have to do is publish a photo of a worker that’s not wearing a uniform. There is a segment of our readership that is adamant about the donning of uniforms. Uniformed crews, they say, help elevate the level of professionalism in the Green Industry. That helps bolster public opinion about the industry. And that helps landscape contractors charge more for their services. That is nonsense. First of all, the industry is a lot more “professional” than it was when I started covering it in 1997. However, the average lawn maintenance contractor today is charging less than he did back... -
Consumer Confidence Depends on Who You Ask - So Ask
by Gregg Wartgow - Wednesday February 29, 2012February’s consumer confidence index reached its highest level in a year (70.8 compared to 72 in February 2011). That’s still considerably lower than the 107.2 it posted in February 2007. Nonetheless, consumer confidence has been improving over the past few months—and any good news is welcomed right now. Consumers also appear to be a bit less pessimistic about both current and short-term economic conditions. 13% believe that current conditions are good (virtually unchanged since January), but those who think current conditions are poor dropped from 38.3% to 31.2% 18.7% believe things will improve over the next six months (up from 16.7% in January), while those who think things will get worse dropped from 14.6% to... -
Do You Work in a 'Green' State
by Gregg Wartgow - Monday February 13, 2012The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its list of top states with LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita. We’re talking about “green” here – so you might expect to see states like Washington and California on the list. But also included are states like Texas and Illinois. You can check out the full list here . Regardless of where you live and work, “green building” and sustainability in general are things you should be paying close attention to by now. The USGBC, together with 15 partner organizations, are urging the White House to examine nearly three dozen executive actions across 23 agency programs where it can drive the economic and environmental benefits of green building... -
What's In Your Mulch?
by Gregg Wartgow - Wednesday January 18, 2012There was a recent asbestos scare up in Montana recently ( story here ). Turned out to be nothing more than just that, a scare, but reminds us of an important point. What's in your mulch, wood chips or whatever else you're putting on and/or around your trees, shrubs and grass? Are you going the cheapest route, or are you confident that it's a high-quality product that isn't going to do more harm than good? Products such as mulch and fertilizer may seem like rather straightforward products that require little research or thought; just buy a bag and toss it in the back of your truck. But have some fun and make your supplier work for the sale by asking them to prove that their product is top of the line.
