Charles Andrianus Receives NOFA Certification, Takes Lead on Sustainability

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

South Area Manager Charles Andrianus and ELM’s plant health care team is helping us aim higher in our goal to make sustainability a driver of innovation. 

Recently, Charles completed a course sponsored by the Connecticut Chapter of the New England Organic Famers Association (NOFA) on sustainable organic landscaping and gardening practices, giving ELM’s clients more options when it comes to maintaining a healthy landscape. 

According to Charles, “The built environment is not just about buildings and the landscaped outdoors, but includes the way people interact and derive health benefits from nature. For ELM, this means we’re putting an emphasis on how the landscapes we care for improve peoples’ lives.” 

The growing visibility of sustainability at ELM, and its integration into the company’s service and cultural footprint, is an example of where leadership companies are going. For Charles, who’s been a passionate promoter of environmental sustainability since 2014 when he joined ELM, the NOFA course was a pivotal moment. 

“Sustainability is now a cross-company initiative with a center of gravity around leaders like Charles,” said company president Bruce Moore Jr. “From water conservation to green waste reduction and lean management principles, we’re stepping up our game and accelerating our focus and commitment across operations, customer solutions, and best practices.”

The impact of Charles’ commitment means that he will now oversee alternate approaches that will allow ELM to perform much larger projects over a longer period of time. Under Charles’ guidance, ELM can now recommend organic options, turf alternatives, native plant palettes and wildflower and perennial plantings; wetland restoration projects, improved soil health, and increased landscape bio-diversity.

“As ELM’s sustainable landscape management program evolves, we will be looking at ways to meet the needs of various landscape systems across the commercial and institutional properties we serve. These will include soils management, soil testing, composting, pest and disease control, and a holistic focus on treating landscape health from the ground up,” added Bruce.

For information on how ELM can help you meet your corporate sustainability goals, contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433.

Photo L-R: Chris Smith, plant health care technician with Charles Andrianus.

Irrigation Update: Water Restrictions Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Newtown, Stamford and Westport

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Aquarion Water Company has joined with local officials to promote water conservation and reduce water use by restricting outdoor and landscape watering to a maximum of twice weekly, as follows:

  • Twice-weekly restrictions will apply to both in-ground systems and above-ground sprinklers. Drip irrigation, soaker hoses and hand-held watering will continue to be allowed.
  • Aquarion Water Company customers can file for a variance to allow for additional watering time if the property is larger than two (2) acres.
  • ELM’s installation of smart water conservation technology will allow for watering to occur outside of the normal water restrictions due to their ability to conserve large volumes of water.

Ways to save

  • Make water conservation a strategic priority.
  • Reduce watering needs by strategic plant practices (mulching, soil amendments and hydrogels, and proactively managing moisture-stress symptoms).
  • Convert underutilized or underperforming turf areas to perennial meadows or alternative use.
  • Use state of the art water technologies to better manage, use and conserve irrigation water.

ELM’s Premier Partnership with Weathermatic®, a global leader in smart water technology, is a new addition to our water conservation tool kit. The technology uses high-efficiency components designed to improve irrigation water use on commercial properties through sensor-based analysis and intelligent reporting. 

This technology is now available to all of our clients as part of a green tech upgrade program. 

Maximize efficiency

ELM recommends the following to ensure that landscapes remain healthy and high-performing:

  • Include irrigation data as an essential financial metric in your building operation’s dashboard system.
  • Install smart water technology to manage water distribution, gauge irrigation requirements and save on water costs.
  • Use proper irrigation methods to improve system efficiencies, such as pressure-regulating devices, which apply water directly to plants, and high-efficiency nozzles or other devices such as drip system alternatives as conservation measures.

Act now. Implement dramatic water savings and immediate compliance with water restrictions to avoid costly fines:

Call: Jamie Gorton, ELM’s resource conservation expert at 203-316-5433 

Learn more: ELM’s Water Conservation & Sustainability Platform

Make it happen: Email us to get started

Calculating the Value of Trees.

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

There has never been a better time to plant more trees. With CO2 concentrations increased over the last century by half, trees are an easy, cost-effective and natural way to bring CO2 percentages down. In fact, trees are the single most powerful weapon in the landscape tool kit as a means to improve the overall health of the urban environment.

Every day, ELM practices sound best tree care management practices to improve the quality of life, reduce pollution, lower energy costs, improve the appearance of commercial and community landscapes, and increase the value of commercial and institutional real estate properties.

Tree facts:

  • Trees are natural carbon eaters. A single tree can absorb CO2 at a rate of 48 lbs. per year.
  • Trees are natural pollution fighters, filtering harmful particulates, such as dust, pollen, smoke from the air, through their leaves.
  • Trees are energy savers, lowering peak temperature by transpiring water and shading surfaces.
  • Trees reduce surface water runoff from storms, thus decreasing soil erosion and the accumulation of sediments and potentially harmful chemicals in streams.
  • An acre of trees absorbs enough CO2 over one year to equal the amount produced by driving a care 26,000 miles.
  • Trees provide forage and habitats for wildlife.
  • Trees recharge groundwater and sustain water stream flow.
  • One large tree strategically placed on a site can replace 10 room size air conditioners operating 20 hours per day.
  • Fallen tree leaves can reduce soil temperatures and soil moisture loss; decaying leaves promotes soil microorganism and provide nutrients for tree growth.
  • The carbon footprints of 18 average Americans can be neutralized by one acre of hardwood trees.

Want more good reasons why healthy trees and landscapes are a solid return on your investment? Contact Bruce Moore Jr., ELM president at 203-316-5433.

ELM Partners with Weathermatic® to Promote Water Conservation and Irrigation Efficiency

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

As a key component of its broader sustainability initiative, ELM announced that the company had partnered with Weathermatic®, a global leader in smart water technology.

As a Weathermatic® Premier Partner, ELM will be offering Weathermatic technologies as part of its water conservation platform, including sustainability metrics that will improve irrigation water use on commercial properties through sensor-based analysis and intelligent reporting. 

“Highly connected irrigation management systems are one of many ways smart tech is transforming commercial real estate,” said ELM President Bruce Moore Jr.  “We are focused on working more closely to advance tech-enabled solutions and work with property owners and managers to meet their sustainability and financial goals, especially when water use restrictions apply.”

Certified irrigation professional and ELM program manager, James (Jamie) Gorton, is an authoritative voice for landscape water efficiency and planning. “Effectively managing water consumption, means looking at outdoor as well as indoor water use. Landscaping can account for as much as 70 percent of water use on some properties and we’re looking at multiple ways our clients can save water. Creative approaches to landscape planning, including the use of a less thirsty plant palette, permeable paving, and mulch and soil mixes that maximize water retention and encourage deep-rooted plants, go hand-in-hand with our comprehensive approach to water management and monitoring,” added Jamie.

For comprehensive information about water-efficient products, practices and planning, contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433.

About Eastern Land

Eastern Land Management is a full-service legacy landscaping firm serving commercial and institutional property managers and owners throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut. As one of the region’s leading providers of all-season landscape and grounds services, ELM promotes energy-efficient approaches that create long-term value and have a positive effect on the communities in which people live, work and play. www.easternland.comA

About Weathermatic®

Weathermatic® is the world’s leader in smart water technology and innovative landscape irrigation products, working with professionals, public agencies and consumers to advance water and resource conservation practices, programs and policies. Its products are in use on high profile properties the world over, including the U.S. Capitol Building and Buckingham Palace.  www.weathermatic.com

Chris Smith to Lead ELM’s Plant Health Initiative

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Please join us in congratulating Field Manager Chris Smith who has been tasked to lead ELM’s commitment to plant health.

Plant health care is both a philosophy of long term health as well as a broad framework of customizable and proactive approaches that address commercial landscapes and soils as integrated, biodiverse systems.

“If your goal is a high performing landscape,” said Chris, “incremental fixes have little impact.  Like human health, treating the symptoms rather than seeking to understand the underlying cause of the problem, rarely improves the outcome.” 

“Nutrition and proactive disease management are the two most powerful things that can create resilience or cure stress problems in plants,” he added. “For clients pursuing green building or LEED credits, a plant health care program as part of a sustainability-driven landscape maintenance platform can help advance green goals.”   

“The bottom line for us,” said company president Bruce Moore Jr., “is to foster approaches where sustainability for our clients is profitable and a competitive differentiator.  As property and facility managers make investment decisions, capital improvement and site operations decisions, they will want to do things that drive greener futures and we believe that future starts from the ground up.”

ELM’s sustainable protocols include an increase in the use of non-nitrogen fertilizers, microbial organisms for soil health, an eco-system-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests, and a holistic approach to minimizing environmental risks while optimizing the quality of life for plants and people.

Chris holds a pesticide applicator’s license from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection and will be receiving a certificate in Turfgrass Management from Penn State University in July 2019. Before joining ELM in 2017, Chris served with the Darien Board of Education’s ground crew.