Welcoming Students Back. A landscape blueprint for campus health & safety

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Schools are reopening for summer in Connecticut with restrictions for health and safety. Among these are guidelines for health and safety and protocols for precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

We are privileged to work with some of the finest educational institutions in our region and are prepared to take on responsibility to help them ensure the health and safety of their students and staff.

Based on state and federal guidelines and our current understanding of infection control measures, our campus health and safety program now includes a broad range of services that mitigate risk, improve logistics, functionality and delivery, and ensure that school landscape and grounds are sustainable and healthy from the ground up.

  • Athletic fields, high-performance turf installation and care
  • Complete outsource landscape and grounds maintenance package available
  • Custom on-site service schedule
  • Disinfecting and sanitizing services
  • Hardscape construction, renovations, rehabilitation of walkways, and outdoor amenities to meet social distancing requirements
  • Horticultural services
  • Lighting
  • Non-toxic plant health care program
  • Plant disease and pest control
  • Sanitizing and disinfecting services
  • Seasonal color, perennials, gardens for school garden clubs
  • Snow and ice management
  • Stormwater management/bioswales/drainage and grounds stabilization
  • Tree care
  • Uniforms and PPE protocols, and enhanced health and safety training
  • Updated equipment safety and functionality procedures and training
  • Vector-borne disease control, and mosquito/tick habitat reduction
  • Water conservation, water audits, smart irrigation technology and water management

For information on getting your campus ready to welcome students back, to disinfect, deep clean, spruce up your grounds, or upgrade irrigation and drainage, contact ELM President, Bruce Moore Jr., at 203-316-5433. 

Or email at bmoorejr@easternland.comto learn more.

ELM is a full-service landscape and snow and ice contractor, licensed and bonded in the States of Connecticut and New York. 

Photo: ELM is proud to be full-service landscape partner to Sacred Heart University Fairfield County Connecticut.

Introducing a New Standard for Clean: Property Sanitization & Disinfecting Services Now Available

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

To help contain the spread of Covid-19, ELM is offering enhanced protective measures to help property owners and operators mount an effective, precautionary response against pathogens, infectious agents and vector-borne disease. 

I. Disinfecting & Sanitizing Treatments Tackle Infectious Agents

Our disinfecting and sanitizing applications focus on high-touch points, environmental surfaces, and fixtures and furniture found in high-traffic common areas. These include, but are not limited to, patios, dining terraces and picnic areas, railings, entries, green roofs, recreational amenities, artificial sports fields, benches and bleachers. 

II. Exterior Pressure Washing Removes Pollutants

High-pressure water jets effectively remove environmental dirt, dust, tree pollen, and bird and insect residue on walls and walkways. Our service unclogs rain gutters and downspouts and freshens non-porous surfaces without leaving corrosive residues. 

III.     Vector-borne Disease Control Inhibits Mosquitos, Ticks, Fleas

Source reduction is the key to ridding outdoor areas of fleas, ticks and breeding environments for mosquitos. ELM’s seasonal pest control program reduces the risk of virus such as West Nile, Zika, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Lyme disease. Other insect control strategies, such as bio-control agents, landscape habitat modification, pesticide and non-toxic methods of control can be applied.

ELM’s Safety & Best Practice Guidelines

ELM technical services crews and grounds cleaning protocols adhere to guidelines issued by the public health departments of the States of Connecticut and New York, the CDCP and OSHA. All treatments are applied in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations, in consultation with property and facility owners/managers, and with ELM’s safety best practices oversight.

ELM is the leading provider of commercial and institutional landscape and grounds services in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, Connecticut and Greater New York Metro. Family-owned and operated for over 40 years, ELM tailors its services for every situation–whether an essential facility still in operation or a property currently unoccupied–to ensure that your outdoor environment and public spaces are maintained, cleaned, and protected exactly the way to need.

Contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433 or email bmoorejr@easternland.com to learn more.

ELM Institutes New Health & Safety Protocols to Combat Covid-19

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

The health and safety of our employees, and our clients and partners is our highest priority. 

With the deepening effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our region and service areas, we have taken specific measures as follows. 

On Friday March 13, 2020, ELM held a mandatory, company-wide meeting in English and Spanish to implement aggressive cleaning protocols in our equipment, office and field environments, and to request that all employees take extra steps in an abundance of caution:

  1. Any employee feeling unwell is to stay home and inform their supervisor if they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, contracted or been exposed to COVID-19. 
  2. High-quality hand sanitizing stations will be available throughout the company and mandatory, frequent hand-washing is required.
  3. Mandatory use of disinfectant wipes are required on all personal protective equipment, vehicles, and office and landscape equipment. 
  4. All large company-wide gatherings are postponed until further notice. 
  5. Non-essential travel is postponed. Outside educational sessions are voluntary and attended at employee’s discretion, as long as protocols for health and safety are observed.

Additional information on the virus can be found at:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/coronavirus.page

ELM will continue to work together with our teams, public health officials, and our clients’ teams, to ensure that every effort is made to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our community-at-large. 

Be well and stay healthy. If you have any questions, please contact ELM President, Bruce Moore Jr. at 203.316.5433.

For Landscaping to Add Real Value, Focus on Aesthetics, Functionality and Green.

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It’s not just beautiful flowers, perfect turf and no weeds. If you want your landscape to significantly increase the value of your commercial property, focus on functionality and experience. In other words, the way the landscape systems and features work and the way your landscape makes people feel.

To calculate landscape’s value, consider the direct economic role it plays in enhancing image; the way it attracts tenants and investment, and can become an integral part of the property’s brand. More importantly, consider that as property owners and managers and industry players value green building, landscape has growing clout as a link between sustainability and marketability, and contributing to making our communities overall healthier places to live, work and play.

The landscape projects that tend to lead to stronger returns are those that strategically improve focal points, tenant amenities and update the landscape’s infrastructure to meet higher standards for operational and energy efficiency, climate resiliency, resource conservation and safety.

Our top six ROI impact list includes:

  • Create wow factors.  Add seasonal color, flowering perennials, foliage texture for curb appeal, and native and adaptive plants to save water and maintenance.
  • Dress it up. Prepare beds with fresh mulch, prune trees and shrubs, cull diseased and infested plants, power wash outdoor surfaces, eliminate weeds and unwanted plants.
  • Invest in technology. Upgrade irrigation infrastructure to offset water as the fastest growing utility expense. Invest in smart water technology to support and encourage conservation, and improved groundwater and stormwater filtration and management systems to support water quality.
  • Renovate hardscape, pathways, paved surfaces, terraces, decks, and outdoor built elements to repair winter wear and tear, improve safety and manage risk.
  • Add tenant amenities such as green roofs, LED lighting, outdoor television, dining areas, bocce ball, putting greens or jogging and bike paths.
  • Replace underperforming turf with drought tolerant native plants and meadow-style perennials to improve aesthetics; invest in tree cover, rain gardens and bioswales, and permeable surfaces to improve environmental health and water and air quality.

Commercial properties with well-engineered green systems reap energy savings, financial incentives (tax credits, rebates and stormwater/irrigation credits where applicable), reduced life-cycle and maintenance costs, reduced flood damage, and reduced water bills, while also creating reate measurable value for property owners and tenants both.

Eastern Land Management is a leader in sustainable landscape solutions, less toxic approaches to plant pest and disease management, and green infrastructure. 

ELM has been connecting the landscape of Greater New York Metro, and Fairfield and New Haven counties, Connecticut to what’s important to businesses for more than 40 years.

Contact Marc Angarano 203.316.5433 to learn more.

Bruce Moore Jr. Accepts Water Conservation Change Maker Award from Stamford District 2030

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Eastern Land Management President Bruce T. Moore, Jr. accepted this year’s Change Maker Award for water conservation from the Stamford District 2030, on behalf of ELM’s achievements in addressing drought and extreme weather events, water quality and toxic reduction issues throughout Fairfield County’s urban environment. 

The 5th annual Change Maker event was held at the Metro Green Terrace on December 3, 2019, and honored regional projects and local companies for their leadership in environmental resiliency.  

Andrew S. Winston, a globally-recognized keynote speaker on mega trends, and author of the new book The Big Pivot, and co-author of international best-seller Green to Gold, spoke on Climate Change and Corporate Engagement.

ELM’s partnerships with Aquarion Water Company and global green tech and smart water pioneer Weathermatic, its resource conservation programs, stormwater and drainage improvement efforts, erosion and bioswale projects, and its native and drought-tolerant plant platform — in addition to ELM’s sustainable snow/ice and winter management services through its new green hub in Monroe, and its effort to support LEED through improved energy efficiency – highlight ELM’s change-leading contributions to urban sustainability. 

With targets in place to reduce commercial property irrigation water consumption by 30% over the next three years – or approximately 57 million gallons of outdoor water use annually, ELM has re-imagined its irrigation water efficiency protocols by introducing weather-based irrigation management, water use monitoring and auditing, high-efficiency irrigation systems and materials, computerized sensors, evapotranspiration data, water buffer zones, and multi-year plans to guide pro-active reductions on water use across the region. 

In addition, ELM is working to minimize irrigation water run-off to protect groundwater quality through green stormwater infrastructures, compost-amended soil, bio-retention strategies, permeable paving, and green roofs while simultaneously minimizing source pollution through reduction of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and bio-engineering streams and slopes to manage erosion.

Stamford 2030 District, an initiative of the Fairfield County Business Council, is a collaborative of high performing green businesses in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, that aim to dramatically reduce energy and water consumption, and reduce emissions from transportation, while increasing competitiveness in the business environment.  The 2030 District’s water use goals specify incremental targets reaching 50% reduction by 2030.

How ELM Landscape Practices Help Property Owners Qualify for LEED

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Sustainable practices are among the core of ELM’s landscape maintenance services portfolio. For commercial real estate owners and property management companies pursuing LEED or green build credits, this means you have with ELM as your landscape maintenance partner a broad range of expertise to help you improve your environmental footprint and maximize your return on investment.

Here’s how.

Corporate campuses, educational facilities, public spaces, healthcare and hospitality properties are good examples of how landscape maintenance practices, such as stormwater filtration, pollinator habitat, water management, and integrative tree and plant health care can improve ‘green’ metrics and your property’s environmental stewardship.

Initially, LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to set benchmarks for design, construction and operation.  Over the years, the certification program has expanded to take into consideration the overall energy efficiency of the site, including ways landscape practices, green technologies and the use of alternative fuels can help meet key LEED criteria and site performance goals. 

ELM’s green performance plan addresses:

Irrigation and Stormwater Management: Water efficient landscaping, the use of computerized irrigation and smart technologies, using less thirsty native plants, converting underperforming turf to naturalized perennial meadow plantings, replacing hardscapes with permeable surfaces, and constructing drainage solutions, erosion control mechanisms, and creating landscaped bioswales and retention ponds.

IPM: Integrated pest management, part of an overall plant health care program, focuses on plant and soil health and cultural practices to reduce weeds, prevent invasive species, manage pest damage, encourage beneficial insects, reduce toxicity in the soil and air, and protect water quality in watersheds and riparian zones

Green Roofs: Converting elevated platforms, such as surface areas over underground parking, or building roof areas, to a functional landscaped tenant amenity space is a strategic way to cut down on urban heat island effect, cool air and surface temperatures overall, reduce the use of building air conditioning, and absorb and filter water for less runoff.

Summer is prime outdoor upgrade season in the northeast. For cost-effective ideas to earn LEED credits from landscaping and help you meet your annual corporate sustainability goals, contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433.

Photo: One of our commercial mixed-use property clients pursuing LEED accreditation recently implemented a well-defined drought tolerant planting strategy, using a mix of ornamental grasses, sweet potato vine, annual vinca and sedum on vehicular and pedestrian overpass.  

Charles Andrianus Receives NOFA Certification, Takes Lead on Sustainability

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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

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

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

Are You Caught in a Tug of War Over Summer Landscape Improvements?

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Part of being a successful property manager is making your property more valuable. 

The good news is that landscape improvements can help you do that. Class A properties, retail and mixed-use can all benefit from landscape upgrades that drive asset value – through better watershed and habitat health, pedestrian access, hardscape repairs – and generate income, either through green credits, or increased occupancy and traffic.

If you are looking to boost your property’s ROI, aesthetics or functionality, consider the following:

1. Safety Value – Maintenance care prevents injury. Improved pedestrian walkways, parking lot surfaces, and structural pruning to improve visibility can all prevent trips, falls, accidents, and mitigate liability and risk. Strategic use of plant material can prevent flooding; drainage improvements can improve the absorption of rainwater and runoff; and tree-covered areas can reduce loitering – while also improving air quality. 

2. Health Value – Landscapes have direct impact on positive well-being. Healthy landscapes start with healthy soil and the reduction or elimination of toxic chemicals. For tenants, employees, guests, or customers, the quality of your property’s landscape influences how people interact with, and feel good about, your business. An attractive outdoor space, with courtyards and well-designed landscaped areas is advantageous to you as an employer and as an asset manager. We recommend investing in a regular plant health care program that creates a healthy baseline for your plants and trees, nourishes your soil and encourages vigorous bloom and vibrant foliage. 

3. Environmental Value – Conservation helps the earth and your wallet. Eco-friendly investments in green technology will improve your landscape’s water use and your cost through controlled irrigation and water audits; more trees contribute to using less heating or cooling energy; rain garden strategies and bioswales provide filters for stormwater and prevent flooding and puddling; flowering plants provide forage and habitat for pollinator insects, birds and wildlife. 

First things first. Prioritizing improvements is a task made easier by a master landscape maintenance plan.Knowing which improvement will offer sustained ROI depends on a few factors. One is the size of your property, the other is how it is used—where people gather, what types of amenities drive the greatest appreciation, and where fitness and pedestrian areas can be enhanced for greater health, i.e., walking and jogging trails, bike paths, bocce ball courts, green roofs, terrace and outdoor eating and meeting areas.

ELM’s top ten. Repairing walkways and footpaths impacted by winter storms, fencing/retaining walls, signage, water features, park-like amenities, new plantings and installation projects, turf aeration and plant health care, tree and shrub pruning, and power washing.

If you’re ready to take advantage of ELM’s summer landscape improvement and hardscape restoration expertise, perk up your high impact focal areas with bold containers and lots of color; swap out underperforming turf for perennial meadows; try our new and improved plant health program (and its organic option), upgrade your irrigation system with green technology, or partner with us to drive LEED credits, but don’t know where to begin, contact Bruce Moore Jr. at 203-316-5433.

A Winter Readiness Checklist

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Winter in New England is no fun if you manage commercial real estate. Brutal winter weather and longer-than-normal seasons can cause interruptions in service and exponential concerns for tenant and employee safety. ELM knows that facilities large and small depend on proactive measures in order to stay open for business and keep parking lots and pavements liability-free.

Our 10-step playbook for winter ensures your safety:

  1. Keeping our professional commercial equipment in quality condition and using specialized machinery that delivers versatility, functionality, and safety.
  2. Implementing snow and ice control practices that establish priorities for how removal is accomplished.
  3. Choosing appropriate and sustainable ice melting options, liquid chloride-free products, and salting strategies that balance environmental responsibility with cost, utility, temperatures and conditions.
  4. Having a risk management, snow and ice removal plan in place to assure that commercial properties have adequate protection for weather events.
  5. Eliminating slip, trip and falls on sidewalks and pavements by keeping sidewalks, parking lots and ADA access ramps free of snow and ice accumulation.
  6. Evaluating drainage issues and wet walking surfaces across pedestrian areas.
  7. Deploying a highly-trained ELM snow team led by SIMA (Snow and Ice Management Association)-certified advanced snow professionals and equipment operators who practice emergency drills and train in the off-season.
  8. Using proprietary weather forecasting software to assist in anticipating dangerous storm conditions and clean-up needs.
  9. Having an emergency storm response team available 24/7.
  10. Having a communications plan to provide you with critical guidance when needed.

ELM is proud to be named one of Snow Magazine’s snow leaders for 2018, and proud, too, of our commitment to the professional organizations that drive continuous learning and improvement: Snow and Ice Management Association, the Accredited Snow Contractors of America, and community-wide business councils throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut, where we can be an advocate for landscape and grounds safety.

For information on ELM’s snow operations policies, programs or risk management protocols, contact President, Bruce Moore, Jr. at 203-316-5433.

 

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