Leadership in Sustainable Landscape Environments
As an organization, our passion is to be stewards of our local environment while protecting the health, safety and welfare of our communities, clients and staff. This dedication has allowed Terracare Associates to lead the outdoor industry in developing sustainable outdoor environments for more than 40 years, with a responsibility to ensure our future generations have a landscape they can enjoy. Download Brochure
Environmental sustainability is at the core of who we are. As our reputation and clientele continue to grow, the standard of excellence we strive to meet every day keeps us at the forefront of our industry.
Terracare Associates certified and experienced staff provides complete management programs tailored specifically to the needs of each site and priorities of each client. We provide our customers with beautiful, healthy and sustainable outdoor environments.
Why Sustainable Landscapes?
Sustainable landscape practices enhance any outdoor environment and have numerous benefits. Implementing some of these basic practices can contribute to cleaner water and air, cooler temperatures, and let nature renew itself. As an example, retaining organic matter in a landscape increases soil enrichment and lowers contamination compaction and erosion.
Reducing synthetic chemical use by integrating organic products contributes to a more balanced eco system. Use of permeable surfaces, helps keep water on site rather than allowing it to flow off site thus contributing to the overtaxed public infrastructure of local municipalities. Use of recycled materials reduces the need for hauling debris to local landfill areas.
Other benefits include resource conservation and regeneration and in some cases resource sharing, natural habitat conservation and biodiversity which helps retain wildlife, and storm water mitigation reducing polluting practices. Overall sustainable landscape practices can lead to lower water and energy costs and promote better living conditions for all of us.
How We Can Help You
We offer a complete Sustainable Management Solution because conventional landscape practices are often harmful in the short term and, in the long run, damage the healthy ecosystems that support all life.
Sustainable Management Planning - We can help you create a Management Plan to provide a strategy for becoming more sustainable on a project and how being environmentally responsible can save landscape budget dollars.
Recycle Green Waste – Our crews can compost your green waste and re-use it on your site. Nationally,13 percent of municipal waste is from yard and landscape trimmings. Such waste clogs our landfills and costs cities money.
Plant Health Care – Our licensed Plant Health Care Managers use safe, high quality, slow release fertilizers to reduce runoff of nitrogen and to reduce frequencies of fertilizer application. Alternatively we can develop biofertility programs – which use living microorganisms to enhance the soil structure – which can reduce the need for pesticide use on the lawns and plant material.
Water Conservation – Our highly-trained irrigation technicians can evaluate and recommend changes to your current irrigation system to maximize system efficiency and reduce landscape water use. For example, by installing a “smart controller”, converting spray heads to drip and changing out some sprinkler equipment you can save 30 percent of your water use on average.
Native Plant Renovation – We assist many of our clients in renovating their sites by designing and installing a more sustainable landscape with water conscious yet aesthetically beautiful plant materials.
Turfgrass Renovation – A great water saving solution is to remove sections of turf not being regularly utilized and replant with a water conserving native plant design. See the Verizon Wireless Case Study.
Environmental Restoration – Part of a good Sustainability Management Plan might include renovation of native areas by returning them to their natural habitat.
Edible Landscapes – By converting turfgrass or shrub bed areas to a useable, interactive edible landscape, you can transform your landscape into a habitat that engages the local wildlife and provides a focal point for sustainable discussions.
Water Harvesting – Our irrigation technicians can evaluate current landscape water resources and develop plan to switch irrigation water source to an alternative resource including water harvested from rainwater, HVAC condensate, cooling tower discharge, and Greywater. These solutions include collection of these resources into cisterns, storage tanks, rain gardens and bio-swales.
Permeable Hardscape – We offer solutions to install permeable paving materials to reduce stormwater runoff and all rain water to infiltrate into the ground and replenish ground water rather than running into the stormwater run-off system. Install permeable paving materials to reduce stormwater runoff and all rain water to infiltrate into the ground and replenish ground water rather than running into the stormwater run-off system.
Energy Saving Landscape – We can help you create energy saving landscapes that place the proper variety of trees for shade and create wind breaks.
What You Can Do At Home
Grasscycling
Give an Inch, Save a Yard Grasscycling is a simple method for recycling your yard waste. If you mow your lawn so that grass is never more than 2 to 3 inches tall, leave the grass clippings where they fall and allow them to decompose. The clippings return nutrients to your yard, and you do not have to spend time and money bagging or hauling them away. One study showed that, by not bagging clippings, mowing took about 38 percent less time.
Create Some Space and Compost Your Waste
Many lawn and landscaping products can be reused or recycled to prevent waste. Composting is one recycling method that turns organic yard waste into a natural soil additive rich in nutrients. Finished compost can improve soil texture, increase the soil’s ability to absorb air and water, suppress weed growth, and decrease erosion. In addition, making and using your own compost can save you money and reduce pollution by reducing the need for you to buy and use commercial soil additives.
What You Can Do At Work
Manage Office Equipment Energy Use Better - Office equipment and electronics use energy even when idle or on stand-by. To save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at work, always activate the power management features on your computer and monitor, unplug laptop power cords when not in use and turn off equipment and lights at the end of the day.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Recycle office paper, newspapers, beverage containers, electronic equipment and batteries. Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your office helps conserve energy, and reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal.
What You Can Do On Your Community
Schools, businesses, local governments and other parts of a community can reduce and better manage their waste by working together. Adopt an Environmental Stewardship Action Plan. The Environmental Stewardship Action Plan should strive to preserve environmental resources and improve resources which have been degraded. Ideally the community and economic development should work in harmony with the environmental resources of the community.
