For many consumers, sustainability has become a buzzword with only a vague idea surrounding it. Yet the environmental impact landscape companies make is powerful, and these efforts should be shared in an authentic way.
“Sustainability is a part of a much more textured conversation, and I’d say what we’re really doing here, sustainability is a component, but what we’re really talking about here is living more in concert with the natural world to which we belong,” says Mick Mulhall, president of Mulhall’s, based in Omaha, Nebraska.
Making Sustainability Personal
One of the best ways to make sustainability resonate with clients is when the work you do is personalized to their individual lifestyles.
“Whether it is sharing the personal health benefits of sustainable and organic methods for themselves, their children or their pets, explaining the benefits of creating a healthy, self-sustaining ecosystem in their landscape, supporting pollinators, or protecting the water systems and animal communities their home abuts, there is always something that is important to our clients,” says Dale Nussbaum, founder and CEO of Nussbaum Group, Inc., based in Redmond, Washington. “They don’t often know how much small changes can positively impact their world.”
Mulhall says they opt to focus on the positive benefits of sustainability and how they amplify people’s everyday lives.
“When the conversation is more about fear or, ‘Oh, this is something that we have to do,’ people don’t get as excited about that as saying, ‘This is a beautiful world we live in, and we would like to better connect to that together,’” Mulhall says.
You also don’t have to depend on eye-catching statistics to promote your sustainability efforts. Don Zerby, CEO of Ecolawn, Inc., based in Eastlake, Ohio, says they utilize testimonials and before-and-after pictures.
“Our ideal clients appreciate knowing some of the technical benefits such as proper mowing height and watering techniques that they can participate in to improve the end result with a lower impact,” Zerby says.
Advice for Others
If you aren’t currently messaging to your customers how your company is making a difference in the environment, don’t be afraid to start today. You don’t have to reach environmental perfection before communicating about your work.
“Let clients know that you are experimenting with a few things and share the why and what you will do if you need to pivot,” Nussbaum says. “Each success you have will inspire you, and them, more. Play up the successes.”
Nussbaum says you will have successes and failures, but the key is to keep moving forward and believe in your efforts.
“People respond to authenticity, and meaningful change comes from continuing to learn and improve over time,” Nussbaum says.
Zerby and Nussbaum encourage seeking out resources to ensure you are an expert in the space.
“The universities have great ag departments, involvement in state associations, and suppliers are a great place to start,” Zerby says.
Mulhall recommends asking the question: How are we better stewards of this place and the natural world that we belong to?
“Then there are all kinds of opportunities to grow the conversation, to grow your culture, and to grow your business, and that extends beyond sustainability,” Mulhall says.
