Consumers care about sustainability, and they’re willing to pay for it. Even as inflationary pressures rise, 80% cite a willingness to pay more for sustainable options.
However, what practices you choose to focus on matters as clients are seeking sustainability changes that benefit them through cost savings, increased quality of life and aesthetics.
Water Efficiency
Helping clients use water more efficiently in their landscape is one of the most practical sustainability steps you can take as drought conditions remain common in different parts of the country and water bills rise.
In recent decades, water, sewer, and trash collection services charges have risen at nearly twice the rate of overall consumer prices. According to Bank of America data, median monthly water utility payments were up 7.1% year-over-year in March 2025.
While roughly 70% of residential water use occurs indoors, outdoor water use often comes under greater scrutiny.
Some homeowners may assume their only option is to rip out their lawns, but up to 50% of outdoor water loss is due to sunken heads, broken pipes, tilted heads, poor pressure, wind, evaporation, and overspray from inefficient irrigation.
This is why conducting irrigation system evaluations is one key method you can use to help clients achieve optimal water efficiency. By reviewing operating pressure, sprinkler head placement, the system’s watering frequency and duration, you can eliminate common sources of water waste.
“By making the easy fixes, you could easily see a 30% water savings,” says Dan Duren, Badgerland Irrigation & Lighting Service, based in Stoughton, Wisconsin. “Just changing an old time-based controller to a smart controller can see water savings of 30%-50%. The overall water savings you can see from making fixes really comes down to how inefficient the system was to start.”
According to the Healthy Green Spaces Coalition, only 10% of residential irrigation systems in the U.S. currently use smart controllers, making it a prime opportunity to educate clients on the benefits of making the switch.
Additional water savings can be achieved when the right grass is installed in the right region. Matching the right grass species to your area’s local temperatures, rainfall, and growing season will improve its performance and reduce the need for supplemental irrigation and fertilizer. Discuss with your client if they might need to switch to a different variety of turfgrass, especially as new breeds of grasses require 30–60% less water than standard varieties while remaining resilient under drought stress.
Noise Reduction
Another area customers care about is cutting down on noise pollution, which you can provide via battery-powered equipment and robotic mowers. Switching to this type of equipment has the added benefit of eliminating emissions without disrupting your ability to get the job done.
Noise pollution is normally considered simply an inconvenience, but it has a tangible impact on human health and environmental quality. It is particularly important for properties such as hospitals, HOAs, hospitality spaces and schools as it directly affects how people perceive and use the space.
Rather than waiting for gas-powered equipment bans or noise bans, proactively making the switch to battery-powered and robotic equipment can give you a competitive advantage, as many times customers are seeking out landscape companies that can provide quieter services.
“The noise pollution element is what people care about,” says Stephen Gault, founder & CEO of EcoMow Lawn & Landscape, based in Dallas, Texas. “They couldn’t care less, quite honestly, if we were gas-powered or electric. To most people, that does not matter. What does matter is the noise.”
Native Plant Installations
An easy win that resonates with clients is including native plants in your design plans. This choice provides clients with beautiful plant material that requires fewer inputs, which will result in additional cost savings for clients. It also helps increase biodiversity and support wildlife.
“Even just choosing native shade trees like oak, poplar, maple, or elm, which serve as hosts to a wide variety of caterpillars, can have a big impact in supporting the local bird population,” says Sarah Vanek, a landscape consultant located in Omaha, Nebraska, with Ryan Lawn & Tree based in Merriam, Kansas.
Switching to natives doesn’t have to be a full property conversion. You can start with high-impact, low-risk areas when incorporating native plants, such as on slopes or stormwater-prone zones. An area that currently may be underperforming can turn into an space that shines when natives that are more adapted to the location are installed.
“When choosing locally native plants, it’s a good idea to look for those whose native range also extends further south of your location,” Vanek says. “This way, as temperatures continue to rise with climate change, your plants will have a better chance of handling the changing conditions.”
The strongest sustainability initiatives don’t have to be a sacrifice. In fact, they should solve issues and improve the overall customer experience.
