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Pitch

Reduce landscaping costs by maintaining an inhospitable environment.


Description

Summary

   While the common weeds and pests in an environment are often devestating to well manicured native landcapes.  These weeds and pests are ill suited for a non-native environment, one which is too arid, salty or acidic for native weeds to survive.

   The idea is to provide architecture firms, landscapers and customers who choose the landscapes, with sets of non-native non-invasive low-maintenance plant groups.  These can be popularized in a method similar to lego building sets, with similar packaging to make the idea very approachable, the different inhospitable environments can be packaged as a different themes.

   The materials can include information on what resources are required to maintain these different environments, how costly they are with time, money, and their carbon footprint.

  Another method for popularizing inhospitable environments, is to launch a nationwide company which designs, delivers and contracts the installation of these environments.  Each installation can be required/requested to hang a sign which advertises the company for a week or two.
  The designs/instructions for the installations can be easily produced by moderately paid artists with excellent software and Google Streetview data sets.
  The benefits of having these landscape sets developed under one roof of a corporate entity, is that monetary resources can be pooled to focus on the task of reducing the carbon footprint and water consumption of landscaping.


What actions do you propose?

1) Compile a complete list of all plants in the categories of high-acidity, high-salinity and arid.
2) Purchase these plants and simulate the rainfall of different regions of the U.S. while maintaining their inhospitable soils.
3) From a set of basic landscaping features, design some basic plant combinations and plant layouts.
4) Create promotional materials for these landscaping features.
5) Promote these ideas.


Who will take these actions?

In the begining there needs to be a growing awareness of this product, so these solutions become the default solution for anyone planning a new landscape, from big architecture firms, to DIY gardeners.

THE LIST:
Home improvement stores like Home Depot, Ace Hardware and Lowes.
Schools with big agricultural programs.
Golf courses.
State, Local and National parks.
Government buildings.


Where will these actions be taken?

  As a great package of learning materials, these should be a welcome addition to any library.  A great read at any office, and a nice showpiece for any conference.
  Coverage at golf tournaments, magazines and television will promote this concept to the leaders in landscape maintenance, business owners, real estate managers, landlords and homeowners with large estates.


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

  Wikipedia states that 49,000 square miles of the U.S. is covered by lawns, which is the nation's largest irrigated crop by area.
  It is roughly 1/10th of U.S. agriculture, and 1/10th of U.S. waste and it uses 3% of U.S. consumable water.
 


What are other key benefits?


What are the proposal’s costs?

Total cost: $200,000

Plant testing: $30,000
Promotional materials design and printing: $50,000
Booth production: $10,000
Attending 10 conferences: $10,000

Advertising in golf magazines and television: $100,000


Time line

The total timeline is two years:

- Plant testing should run for one year, to determine which plants are going to be favorable.

- Promotional materials should be produced over a three month period, with printing adding an additional month.

- Television, magazines and conferences could last an additional three months. 


 


Related proposals


References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawns_in_the_United_States

http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/CIS/CIS1016.pdf