Self-Reliance is Back

(Published in the May '09, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

When the First Lady planted the White House vegetable garden this spring, it did more than just promote home gardening. It harkened back to the Victory Gardens that were commonplace during the Second World War, when our society pulled together for the war effort, and our culture was imbued with the virtue of self reliance. And it seems that our culture, which has been criticized over the last generation as being both selfish and disposable, might be taking a taking a sharp turn toward self-reliance and sustainability. Anecdotally, this seems true. A friend of mine has forsaken anything packaged and has taken to making her own cleaning products, toothpaste and yoghurt. On a recent trip to Portland, I saw more rain barrels and front-yard vegetable gardens than I could count. Though I don’t know for sure, I’m inclined to believe that book sales for Emerson and Thoreau are on the upswing, as well. All this, of course, creates opportunities for the savvy retailer in our industry.

Let’s start with gardening. Not only were sales of organic gardening products up last year, but more households were growing their own food. According to the National Gardening Association, an estimated 36 million households participated in food gardening in 2008 and projected that number to increase 19% to 43 million households in 2009. In a separate report, they find that “9 out of 10 households, believe that it’s important to maintain their landscape in a way that benefits the environment,” although only about half are knowledgable about how to do so. That gap is the retailer’s opportunity – a budding population of food gardeners with a thirst for knowledge.

For those dealers with garden centers, (those without might reconsider), it should be relatively easy to source organic soils, plant foods, pest control products, and drip irrigation kits, as these product categories have been growing for years and most L&G distributors stock them. Seeds can be a different matter and here I recommend Seeds of Change, (www.seedsofchange.com,) who stock a wide variety of organic and heirloom varieties. Getting your staff educated is also a key component. In California, there’s a fantastic program called Our Water Our World, (www.ourwaterourworld.org,) a non-profit funded by state and utility grants that provides free training and education for store staff on pesticide-free methods for controlling typical garden pests. There are similarly focused non-profits and organic gardening organizations around the country, so they should be easy to find.

There’s lots more to household self-reliance and sustainability than simply planting a garden. For example, installing a rainwater harvesting system, which I wrote about last month, adds another key input toward the sustainable food garden. But along with inputs come the outputs, such as waste. Households generate lots of organic waste, with food scraps accounting for a big chunk of what goes to the local landfill, where it’s consumed by anaerobic microbes that produce methane, a green house gas that is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The solution is simple: composting. Composting organic waste produces a nutrient rich soil amendment, which every gardener knows is essential. There are some good composters on the market that look attractive on the retail floor, such as those from EnviroCycle, Terracycle, and the Earth Machine. Some, like the Green Johanna even work in cold weather and can handle meat and bones. An alternative to conventional composters is the worm bin, such as the Worm Factory, which works well for those folks without a yard.

Little “economic recovery” gardens, irrigated by rainwater, with soil amended by composted organic waste – a great story all around, full of merchandising opportunity for the savvy and self-reliant retailer.

Water Self Reliance

(Published in April '09, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

With April, comes Earth Day and a host of local events all over country and of every description, from creek clean ups to huge music festivals. The media is full of green stories and more people than ever want to know about green building, saving energy, solar and wind power, retrofitting, etc. But often overlooked and under reported is the water crisis and what homeowners and builders can do about it. While those in regions used to drought and limited fresh water supplies might be prepared, communities in regions just coming into drought could use some help in becoming more water self reliant. For retailers, this represents an opportunity to do well, and do good.

There are many products and practices available for reducing household water demand, many of which can earn sizable rebates. Highlighting these products, with signage that details benefits, cost savings and local rebates can boost your sales – make sure you have the rebate forms on hand. Weather sensing irrigation controller, such as Cyber-Rain (www.cyber-rain.com) offers a cool, internet-enabled product for both home owners and landscapers. Dual-flush toilets also qualify for rebates that can sometimes cover the entire retail price of the product. And Caroma’s (www.caromausa.com) new Profile Smart is 1.28/0.8gpl and even incorporates a sink on top of the tank, capturing and reusing that graywater for even greater savings.

Another water-wise strategy is rainwater harvesting, an emerging opportunity for retailers. Regions of drought and abnormally dry weather are spreading across the West, Midwest and South, so it makes sense to capture the water when it rains for use in garden irrigation and other non-potable applications. Innovative new products now make it easy for a home owner to install their own system, eliminating the mosquito and debris clogging problems of home-grown rigs. Starting at the gutter, RainTube, (www.raintube), offers an enclosed system the lets water in and keeps debris out. Next, cutting the downspout and fitting diverters is where many homegrown projects go wrong, but a slick new kit makes it easy to get it right. The RainReserve Diverter, (www.rainreserve.com), incorporates a filter, is mosquito proof, comes with tools and is made from recycled and biodegradable plastics. Once fitted, the home owner can use the RainReserve website to locate their own used barrel to reuse. A cool alternative to the barrel is the RainWater Hog, which looks like a piece from a giant construction set and is designed to be sited almost anywhere. An in-store display incorporating products like these with useful information about your local drought conditions and benefits of rainwater harvesting could prove valuable to your community.

For the slightly more committed, graywater systems and composting toilets are two other water conservation strategies that are gaining some mainstream momentum and are worth learning more about. Graywater systems capture and reuse water that’s already been used for bathing, cleaning, laundry, etc. Very often, local codes can be very restrictive, but they’re beginning to be reviewed and modified in response to current and forecasted drought conditions. Composting toilets, of course, use no water to begin with and that’s generating more interest in them. As people learn to overcome their fears and misconceptions about how they work, the retail opportunities will grow. And while the systems can be expensive, there are rebates available, and SunMar, a leading manufacture of residential units, offers a program for non-stocking dealers. Even better, a demo unit on your store floor would be a nice way to test the water, so to speak, in your local market.

Get Ready for Green Home Builders

(Published in March '09, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

This year may be remembered for its gargantuan financial meltdown and economic crisis. It may also be remembered as a foundational year for green home building for two big reasons. First, energy and water conservation are more important issues than ever before. With government incentives, such as rebates and weatherization financing, and water rationing looming in some regions of the country, energy and water efficiency are top of mind concerns for home owners and new home buyers. Second, green homes are selling faster than non-green homes. This has been borne out by research conducted by various local green home building programs, but a recent press release from the US Green Building Council indicates that new homes meeting the LEED for Homes standard built by Pulte in Las Vegas, are selling about twice as fast as their conventional homes. The LEED for Homes program is barely a year old and already there’s a ten-fold increase in new homes slated to be certified this year. With production home builders now taking notice, you can bet that a dramatically larger percentage of new housing starts will be green.

If a rebound in new home construction will be led by green, how can retailers position themselves to benefit? To get a broader perspective on this question, I organized a virtual roundtable discussion with some green building professionals. It seemed everyone wanted to talk about LEED for Homes and rising consumer demand. Why? While it’s not necessarily a good fit for every project, it’s a national standard and a strong brand, which is especially good for production builders. New home buyers are already looking for energy efficiency and healthy indoor air quality, so a credible national green certification for homes will help builders sell their green homes quicker, which is what we’re already seeing. And to meet the growing demand for green homes, the new professional credential, LEED AP + Homes, is rolling out this year, which will dramatically increase the number of professionals working in the area. This is precisely where retailers should take notice.

“Retailers who are serious about serving their pro customers need to get themselves educated about the changes transforming the home building industry,” says Michael Strong, president of GreenHaus Builders (www.greenhausbuilders.com) of Houston, Texas. He was one of the first to build a LEED for Homes project, 2008 NAHB Green Building Advocate of the Year, and has been building green for years. He recommends retailers have at least one staff member go through the LEED AP + Homes training and to bring the rest of the staff up to speed – floor staff and buyers. “Nothing’s more frustrating than to spec a product, educate my supplier, only come back for a second purchase to find they no longer stock the product because they didn’t understand it,” says Strong.

Education and training was also a main theme for Heather Gadonniex, LEED AP, and president of sustainability consultancy Green it Group, (www.greenitgroup.com.) “When I meet with major retailers or distributors looking for help in getting into the green building market, I find there’s enormous confusion about green building guidelines and product certifications,” she says. Part of the blame must go to product manufacturers whose sales and marketing people often add to the confusion. But retailers must ultimately know about the products their pro customers want and develop the expertise to anticipate their needs as technologies, green building guidelines and product certifications evolve. “Retailers should look for products from manufacturers who provide back up documentation to support the validity of their green product claims and, when necessary, obtain third party certification,” says Gadonniex.

While LEED for Homes is a national standard, it includes credit for locally produced materials and innovations appropriate for local conditions. Of course, there are also local and regional green building programs that very often offer a simpler alternative for local builders. According Clarke Snell, author and principal of Think Green Building, (www.thinkgreenbuilding.com), a green and natural builder in North Carolina, thinking local is the right approach. “Building for local climate conditions with locally produced materials is what builders should be focused on, therefore it should be the focus for retailers, too,” says Snell. “Selling FSC certified lumber products from the other side of the planet just doesn’t make sense.” While sourcing locally might be hard for big box chains, it could be a valuable differentiator for knowledgeable independents.

The Green X-Ray House – a Community Affair

(Published in January '09, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)

In past columns, we talked about the importance of community involvement, networking with green building leaders, and making sure the local municipal green building folks know who you are.  It costs virtually nothing and can only lead to good things, and sometimes even spectacular things. Nothing exemplifies this better than Beronio Lumber’s involvement in an exciting little project that put an otherwise unremarkable little town in Northern California on the green building map.

South San Francisco is an industrial suburb of San Francisco, whose fortunes waned with the outflow of manufacturing and airline jobs over the years.  Recently, city leaders had a vision to promote green building, community development, and the city’s attractiveness to potential new residents, and it all congealed around a single project.  The city owns several rental properties and decided to transform one of them, a modest 3 bedroom bungalow, into a showcase called the Green X-Ray House (see their website here:  www.greenxrayhouse.com.)

While the focal point of the project is the house, the real story is about the community that came together to make it happen.  The major player in this story is, of course, the City of South San Francisco’s Economic and Community Development Department who, earlier in the summer of 2008, convinced the Green Building Exchange to become part of another city project dubbed the Sustainability Center, a multi-use facility housing several green businesses.  The Green Building Exchange is a unique business, designed to provide a central location for green building education for builders, architects and home owners.  Beronio Lumber started building relationships with green building related organizations a couple of years ago, including the Green Building Exchange where they’ve even installed a permanent display.  So, when conversations began about what to do with the vacant property, the city consulted with the, now local, Green Building Exchange, who immediately brought Beronio Lumber into the process.  Thus, the Green X-Ray House was born. 

The concept was simple:  remodel the house with lots of green features to demonstrate how easy a modest green makeover could be.  Beronio Lumber provided decking materials, FSC certified flooring, FSC molding, window and door casings, as well as the windows and doors.  Meanwhile, the folks at Green Building Exchange talked up the project with other local firms – it seemed everyone wanted to be involved.  The modest green makeover quickly became a vibrant community project.  Over 19 local firms participated, nearly all directly involved in the green building industry.  Local builder W.L. Taylor Construction managed the project.  Local plastering company Get Plastered! (yes, that’s their name!) applied American Clay, an interior plaster product that is all the rage among interior designers.  The most surprising partner was Pepsico/Frito-Lay, whose business has nothing to do with green building, but as a local member of the community donated cash and over 25 volunteers to work on the house over a weekend.

The Green X-Ray House is now a symbol for the neighborhood, not just as another green show house, but of what can happen when a community comes together to try to make a difference.  Beronio Lumber created enormous community good will, as did other participants.  The Green X-Ray House neighbors are thrilled because their property values went up a tick and their community got some positive recognition.  Suddenly South San Francisco is a green leader, with cities from around the country sending representatives to learn how this successful collaboration can be replicated in their communities.

My Winter Solstice List

(This article appeared in the December '08 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

While the events of the last few months have been monumental, stimulating an enormous volume of concerned thought and conversation among friends and acquaintances, citizens and economic actors, spinning out the various scenarios for economic recovery, change in government, and the sacrifices we may all have to make in the coming year, my thoughts this time of year naturally turn to the cool stuff I want. I admit that sounds a bit shallow, selfish and not really all that “green”. But in this case, the products on my wish list are really innovative, green, and maybe even virtuous.

First on my list is the WaterMill, from Element Four (www.elementfour.com), a product that produces clean, fresh drinking water from the air. Fitted to the outside of a home, this nifty little device condenses the water vapor in the air by drawing it through an air filter and over a cooling element. The droplets of water collect, up to 13 quarts a day, then pass through a carbon block filter and an ultraviolet sterilizer, before going onto a dispensing point inside the home. Performance will vary with local air conditions – very humid air yields more water and dry air less. Aside from an obvious appliance for any off-the-grid shelter, imagine the usefulness of the WaterMill in a drought or post-disaster situation. After a hurricane or earthquake, solar-powered WaterMill stations could provide some relief.

Continuing on the theme of self-reliance, the second product on my wish list provides free heat from the Sun. The SolarSheat from Your Solar Home, (www.yoursolarhome.com), is a do-it-yourself thermal solar heating solution for a single room. It’s well designed, and simple, so that virtually anyone can perform the installation and get it right – a first, or near first, for a renewable energy product. In colder climates, space heating comprises a large part of a family’s energy budget, which means that the SolarSheat can save money, too.

There’s another product on my list that will also save on home heating bills: ThermaProof™ Windows from Serious Materials, (www.seriousmaterials.com), a super insulated, exceeds EnergyStar requirements by 400%. Energy efficiency will be a hot issue across a range of product categories in the coming year, but these windows have already staked out a significant performance lead over their nearest competitors. It’s a result of Silicon Valley innovation getting together with green building know-how – the products are produced in Sunnyvale, CA. And they didn’t stop with windows, as they also produce ThermaRock, an energy-saving alternative to drywall, and will soon launch EcoRock, another drywall alternative made with 85% recycled content and manufactured with 80% less energy.

Last on my list is a nifty little water saving device that can turn virtually any residential toilet into a high-efficiency dual flush. It’s called Perfect Flush from Brondell, (www.brondell.com), and it seems like a perfect solution for generating big water savings without having to tear apart the bathroom. The retail price is significantly less than buying and installing a new toilet, and there will likely be rebates available in the near future. It’s well designed and easy for just about anyone to install correctly. Finally, it’s customizable so the user can dial in the most appropriate water flow for each flush.

These innovations are cool and functional, but they're tip of the iceberg, so to speak, with hundreds more cool new innovations in the pipeline. They also represent some important new steps toward water and energy conservation in ways that promise an exciting new year to come.

Green Collar Jobs

(This article appeared in the November '08 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

While the scramble is on to bail out our nation’s banks and financial institutions, most of the rest of us are wondering what’s next. The economy may well be headed for a nasty recession with rising unemployment and sinking consumer confidence. Is this the beginning of a structural economic adjustment analogous to the industrial restructuring of the 1980s that shipped thousands of manufacturing jobs overseas, what we call “Globalization”? Many longer term economic trends point in that direction: rising shipping costs, higher manufacturing costs in China, greater emphasis on green house gas reduction and local sourcing, huge venture capital investments in “green tech,” and government policy promoting green building and clean energy, to name but a few.

But what about the short term? Will the bank bailout keep people in their homes, bring mortgage rates down and provide a small boost for our industry? Will another stimulus package from Congress do the trick? It just may be that the eventual economic recovery will be based, at least in part, on a grass-roots movement that is gaining traction with both local and national policymakers: “green collar” jobs.

From Oakland to Los Angeles, from the South Bronx to Chicago, New Orleans to Newark, local green collar jobs programs are revitalizing neighborhoods and giving people a chance to participate in the still growing green economy. A national organization, Green For All, (www.greenforall.org), founded by Van Jones and Majora Carter serves as a clearinghouse and resource center for local nonprofit-led programs, as well as municipalities seeking to develop their own program. These programs train workers for the clean energy economy and many include weatherization and retrofitting programs for existing homes and commercial buildings.

This is where it gets interesting for home improvement retailers. Getting involved in your local program could provide some immediate tangible benefits – you could be supplying the necessary products for these programs: weather stripping, insulation, lighting, roof coatings, and more. There are also opportunities to provide local leadership and expertise, gain community recognition, free publicity, find trained and motivated new workers, forge links with potential new customers, and more. And with federal green collar jobs programs coming soon, there may even be more opportunity.

On the national stage, it appears that plans to stimulate the growth of green collar jobs are already underway. Thanks in part to the efforts of Green For All and other grass roots organizations, Congress passed the Green Jobs Act as part of the 2007 Energy Bill, calling for $125 million to create the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program. It’s a pilot program that would, (if funded in the next appropriations bill), jumpstart green collar job programs across the country. The House is currently discussing another stimulus package that would include investment in green collar jobs. In addition, both presidential candidates have expressed their support for growing green collar jobs. In any case, it appears that the green collar job issue is here to stay and that should be good news for hardware and home improvement retailers.

Time for a Green Event

(This article appeared in the October '08 issues of Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest.)

Fall is here. And for do-it-yourselfers, their attention has turned to pre-holiday home projects, like painting a room or making the house a little more energy efficient. For green builders, this is the season of two of the most important green building industry events, West Coast Green, in San Jose, California and Greenbuild, in Boston. West Coast Green happened in late September, (see what you might have missed here: www.westcoastgreen.com,) and has firmly established itself as a leading showcase for building innovation and education for pros and homeowners. Of course, the US Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference and Expo, coming up in mid November, (visit their website, here: www.greenbuildexpo.org) is the big green building event. So, with home projects and green building topics top-of-mind for many of your customers, it might be time to host a green event at your store.

Hosting a little green event in your store can bring in some of your best customers, as well as new customers. It can also bring other less tangible benefits including creating positive word of mouth, strengthened relationships with community leaders, and staff enthusiasm. The best part is that it doesn’t have to cost very much, especially if you elicit support from your suppliers and local organizations. Let me share some examples of what some of the best green retailers are doing on the West Coast.

Creating a workshop around a cool product or new building technique can bring in motivated customers. American Clay (www.americanclay.com), a natural plaster product from New Mexico is being stocked by a growing number of green retailers throughout the country. It’s a beautiful alternative to paint, but it takes a little extra know-how to apply it correctly, so the manufacturer and their dealers host workshops in the store. These little events cost virtually nothing to produce and have proven to be a boon for the retailers. Customers pay for the workshop, buy the product, and come back with their friends. A more traditional home improvement dealer in Northern California, Central Valley Building Supply, added the line last year and has hosted several American Clay workshops, finding that sales of other products get a boost, too.

Having a sexy, niche product can be an effective draw, but that’s not the only way to attract motivated customers. Virgil’s Hardware Home Center in Southern California recently hosted an event promoting water conservation. With support from the local water authority and their suppliers, they set up product demos and distributed rebate information, connecting customers to the right products for their project and the right rebate information for their community. Given that rebate information can be confusing to some people, it provided a real community service, saved their customers money and boosted sales.

There are other simple themes one can create an event around – one retailer I know offered 15% off for all women on a Women’s Day promotion and set up tables with information from local non-profit organizations promoting awareness of common household chemicals. The main point is to create an event that will be compelling in some way. But that’s not enough – you need to get the word out to your customers and influential members of your community. Have your cashiers hand out small flyers with every purchase for a couple of weeks in advance – print double-sided on recycled paper, of course. But most importantly, make a few personal phone calls to local green building advocates and community leaders and let them know what you’re doing. It boosts your reputation and will boost your business. Oh yes, and remember to have fun.