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The landscape industry is rife with environmental problems, but several big organizations are stepping up to change that. Prime among them is the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), a leading voice since 1959.

Download a free PDF version of this report to share with your colleagues and friends!

It’s no secret that the landscaping industry is one of the most problematic for the ecosphere, though it is sadly less talked-about than it should be. Even green roofing, ostensibly a purely environmental effort, adds to the issue.

Among the leading troubles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are higher pesticide concentrations in urban and suburban areas than agricultural ones. (If you’re gobsmacked by this, you’re not alone.)

Pesticide exposure – affecting non-target plants and humans alike – is also a major concern. As the EPA says, “more than 31,000 pesticide exposure incidents related to the use of pesticides on lawns were reported from 1995 to 2002.” And because people don’t know enough about these issues, they don’t know what to do instead.

For decades, the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association has striven to be a voice of change, fighting for the rights of the environment. Today, that message is more important than ever.

Recently, we were lucky enough to catch up with several members of the ILCA Sustainability and Ecological Landscape Committee to talk more about it.

In partnership with the Village of Orland Park, the Ecogardens team developed a novel model of green roof construction. Not to brag, but this consultation-based approach to green roof design and installation is something we need more of.

Download our FREE infographic explaining the benefits of green roof consulting.

Here at Ecogardens, we like to be groundbreaking.

Not just in the literal sense (although we do enjoy the prospects of a fresh project), but also in the figurative sense: If we can put a novel spin on an old model and make it work better, why wouldn’t we?

That’s why when the Village of Orland Park reached out to us to build them a green roof, we came back with a truly collaborative idea: Why not work together?

Our thinking was simple: If we could save the village money, impart ecologically conscious ideas to village workers, and create an amazing municipal amenity space all at the same time ... obviously we’re going to, right?

... Right? RIGHT.

So that’s exactly what we did. From the first foray into design through to the last native planting – and the ongoing tweaking that is a part of any stewardship contract – we have put our very best ideas into this project.

It stands to reason, therefore, that we had to tell you all about it. If you are considering a green roof, but want to cut costs and learn lots, we’ve included all our secrets below.

Read on, or download our beautiful infographic to share with family, friends, colleagues, peers and fellow restaurant-goers. (Okay, maybe not that last one. It’s lunchtime; sue us.)

That water pollution exists is hardly a state secret. What form it takes and what we should do about it, however, are facts a little less well-known. Here’s the skinny.

The Blue Planet got that name for a reason (and it’s not because it’s full of Democrats.)

Earth earned its moniker for the simple reason that it is largely composed of water – 71 percent, according to our good friends at NASA. It’s spread out across the oceans, lakes and rivers of the world, and trickles through soil, aquifers and Other Underground Spaces.

Sadly, that water is not as pure as it used to be. Not by a long shot.

Today, water pollution is one of the biggest issues we face, and solving it is crucial for the wellbeing of people, wildlife and the planet as a whole. As with most things, knowledge is the first step in becoming good stewards. Let’s take a look at where water pollution is found and what forms it takes today.

As our coastlines face increasing threats from climate change, threatening to submerge natural areas and displace people, a new bill proposes putting nature to work for change.

You already know we’re huge fans of nature. Walking in it. Barbecuing in it. Bathing in it, even. You get the picture.

Now it’s time to put nature to work protecting our shorelines, oceans, coastal inhabitants and wildlife.

How? Well, that’s just what the Living Shorelines Act proposes to answer. Before we look at that, though, let’s take a gander at why shoreline restoration is so important and the role nature plays in stormwater management.

Being a good Earthling sometimes feels impossible, but there are some surprisingly easy steps you can take to improve your environmental stewardship today. That’s why we’re giving you this Citizen Action Sheet for free!

Download our free checklist to share with family and friends today.

Okay, let’s just take a second and acknowledge: Do-gooders can be annoying.

Yes, even to those of us in the green roofing industry. When they ask about where our coffee came from, how our shoes were made, what kind of mileage our car gets, we become a little fussy. The temptation to reply snottily slowly rises – and sometimes, not so slowly.

Okay, but like, you want to say, what are YOU wearing right now? Is it a handmade coat of finest carbon-offset wool woven on a sustainably sourced bamboo loom using natural dyes that only exist as a byproduct of friendship and goodwill?

No? It’s not??

THEN SHUT UP.

... Ahem. Just us?

We thought not. The good news is, by integrating the following quick tips into your lifestyle, you can shut the invasive do-gooders up quick. (Though probably not for good. It’s best to live in reality.)

On a more serious note, we all have to live here. At the moment, this is the only planet we have. And while we’re not into climate alarmism, neither are we willing to stand by while our world warms due to human activities (that’s just science, people). Instead, we advocate rational steps in the direction of meaningful change that can aggregate over time.

CRAZY, WE KNOW.

If you want to be a good steward, you can start here. Ready to download your free Citizen Action Sheet today? All you have to do is click that link!

If you’ve ever strolled down the Lake Michigan shoreline, you know how impressive the Great Lakes can be. Cognitively, you understand it’s just a lake – a landlocked body of usually fresh, not salt, water – but the breadth and majesty of it might as well belong to an ocean.

This intuitive awe of the Great Lakes is even better deserved than you might think. These huge bodies of water comprise a whopping percentage of the Earth’s fresh water. Plus, they are a “strategic opportunity” to better Chicago’s economic standing – and the Midwest’s in general.

That’s not to say we should simply capitalize on a neighborhood resource. Rather, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our environment by doing right by the Great Lakes.

Let’s take a look in today’s spotlight.

If we have to rethink national parks to get more of them, should we? Some say yes.

If you thought the American National Park system was working just fine, thank you very much, think again.

And if you automatically want to curl your lip at the mention of Big Money, well, think again ... again.

Why? Because people with deep pockets are reassessing America’s lost wilderness areas and making some unusual plans to bring them back. In the coming centuries, global stewardship might require we think a little differently about The Wild With A Capital W, and the American Prairie Reserve is throwing that idea in sharp relief.

Understanding green roofs starts with understanding their power to heal our cities – and what happens when we don’t steward them carefully enough.

 (PSST! Download our free green roof stewardship infographic to share with colleagues and friends!)

One of the questions we get most often here at Ecogardens is Why green roofs?

And we get it. Most people aren’t as familiar as we are with the stormwater retention benefits of an extensive green roof, of the pollution-fighting power of plant roots, or the cooling effects of a blanket of green atop a formerly bare cement rooftop.

The good news is, more people are learning about green roofs today – and getting interested in the possibilities they wield for a healthier tomorrow.

In this infographic, we take a look at the explosion in green roof square footage across the US and Canada in the last few years, their incredible ROI-capturing power, their energy savings and property improvement value, and more.

Check it out below!

Green roofs come in many forms, depending on the site, climate and owner intent. So what are those differences, and which is right for you?

Expecting green roofs to solve climate change single-handedly is like expecting any one football player to win the Super Bowl for his team. It’s a severe burden, and probably an unfair one.

However, neither would you dismiss a good player’s role in his team’s chances that year. We need all the tools we can get to find success.

(We’re not calling football players tools, by the way. Just FYI.)

But while we wouldn’t want to send them off on their own to do all the work, green roofs really are one of the best ways to address climate change. They:

• Insulate buildings so they use less energy
• Reflect sunlight, raising the planet’s albedo and keeping it cooler overall
• Help to fight the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon increases the temperatures of cities, which puts more demand on the energy grid and impacts human health
• Capture stormwater runoff and keep it out of streets at peak runoff times
• Give birds, pollinators and other critters a place to live
• Increase the number of native plants in our world

We could go on and on. (And on.) Instead, let’s assume we’ve convinced you of their amazingness and move right along to the question of which one is right for you?

Choosing between extensive and intensive green roofs is an important question in the decision-making process, so let’s take a look at the definitions and benefits of each.