Here’s a question we get all the time:
How am I supposed to put a green roof on my building when I’m just trying to keep the lights on here? Is that really something small businesses prioritize?
In a word, yes. We have helped many a small biz install green infrastructure such as rooftop gardens, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, and green roofs in small spaces, for reasonable budgets. Our goal is to help you do your part for the sustainable cause without breaking the bank.
In so doing, you can save money on your energy bills, leverage credits and tax breaks, improve your public standing, and attract eco-minded customers.
It’s possible. Here’s how.
Greening Up Your Building: You’ve Got Options
The good news is that there are many ways to make your property more sustainable.
Green roofs and rooftop gardens
Both green roofs and rooftop gardens help soak up stormwater, moderate temperature in the buildings below, reduce the cost of energy bills, and give friendly insects and urban critters a place to call home.
Rain gardens and bioswales
If managing stormwater at ground level is your goal, then rain gardens and bioswales both help. The former uses plants in low-lying areas, while the latter moves water slowly down a channel so it can soak into the ground.
Both of these help our cities become more sponge-like, retaining water when it comes pouring in from rain and snow events, then releasing it in a more controlled manner. This reduces runoff, in turn reducing pollution, disease, and erosion.
Pollinator gardens
We count on bees, butterflies, flies, and hummingbirds (among others) to keep our food chain going and maintain a healthy urban ecology, so it’s high time we prioritize gardening for pollinators.
The good news is that our winged friends are just as happy 100 feet in the air as at ground level. Bees can fly higher than Mt. Everest (#goals) while migrating butterflies such as monarchs routinely reach 1,200 feet.
From this, we draw two conclusions. One, pollinators are cooler than us. Wear all the sunglasses you want; it won’t change anything.
And two, you can put your pollinator garden as high as you want to. Build it and they will come.
The Financials: Do Green Spaces Really Save You Money?
The short answer is yes, green spaces absolutely save money and impact the economy in positive ways. Proactive stewardship likewise provides significant financial benefits for you personally, such as:
Improving Your Business's Sustainability Credentials
Sustainability pays. With the right green infrastructure, you can see a variety of benefits. Depending on your situation, that might include tax credits for energy-efficient equipment, solar panels, stormwater management systems, and more.
Saving Money on Energy Bills
Green roofs reduce heating and cooling costs by acting as natural insulators, especially in cities like Chicago. During the day, you won’t have to work as hard to cool the building, while at night, the heat of the day — trapped in the green roof’s layers — transmits to the building below, reducing heating needs.
This can add up to measurable savings to the tune of 2 percent of your energy bill. If you manage a large building, that can mean hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.
Keeping Your Solar Panels Happy
Agrivoltaics, the act of combining plants or crops with solar panels, is a big thing these days. If you follow green news, you already know that sheep and solar panels are a modern combo, the sheep cropping the verge under panels and the panels providing shade in turn, increasing the grazing potential to about 100 percent.
Although Ecogardens hasn’t yet been asked to put ruminants on rooftops (although, are we opposed? Probably not), plants and solar panels still make great bedfellows. The plants increase the efficiency of solar panels, while the panels provide shade and help maintain moisture for plants in dry areas.
Attracting Eco-Minded Customers
Last but not least, consider the benefits of pulling in more customers who value eco-friendly practices. People love to see a business that’s doing good in the world, and in our current climate of “voting with your dollar,” this has never been more important to your patrons.
A recent consumer survey shows that 46 percent of people are “buying more sustainable products or products with a reduced climate impact” and 22 percent are “reducing online purchasing to reduce carbon related transport.”
Sustainability makes a big difference to these people, and they’re prime candidates for businesses in the retail space who want to draw more foot traffic to brick-and-mortar locations.
Make It a Community Effort
Yet concerns remain. One of the most common is how you’re supposed to fund a sustainability initiative on slim margins.
There are two possible answers to this:
First, green projects such as rain gardens or pollinator patches needn’t cost that much when you work with the right designer/contractor.
Second, you don’t have to go it alone. If you work as part of a community — from warehouses to shopping districts, academic institutions to HOAs — you can cobble together enough like-minded folks (and enough credits) that the costs may decrease significantly.
Enhance the Sustainability and Resilience of Your Business Today
If you’re ready to learn more about enhancing the sustainability and resilience of your business and community, Ecogardens is ready to help. We routinely work with clients who want to make the biggest possible impact for their dollar, the better to help their bottom line and the world.
All you have to do is get in touch.