Cultivation Of Crops: Lily's Boots: Keepin' it GREEN

"Creating a World of Color" has long been the motto here at Sun Valley, but today I'm only concerned with one color: Green. As you probably already know, today is Earth Day. So to get into the eco-friendly spirit of this magnificent day, I've been taking my boots all over the farm this week to find out just what we're doing around here to keep it green.

Here are some of the ways Sun Valley is keeping its carbon footprint small:

Green compost

1. Composting: All discarded green flower products are composted for two to three years. This compost is later mixed in with new planting materials and spread across our flower fields. It's like a mini circle of life!

2. Energy-efficient lighting: We've recently replaced literally thousands of 90 to 100-watt Halogen reflector light bulbs in greenhouses and other buildings throughout our Arcata and Oxnard farms with 20-watt fluorescent bulbs and 23-watt CFL reflector lamps, significantly reducing our energy usage.

3. Solar energy: Hey, flowers have been way ahead of the game with harnessing solar energy for growth! So, in a round-about way, we're pioneers of solar power!

4. Reduced trucking distance: Opening a Tulip farm in Canada has greatly helped in reducing our carbon emissions by cutting down on the amount of trucks carrying Tulips from California to the east coast. That's approximately 30 trucks per year travelling a distance of 2,900 miles one way (SoCal to NY)!

Skyscraper of bulb crates, ready for recycling!

5. Steam cleaning: We sterilize our soil with steam rather than harsh chemicals, meaning less chemicals entering the atmosphere and into Mother Earth's groundwater.

6. Recycled materials: Our booth design for the upcoming International Floriculture Expo 2011 (June 14-17) almost exclusively features materials recycled from our farm, including old conveyor belts and Redwood boards from an old barn on our Arcata farm. We've been using recycled farm materials, such as old Tulip crates, in trade shows for awhile now to save on waste.

7. Recycling: We recycle the plastic from our hoop houses and our bulb crates to make recycled plastics. All cardboard is bundled and sent to the local recycling plant. We are also avid recyclers of paper, glass and aluminum from our office spaces. On top of that, any broken pallets we have are ground up and sent to the pulp mill for electrical energy generation.

8. Cycling: Rather than navigating our large farms in vehicles, many of our employees bike to and from the places they need to be. Healthy for the heart and the environment!

These are just some ways that we are trying to show this planet of ours a little love.

What are you doing, on a regular basis or particularly for Earth Day, to keep your world green?