OAN Sustainability Initiative

200 Billion Watts of Thought

200 Billion Watts of Thought
Program Overview

The Oregon Association of Nurseries Sustainability Initiative began at the request of members to address resource scarcity, cost increases, policy and regulatory changes, and technological innovation. The initiative demonstrates industry leadership, creates new partnerships and fosters innovation. For details about the initiative please read our sustainability roadmap.

The initiative is comprised of several interrelating projects designed to bring innovative research, information, tools, training, funding and partnerships to nursery growers:

ENERGY PROGRAM

Through our partnership with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance an industry energy intensity reduction goal of 25 percent in 10 years was established. We are building a program to reach this goal starting with an energy pilot . The pilot will provide technical resources for audits, creation of energy management plans, grant writing, and overall project implementation assistance.

CLIMATE FRIENDLY NURSERIES PROJECT

In this joint collaboration with the Oregon Environmental Council nurseries are quantifying their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and identifying specific ways to reduce both. The Best Management Practices for Climate Friendly Nurseries provides in-depth information on high-value efficiency projects, case studies, and an overview of available incentives. More info: www.climatefriendlynurseries.org

WHOLESALE NURSERY CERTIFICATION

Food Alliance is creating a voluntary nursery certification standard against which nurseries can independently evaluate their performance or undertake a formal certification application by engaging a licensed certification company.

NRCS PARTNERSHIP

Through OAN's partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), we are creating a program to better connect growers with tools and financial assistance available through NRCS. OAN members in Oregon can now access 1:1 advice on sustainability project ideas (energy, water, waste, etc.) and resources to help get them on the ground. Contact Laura O'Leary (503.758.6868, laura@oleary.net) or Whitney Rideout (503.682.5089, wrideout@oan.org) for more information.

Tools and Resources

There are a number of resources and tools available to help you identify, fund and implement sustainable practices. To help focus your efforts, contemplate some questions before you begin:

What are your natural resources goals? Do you want to save energy, conserve water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve erosion control, or investigate a combination of these?
What are your business goals and how can sustainable practices help you achieve those business goals?
What do other growers have to say? OAN members have a wealth of information (both in printed form on this site and in person).
What do the professionals have to say? (See the Organizational Resources listed below).

Printed Resources

Organization Resources

A wealth of organizations offering project assistance, financial rebates and incentives, and technical expertise are available; this Excel Spreadsheet provides high-level information about their programs.

Michigan State offers free energy guide.

Conduit houses many organizational resources and tips and is a great one stop shop for ideas and incentives.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture offers a lot of information on energy efficiency and renewables for Ag. Incentives for energy efficient equipment and renewable electricity projects for customers of PGE, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas is offered by Energy Trust of Oregon

Financial and technical assistance for irrigation, water quality, water quantity, energy efficiency and renewables, and habitat restoration is offered by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). They also provide tools for conservation and energy planning: nrcs.usda.gov/technical or ruralenergy.wisc.edu

Financial assistance for conservation projects, biomass material, and restoration of riparian, wetland and wildlife habitat is offered by Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Grants and loan guarantees for energy efficiency, renewable energy projects and feasibility studies are offered by Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Conservation plans, energy project assistance and small grants for natural resource stewardship are offered by Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD).

Grants to help Oregonians take care of local streams, rivers, wetlands and natural areas are available through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB).

Free energy classes to business customers is offered thorough Portland General Electric

A clearinghouse to find and share water conservation ideas and tools is offered through the WaterSMART Program.

Environmental markets can provide ways for landowners to diversify their income and become a partner in conservation. Learn more at www.thefreshwatertrust.org/conservation/environmental-markets/how-markets-work/for-landowners

Oregon State University has an Ag Energy site which includes information for all production types and efficiencies.

Iowa State University has a nice (short) document on how to evaluate energy savings payback.

Project Resources:

OAN Energy Pilot

OAN members established an industry energy intensity reduction goal of 25 percent in 10 years. The first step in meeting this goal is through an energy pilot that provides technical resources for audits, creation of energy management plans, grant writing, and overall project implementation assistance. The findings from this pilot will be used to create a playbook showcasing findings, training, and tools.

The pilot received funding through a USDA RBEG grant to expand its participant base. If you are interested in joining this program please contact Whitney Rideout (wrideout@oan.org).

Sustainability Resource Comes to You

OAN members in Oregon have access to a new resource: Laura O'Leary from Natural Strategy Partners, LLC. Laura will be available 1 day per week to OAN members in Oregon who would like advice on sustainability project ideas (energy, water, waste, etc.) and potential funding sources for those projects. She'll come out to the nursery and work with the owners/managers directly to develop ideas and help them to understand the vast array of potential funding sources and other resources. The nursery is responsible for project implementation and funding, but she will help them navigate the possibilities and the confusing funding web.

This work is funded by NEEA (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance) and USDA-NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service). OAN will provide this resource to members as long as funding allows. Contact Laura O'Leary (503.758.6868, laura@oleary.net) or Whitney Rideout (503.682.5089, wrideout@oan.org) for more information.

Climate Friendly Nurseries Project

The Climate Friendly Nurseries Project website houses many resources for nurseries to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, read about high-value efficiency projects, case studies, and provides an overview of available incentives.

Your Trash is Another Business's Treasure!

ResourceFULL USE provides industry with workshops and a website-based mechanism to assess resource needs and actively exchange resources (i.e., use the waste of one organization as an input for another).

News and Videos

Energy Reduction Goal:

Did you know that estimated energy efficiencies by Oregon agriculture could result in enough electricity savings to power a town the size of Hillsboro (73,000 households) without adding additional load to the power grid?

The OAN adopted a 25 percent in 10 year industry wide energy reduction goal to help nurseries reduce operational costs and stay competitive.

Oregon's Fisher Farms is a plant nursery that has committed
to NEEA's 25inTENsity challenge by reducing their energy
usage by 25% in 10 years with help from the OAN. [Watch the video]

Case Studies

River Point Farms: Nutrient management strategies help onion producer reduce nitrogen use by two-thirds
(Nov., 2011)

Since 2000, River Point Farms in Hermiston, Oregon, has reduced the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied annually to onion fields by a whopping sixty-seven percent. This is just one of several achievements in sustainability by the largest grower, packer, shipper and processor of onions in the United States, but it is an especially significant accomplishment because of the groundwater quality implications. [View the Case Study]

Krueger's Tree Farms: Partnering with NRCS on Irrigation Efficiency and Soil Erosion Control
(Sept., 2011)

Dick Krueger began his 'ag' career early. He ran the family farm at 12, founded a landscaping company at 17, and shortly thereafter started growing trees to use in his landscaping business. His innovation and energy have built Krueger's Tree Farms, into a 40 acre 'pot-in-pot' shade tree operation. [Download the Case Study]

Bizon Nursery: Mind over Water - An Innovative and Scalable Water Recapture System
(Dec., 2011)

Founded in 1979, Bizon Nursery is a provider of high quality field and containerized plant material. What started as a small nursery offshoot for three brothers has grown to 450 acres of field production, 60 acres of container production, and a retail division. One of the challenges faced during decades of expansion was creating an irrigation infrastructure that could expand with the business. This article focuses on an innovative solution Steve Bizon created for the nursery container operation; it is a flexible and easily expandable underground water recapture and storage system which currently provides up to 1,200 gallons per minute using a 30 gallon per minute pump. [Download the Case Study]

Nursery pumps up energy savings with new VFD

Profile: Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery
Problem: A 50-horsepower irrigation pump at Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery only ran at top speed, delivering too much water at times. The grower wanted to adjust the flow as watering needs varied.

Solution: The nursery installed a variable frequency drive (VFD) on the pump, giving them the watering flexibility they needed. The VFD also significantly trimmed water and electricity costs. [Download the Case Study]

Nobody Bats a 1,000 but We're Working to Improve our Average
(August, 2011)

Babe Ruth was the greatest slugger in the history of major league baseball – his records have stood for generations – and yet he missed more than three of every 10 pitches that came his way. Brooks Tree Farm, Inc. (Brooks) threw us their best pitch. Truth be told, it went right by all the knowledge gathered to date through the Climate Friendly Nurseries Project (CFNP) into the mitt – even though the project swung as hard as it could. It's not a loss when you swing and miss if you learn something from it, and we most definitely did. [Download the Case Study]

Blooming Nursery, Inc: the 'Easiest Sustainable Project on their Docket' – Lighting Upgrades and Controls
(August, 2010)

Go to Blooming Nursery, Inc. in Cornelius, Oregon and you'll find yourself immersed in a culture thriving on progressive and sustainable practices. You'll find everything from LiveRoof® modular green roof system and solar thermal panels to restored riparian areas and container recycling programs; very alluring and cutting edge stuff. But in this case-study we're going to focus on lighting retrofits. [Download the Case Study]

J Frank Schmidt & Son Co.: Using Drip Irrigation to Save Money and Resources
(August, 2010)

Water, labor and energy all play a role in nursery irrigation. J Frank Schmidt & Son Co. (JFS) took progressive measures to install underground drip irrigation at two of their farms, and by so doing, harvest savings and time benefits. The installation of drip irrigation offered an additional opportunity - drip fertigation – which reduced another costly input and diminished the chance for fertilizer to leach out of their farm and into water systems. [Download the Case Study]

Heritage Seedlings, Inc. Saves Money and Labor by Steam Treating Containers and Soil
(August, 2010)

No one likes weeding. It's a back killer - and for nursery owners it's a huge outlay of time and money.

Heritage Seedlings, Inc. (Heritage) took progressive steps to nip weeds in the proverbial bud by steam cleaning and reusing both plastic containers and soil. In so doing, they reduced their carbon footprint and saved money from two elements of COGS (cost of goods sold): production materials and general labor. This is their story. [Download the Case Study]

Blooming Nursery: Nutrient Management Pour-Though Test

This is a high-level fact sheet from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on how a nutrient management pour-through test works. To learn more about NRCS and available programs visit their website. [Download the Case Study]

Fisher Farms: Filter Strips

Learn more about filter strips and their benefits from this Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) fact sheet. To learn more about NRCS and available programs visit their website. [Download the Case Study]

Energy Trust of Oregon has a wealth of case studies on their site including information on irrigation efficiencies, solar, and high efficiency equipment: http://energytrust.org/library/case-studies/

PROGRAM CONTACT

200 Billion Watts of Thought