What does “green” mean? Continued.

What does “green” mean? Continued…
The answer is (obviously) stated what “green” means to us, GreenHow, Inc, in terms of pest control, lawn care and termite control. “Green” is a vague or ambiguous term. The term “greenwashing” is a response by consumers to a perceived or real misuse of the term “green.” Generally speaking “green” means environmentally-friendly products and services. Usually it is self imposed by a business, but it can be part of a certification or accreditation process. In our business lines, which are lawn care, pest control and termite control, the term “green” refers to different aspects. This is a continuation of the brief descriptions, in alphabetical order by our service types, appearing here over the next few days.
Pest Control: Our primary service is Green Pest Management (GPM). GPM or green pest control is considered some an extension of IPM, since they both follow the same foundation, with GPM the use of natural materials including organic or plant based materials (such as rosemary oil), biochemical or microbial materials (such as abamectin) and inorganic, but naturally occurring materials (such as boric acid and diatomaceous earth). Others consider GPM part of IPM, with GPM materials used first, then traditional materials later, in case they don’t work. We consider GPM the use of a set of green materials. We look to outside resources, such as the IPM Institute’s GreenShield, for direction about whether a material is green or not. That helps us present information to customers that is built on a foundation from resources outside our company (to provide clarity to our opinions, which may need help to become focused). We also use NEPMA IPM Registry and others we are pursuing as outside verification (like the NOFA Organic LandCare accreditation mentioned in the last post) that our processes, products and services are “green.”
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.