Interview with Travis Beck, co-chair of the Sustainability Working Group

As reported in newsletter articles and in Colorado Green, a group of landscape contractors have formed a "Sustainability Working Group" that is busy developing a comprehensive checklist for sustainable landscapes in Colorado. Following is a short interview with Travis Beck, owner of Eco-Savvy Design, one of the group's co-chairs.

ALCC: What's the purpose of the working group and what type of industry professionals are involved? How did it get started?
Travis Beck: Alison Peck of Matrix Gardens and I started talking in 2005 about getting together with a few like-minded designers and contractors. We invited a few other folks that we knew to a potluck lunch at Alison's house. At our early meetings we traded tips and ideas for recycling, soil preparation, efficient irrigation, etc. Over time our focus shifted to articulating what sustainable landscaping practices for the Front Range were, and to promoting those practices.

At our March 2007 meeting, where we developed the first draft of the checklist, we had landscape contractors, landscape designers, landscape architects, a nursery owner, a former horticulture extension agent, staff from the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the Land Steward from the Shambhala Mountain Center.

ALCC: What's been the biggest challenge the group has come across so far?
TB: Finding time to get together. When the season picks up, it is very difficult to get a large group of people together at one time.

ALCC: What's your vision for the group and the product you're working on?
TB: Right now our focus is on the checklist of best practices for a sustainable Colorado landscape. We are also talking with the Denver Botanic Gardens about hosting a symposium next year. For a while now, we have brainstormed about creating a website that can serve as a clearing house, as a forum for ongoing discussion, and as a means of promoting the practices and our businesses.

ALCC: What will success look like?
TB: I think success will come at that time in the future when everyone in the industry can say, "What's the big deal? Of course we incorporate these sustainable practices." That seems to be the trajectory that XeriscapeT has followed, and I am hopeful that concerns about sustainability will do the same.

ALCC: Is there opposition? If so, what are they saying?
TB: We haven't encountered any direct opposition. It's more a matter of inertia. As an industry we have figured out a set of practices that satisfy clients and make money. Now it's a matter of factoring environmental considerations into the way we do business, without sacrificing the first two objectives.

ALCC: How are you incorporating basic industry practices like pesticide spraying, especially as they're coming under more fire in other parts of North America? (Canada, Connecticut, etc.)
TB: At present, none of the active members of the working group apply pesticides as a regular part of their business. One of the things we have realized is that when a landscape contains a diverse mix of plant material that is well-suited to its site, pests aren't a big problem. That said, we feel a basic level of sustainability would certainly include Integrated Pest Management.

ALCC: What have we forgotten to ask you that you want the audience to know?
TB: We're always looking for more people to participate in our discussions. If anyone is interested in contributing their time and experience, we would be happy to hear from them.