Colorado Green Now

The latest ALCC news, including Colorado Green NOW articles, legislative updates, and programming announcements. 

Stop the Insanity! Email
Written by Megan Townsend   
Monday, September 25, 2023 12:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

Start your journey from burnout to balance

Most business owners can identify with at least one, if not all, of these statements and often aren’t sure how to get past feeling stuck in the day-to-day. There are countless coaches and programs who promise to help grow your business and fulfill your dreams and goals. What most of these programs are missing is the concept of having an enviable life while growing your business. What if you could enjoy the journey and not feel burned out while achieving your goals?


It’s easier than you think. You simply need to set your vision, stay true to your priorities and take action. The life of your dreams will begin to fall into place.

To achieve your dream, you must first have a clear vision of what it is. Can you close your eyes and clearly see yourself doing exactly what you want to be doing in 10 years? If not, spend some time daydreaming about it.

No two dreams are the same, but if you are going to achieve your dream, you have to be able to see it, feel it, taste it and experience it in detail in your mind. If your goals aren’t specific, they will be hard to achieve.

Once you have a clear vision, write it down, create a visual and keep it somewhere obvious. You want it in front of your face every day. Include a due date for your dream; otherwise, it will always be “someday” and never reality.

The next step toward a more enjoyable life is prioritization. Some common priorities are family, faith, even wealth. Maybe you want to enjoy life while you are still young. What are your top three priorities? Write them down. Now.

When you have a clear vision and your priorities are defined, decision-making becomes almost effortless. Say yes to opportunities that fall in line with your vision and priorities and let other opportunities pass.

Now, let’s get back to how you can avoid burnout and stop delaying happiness. Does this sound familiar?

“I’ll have more time for my family when this project is done.” “If I can just hit that next goal, I’ll finally be happy.”

Nope and nope. There is freedom in working to live rather than living to work. Delaying happiness now in the pursuit of a dream leads to burnout and dread of the day-to-day.

Systemize Your Business

Take the following action steps to start systemizing your business so you have time to enjoy your life outside of work. Set boundaries. Time and physical boundaries are important to a balanced life. Try setting your own work hours and sticking to them. Fill your non-work hours with your personal priorities: family, health, hobbies, etc.

Delegate and outsource.

Create a plan to delegate or outsource anything you aren’t good at, anything you are good at but don’t love, and anything that takes you away from working on your business instead of in it.

Try this exercise: Have a central place where you write down every single task you do for your business over the next month. Track the hours it takes to do these tasks. As you can afford to delegate or outsource, you know how much you can off-load because you know the time requirement of the task.

Capture videos of your processes.

There are services like Loom that allow you to store screen-capture videos to the cloud. Start capturing videos of your regular tasks on the computer that you can use as a training tool to easily delegate tasks “only you know how to do.” This leaves more time for you to do the more important tasks and strategize for business growth. 

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green Now:

Legislative update

Thought leaders retreat explores innovation and the future of work

 

 

 

 
Arvada arborist branches out Email
Written by Colorado Green Now   
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

A tree climber first and foremost, Forrest Bullard, owner and operator of Bullard Tree and Garden in Arvada, developed his skills as an arborist working for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon and Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care in Fort Collins.  

 At Swingle (now SavATree), Bullard realized arborist services were in high demand, and he took on extra jobs on weekends. He earned his arborist certification in 2013, and he left Swingle to found Bullard Tree and Garden in 2015. He worked with other arborists until 2018, when he fully transitioned to being in business on his own.  

Initially, we were installing tree rings by removing grass around trees and putting in mulch. This progressed to making recommendations on replacing turf near fence lines,” he says. Soon Bullard and his two-person crew were replacing grass with water-wise plants as they learned more about landscape installation and xeriscape principles. He uses Procreate to help clients visualize simple design projects. 

Irrigation and conservation 

When planting trees, it’s not uncommon to damage irrigation systems, Bullard says. “I learned how to fix breaks in irrigation systems out of necessity.”  

He recently participated in ALCC’s Irrigation Boot Camp and received Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) certification.  

Water is just one resource Bullard doesn’t want to waste. His company seeks to reduce its use of all materials and minimize the environmental impact of its work. “We sell what works best for the customer,” he says. We measure accurately, minimize material waste and don’t lay siege to the property.”  

Bullard enjoys networking, collaborating and learning from people at other companies. In time, he hopes to broaden his company’s offerings—but that’s a bit tricky. “Right now, about two-thirds of our income is from tree care,” he says. “It’s a balancing act because we want to add professional services but not dilute the base. Tree care is my primary skill set.”  

He wants to keep the work honest. I won’t take on projects that we can’t do,he says.  

Expanding the business will require hiring someone with skills he doesn’t have, which likely won’t happen until at least next spring.  

“Right now, I still want to keep it simple. I’ll continue to learn more skills, but I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew.” 

 
Urban Landscape Sustainability program now available in Colorado Email
Written by Colorado Green Now   
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

Throughout Colorado, water shortages are impacting how urban landscapes are cared for and the cost of landscape maintenance. To better steward water resources and provide high-quality, conscientious landscape maintenance, Associated Landscape Contractors (ALCC) of Colorado offers Sustainable Landscape Management (SLM) certification.

The SLM program provides foundational education about the natural and constructed systems that comprise the urban landscape, as well as how the different systems relate and the interdependence that exists between them. Topics include soil, irrigation, planting trees and integrated pest management.


Because the urban landscape is an interdependent system, the context of one element is dependent on the success of many others. For example, a healthy tree depends on proper planting, staking, irrigation and soil conditions. Each element needs attention and awareness so the overall landscape can be healthy, water conscious, long lasting and beautiful. Teaching professionals about what the elements are and how they affect one another generates a more holistic awareness, allowing them to make good decisions in the field.

Janet Waibel, a registered landscape architect at Tempe, Arizona-based Waibel & Associates Landscape Architecture, began preparing standards for care in Arizona during the economic downturn of 2008, when her workload dwindled, and she had time to write. Her goal was to share better ways to take care of Arizona landscapes, promote sustainability and enable landscape designs to reach their full potential in urban settings.

In 2017, Waibel partnered with ALCC to create a book, curriculum and testing for ALCC’s SLM program, which is available with membership. The book includes chapters on a variety of topics, including urban soils, planting composition, trees, shrubs, turf site drainage, irrigation, composting and integrated pest management.

The Urban Landscape Sustainability collection of materials includes books, curriculum and testing items. The premise is regional focus for simple, practical methods about how to help every element in the landscape system thrive. Plants and trees are more sustainable and require less care when irrigation is appropriate, soils are beneficial and site conditions are monitored.

The program includes:

Sustainable Landscape Management – Standards for Care in the Desert Southwest (English and Spanish)

Sustainable Landscape Management – A Guide to More Sustainable Landscapes in Colorado

Sustainable Landscape Construction (available later this year)

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green Now:

 

2023 Plant Select Award Winners

 

Arvada arborist branches out

 

 

 
2023 Plant Select Award Winners Email
Written by Colorado Green Now   
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

Plant Select honors growers, educators and designers for promoting sustainable plants 

Every year, Plant Select recognizes individuals, organizations and demonstration gardens that have gone above and beyond to advance Plant Select’s mission of offering low-maintenance, low-water plants that flourish in the Rocky Mountain region.


The 2023 winners are: 

Individual Partner Award 

Dale Kiyota 

At Kiyota Greenhouse in Fort Lupton, Dale Kiyota grows more than 50 Plant Select perennials that he sells to garden centers up and down the Front Range and to landscape contractors.  

Individual Partner Award 

Lauren Springer 

Lauren Springer, author of The Undaunted Garden: Planting for Weather-Resilient Beauty (Chicago Review Press, 2011), has brought many drought-tolerant plants to Plant Select since its inception. 

Organizational Partner Award  

Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center in Arvada has a designated area for Plant Select plants that it promotes with information and programming. 

Organizational Partner Award 

Perennial Favorites 

An early participant in Plant Select’s Propagation Committee, Perennial Favorites of Layton, Utah, grows a long list of Plant Select favorites. 

Showcase Garden Award 

Idaho Firewise 

In the aftermath of the Marshall Fire, Moscow, Idaho-based Idaho Firewise is helping to educate Coloradans about plants with low amounts of volatile oils and other flammable chemicals and plants that produce less litter that can fuel flames. 

Golden Shovel Award 

Treasure Island Demonstration Garden 

The Treasure Island Demonstration Garden, next to a bike trail in Windsor, exhibits several different gardening styles featuring Plant Select plants. 

Golden Shovel Award 

Aurora Water-wise Garden 

The City of Aurora’s demonstration garden helps community members discover new plants that will thrive in a city with some of the state’s strictest water restrictions. 

 

 
Legislative Wins Email
Written by Colorado Green Now   
Tuesday, August 22, 2023 12:00 AM

Colorado Green Now

Legislative wins for GreenCO in 2023  

Hicks & Associates reviewed every bill that was introduced to determine the possible effects it could have on GreenCO and business.  

GreenCO tracked over 40 bills this session and with the help of the Legislative Committee were able to take a deep dive into the bills and take positions on multiple pieces of legislation.  

GreenCO collaborated closely with the General Assembly but also with the agriculture industry, construction industry, and general business groups, throughout the session on multiple pieces of legislation.    

This session the top priority for GreenCO was the Pesticide Applicator Sunset bill. Pesticides has been a hot topic at the Capitol for the past few sessions, especially as it pertains to local preemption. GreenCO continues to work with CRPA (Coloradoans for Responsible Pesticide Application) and other industry partners on all things pesticide related. As we continued to be proactive, GreenCO helped host a Pesticide Applicator Advocacy Day at the Capitol, where we spoke with members of the legislature to discuss the Sunset bill/pesticide regulation as well as educate them on who we are. This proved to be very beneficial as we were engaged on the two pieces of legislation regarding pesticides.    


SB23-192 Sunset Pesticide Applicators’ Act was up for renewal this year. GreenCO and CPRA have been working on this sunset over the last year. In working with the coalition, we kept our messaging pointed and fact/science-based on the issues. As we stood together, we attended multiple stakeholder meetings, both prior to the session and during the session, and were able to get this bill passed without local preemption. 

The conversation around water has been ongoing over the past few years but the General Assembly hasn’t passed a great deal of legislation to address the ongoing water issues in the state. Coming into the session water was a top priority and there were multiple bills introduced and passed to try and get a grip on the water issues throughout the state. 

SB23-178 Water-wise landscaping in Homeowners’ Association Communities will remove barriers to water-wise landscaping in HOA communities. This will allow for more landscaping options within HOA’s along with helping with the water issue by allowing drought tolerant plants and landscaping. The bill requires an association to permit the installation of at least 3 garden designs that adhere to the principles of water-wise landscaping.  

Each year there are more and more pieces of legislation that address climate change and our greenhouse gas emissions within the state. Thank you to all the members on the GreenCO Legislative Committee for your hard work and involvement in this session. 

Read more in this issue of Colorado Green Now:

 
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