Climate-Positive: Our Path to a More Sustainable Future

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Eastern Land Management is committed to providing significant economic benefits through sustainable best practices that improve landscape and ecosystem health, protect and conserve resources, and enhance healthier, higher-performing commercial landscapes.

On approach to 2026–our 50th year in business–we are doubling-down on our commitment to do our part to create a more sustainable,  more environmentally-resilient,  and more climate-positive future.

The path forward 

  • Recruit, train and develop landscape and snow professionals, and technical specialists who support our commitment to sustainability and drive progress on goals.
  • Partner with the commercial real estate (CRE) community to  provide landscape services and nature-based strategies that minimize environmental impacts, support green infrastructure, and harness the unique capacity of landscape to reduce and sequester carbon dioxide.
  • Help our clients in commercial real estate and property and facility management to create sustainable value by conducting business with integrity and a shared commitment to advance climate action goals.
  • Help our commercial real estate clients achieve net zero emission goals through a range of options, including robotics, autonomous mowers, smart technology framework, and alternative fuels.
  • Help commercial real estate clients accelerate its transition to a regenerative economy through our commitment to and use of practices that drive carbon sequestration through soil regeneration, plant and ecosystem health.
  • Help commercial real estate clients achieve a climate-positive profile through ongoing improvements in water conservation, irrigation technology, smart water management, ground water health, green waste composting, integrated pest management, resource conservation, erosion control, improvements in energy efficiency, and the use of green technologies that support green building and LEED initiatives.
  • Help commercial real estate clients benefit from the ‘E’ (environmental) metric in ESG, and derive economic benefits that come from high-performing landscape and grounds management services.

Alliances

Our green framework is anchored by a network of sustainability thought leaders and stakeholders who care about these issues as much as we do.

For instance, we …

  • partner with Aquarion Water Company to increase awareness and approaches to water conservation and drought management.
  • are Premier Partners with global irrigation technology pioneer Weathermatic.
  • train with world-class EV manufacturers and sustainable snow and ice consultants.
  • are EV-certified through the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA).
  • are active members and leaders of national and local trade associations across the industries we serve, including the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP),  Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA), Building & Office Managers Association (BOMA) Southern Connecticut Chapter and BOMA Westchester County, and the Bridgeport Regional Business Council.
  • are certified professionals with advanced accreditation from both the Green Industry and Snow & Ice Industry.
  • have a dedicated sustainable snow/ice and winter operation at our green hub and brine-making facility, located in Monroe Connecticut.
  • provide services that support LEED criteria and work with LEED-certified properties across the CRE spectrum.
  • are experienced in navigating complex logistics for on-structure landscapes and complex commercial sites, including environmentally-sensitive watershed-adjacent, multi-grade, and elevated terrains.
  • have won national Awards of Excellence for our clients across categories, including recognition for Class A green roofs and “green cities” initiatives for urban redevelopment.
  • were recognized as a 2030 Sustainability ChangeMaker by Fairfield County for drought and water management leadership and contribution to urban sustainability.

Advocacy

  • We believe landscape professionals are uniquely situated to advocate for and lead on sustainability, and  will continue to collaborate with clients, suppliers and allied professionals to champion better ways to make Connecticut and Westchester County, NY, water smart, green smart, and healthier, more beautiful places to live, work and play.

For more information on ELM’s path to sustainability, go to: Sustainability | Eastern Land Management | Commercial Landscaping CT & NY

References:

https://www.easternland.com/meet-elms-silent-weapon-in-climate-positive-noise-reduction/

https://www.easternland.com/elms-green-infrastructure-program-is-tackling-urban-stormwater/

https://www.easternland.com/from-the-ground-up-why-soil-regeneration-leads-to-healthier-landscapes/

https://www.easternland.com/elm-is-driving-the-e-in-esg-heres-why-that-matters/

Your Landscape is More Than Just a Pretty Face

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Stunningly beautiful, incredibly lush–the look and feel and relationship people have with your landscape is part of the interplay between your business and biodiversity, and the economics of investment into one of the most important ways to create and sustain asset value.  The starting point is understanding the business case landscape makes for having more nature outside your front door.

With spring ushering in longer days, and even longer to-do lists, getting your landscape ready to take on summer puts your property in the cross-hairs of opportunity: make progress on EV and net zero goals,  improve water management and plant health, tackle pests and disease, upgrade worn or dated hardscape, green-up infrastructure, and take action on nature and climate-related risks.

Finding the right partner can help.

Our full-service all-season landscape maintenance contract includes a good turf and perennial program, annual flower rotation, spring and fall seasonal issue targeting and clean-up, irrigation maintenance and water conservation, tree and shrub care, aeration and overfeeding, plant health care, and mulch.  We also have a wide range of enhancements that improve green performance and curb appeal, a strong sustainability framework in place that includes snow and ice services in winter, and ways to help you drive progress on net zero and climate-action goals.

It’s not complicated to get started. We’ve made the process easier than ever. Follow these four simple steps.

1.  Send us a RFP – Request for Proposal – with specs and scope of work, and stretch goals we can look at separately. This will give you a quick apples-to-apples number plus learn if your stretch goals are a cost-efficient tuck-in.

2.  Ask us about our employees’ training and certification, and verification; about our memberships in professional organizations, the awards we’ve won, and our leadership in sustainability.

3.  Don’t forget to ask about our reputation for quality and delivery, and experience on projects just like yours. Ask us what we’re doing to improve water conservation, drive progress on green goals, or meet LEED criteria; and be sure to check out social media to see what others have to say about the work we do.

4.  Include deadlines and timelines so we can get you what you need when you need it, with some wiggle room up front so we have time to cover everything.

Better yet, give us a call. We’d love to add you to our list of CRE partners in Fairfield, New Haven and Westchester Counties.

Contact us at ‭(203) 316-5433. We can’t wait to hear from you.‬

 

 

 

Green is the color of second chances.

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Underutilized office properties have found new life in greener pastures. With the addition of diverse amenities, enhanced sustainability, and tax incentives, landlords find that converting tired properties into dynamic new communities is environmentally more sustainable, more practical, and more cost-efficient than building new.

This is good news on a lot of levels. As sustainability becomes more of a strategic imperative and less of a service, landscaping will play an ever greater role in optimizing the environmental impact of adaptive reuse by decreasing the intensity of carbon, reducing debris and waste, and creating lively outdoor spaces that people want to live, work, shop, socialize, and play in.

Eastern Land Management has worked closely with its CRE clients over the years to green up both old and new properties, helping its clients forge a vision for greener footprints–enhancing plant-filled college campuses, nature-rich downtowns, and pedestrian-friendly outdoor spaces–where our collective passion for nature, excellence and renewal can improve the quality of life.

We think revitalization is the future of urban living with its focus on water, resource and energy conservation,  and drought-tolerant landscaping that is chosen as much for visual interest as it is forage for the birds and the bees.

ELM won an Award of Excellence for Downtown Stamford urban beautification from the National Association of Landscape Professionals in 2022, and a Fairfield County ChangeMaker Award for Sustainability in 2019, but our change journey didn’t stop there. Our diverse segment portfolio is steeped in awards and success stories, with landscaping that compliments riverfronts, waterways, trails and bike paths, corporate plazas and college dorms, university athletic fields, hospitals, HOAs and senior communities; and on-structure ‘green roof’ landscapes featuring recreational amenities and bocce ball courts where you’d least expect to find them.

Nature isn’t nine-to-five and neither are we. We’re working 24/7 to increase asset value through better, faster and smarter ways of delivering value and working with commercial property thought leaders to green light a healthier future.

Bruce Moore Jr., president of Eastern Land Management, is an active member of the greater business communities of Connecticut and NY Metro.  He is a member of SoCT BOMA Board of Directors, and a member of Westchester County BOMA.  To partner with ELM on green building strategies or to learn more, contact Bruce at 203-316-5433.

ELM was a Bronze Sponsor for June 9, 2023, Westfair Communications Annual Real Estate event, “The Conversion of Commercial Properties: What are the creative options?”

Ted Marron Joins ELM as Business Developer

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Eastern Land Management, a full-service commercial landscape company based in Stamford, Connecticut and serving Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, is pleased to welcome Ted Marron to the position of Business Developer.

With over 17 years of B2B and B2C sales experience, Ted joins a seasoned ELM management team to offer an unprecendented value proposition and landscape services options.

In his new role, Ted will be managing and strengthening existing client relationships and partnerships in the commercial real estate sector, and work to identify and build client relationships while providing knowledgeable sales support.

“We are excited to have Ted on our team,” said company president, Bruce Moore, Jr. “He brings with him a competitive spirit and accolades earned as a result of his experience, and the strong relationships he’s built in our community. We are looking forward to Ted being part of our future growth.”

Born in Stamford and raised in Trumbull, Ted is active in community philanthropic organizations and believes that giving back is the best way forward.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Southern Connecticut State University and says working in the landscape industry gives him an opportunity to offer something tangible, gratifying and beautiful.

 

 

How Colleges Can Optimize the Value of Landscape to Meet Strategic & Academic Goals

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

As a campus facility manager, you know that staying competitive means continually investing in your grounds. But with undergraduate college enrollment in its steepest decline on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and data from the National Student Clearinghouse, making the case for continual improvements gets harder, pushing many facility managers to seek landscape service partners that can identify new ways to keep your campus landscape a high-performing resource.

Knowing how to respond to challenges and how wisely money will be allocated is an opportunity to ensure that the full potential of the value of the investment in landscaping can be realized. To Eastern Land Management, this means delivering more innovative solutions and a value-based approach to landscape and grounds services.

With 48 years’ experience spanning public and private K-12, to land grant and private colleges to the Ivy league in Connecticut and New York, ELM has a long-history as a discreet and unparalleled landscape partner-of-choice. The company’s proactive, professionally managed approach to maintaining campus landscape and grounds is a process that ensures that the school, the land, the natural resources, the landscape and the built environment work in harmony with the school’s commitment to excellence.

Key elements that make us strong campus partners

  • We work with facility managers to reemphasize the flexible space between buildings, and meet landscape, grounds and site objectives at a strategic level.
  • We improve data driven decision-making with technology platforms.
  • We find creative ways to rise to the challenge of deferred maintenance.
  • We advise on energy management programs to reach sustainability goals and drive cost savings.
  • We follow best-practice guidelines in horticulture, plant health care, integrated pest management, and water conservation to break new ground on sustainable solutions.
  • We create a consistent and reliable approach to service excellence, working with facility managers to set priorities and deliver the greatest value.
  • We provide multiple delivery models, including outsourced partner, onsite partner, consulting partner, or in specialized service areas, such as water management and athletic fields.

Leading change in four critical areas

ELM received the Fairfield County ChangeMaker Award for sustainability in 2019, and we continue to support sustainability goals in the following ways:

  • Safeguarding water
    • Reducing runoff
    • Promoting permeable paving
    • Collecting rainwater, where feasible
    • Implementing landscaping that has high rate of absorption
    • Incorporating bioswales and bio-retention areas, and constructed wetlands
    • Utilizing drought tolerant planting
    • Installing high-efficiency irrigation systems and digital water saving technology
  • Conserving resources
    • Reducing green waste
    • Minimizing waste impacts
    • Using renewable, biodegradable, low-impact, and non-toxic materials, as feasible
  • Improving energy efficiency
    • Planting deciduous trees for seasonal shading
    • Using energy-efficient equipment
    • Using renewable technologies
    • Increasing the use of cost-effective tools and alternative fuel
  • Enhancing environmental quality
    • Creating healthy outdoor spaces and landscape solutions that support learning and enhance the quality of life
    • Restoring soil health to improve carbon sequestration, combat soil erosion, retain water and nutrients
    • Using non-toxic products, as feasible, to improve plant health and reduce pests and disease
    • Increasing the use of low-maintenance, drought tolerant perennials, meadows, eco-lawns, groundcover
    • Protecting habitats and promoting biodiversity
    • Using eco-friendly alternatives to salt for winter snow and ice management

At ELM, our goal is to make all the elements of the landscape work together for a more sustainable and resilient future. To learn more, contact sales@easternland.com

 

 

5 Ways to Look Beyond Cost When Sourcing Landscape Services

Posted by Eastern Land Management on

Bridging the relationship gap between client and contractor can be complicated. But when it works well, the payoff can be impressive in terms of performance improvement, increased revenue, and results.

When we are invited to the table for strategic planning with our commercial real estate clients, we contribute knowledge and insight. We don’t sell. This is the difference between a transactional approach and a partnership approach, and one we take seriously as a landscape services firm committed to help property and facility owners and managers find competitive advantage.

From our years of experience working and partnering with commercial real estate professionals, we’ve narrowed the conversation down to just five talking points, and what we’re doing to help you look beyond cost and source a landscape firm that can work with you to achieve greater alignment on goals.

  • Innovation

ELM is committed to accelerate meaningful change. We have invested in EV, automation and technology, artificial intelligence, renewable fuels, and training that improves time and logistics management, client communication, and resource efficiency—from water conservation, and rainwater and stormwater management, to energy-efficient equipment, to tax rebates, lower utility and maintenance costs, and zoning and drought allowances. We built a dedicated facility for snow operations, make our own eco-friendly de-icing applications, and mitigate environmental risk across our service lines.

  • Scalability

ELM’s nimble operating model allows us to scale up or scale back processes and resources to continually enhance productivity across all functions.  ELM has flexibility built into its systems that all but eliminate the need for you to anticipate and respond to extreme weather events–creating a superior experience for you that is marked by expertise, speed and better outcomes.

  • Efficiency

ELM’s high-value services help your organization stay lean and agile, maximize your profitability, improve the quality and performance of your landscape and open spaces, and reduce liability. You gain the efficiency of the latest training, technologies and processes, access to specialized talent, and experienced subject matter experts that can help you improve your operational resilience.

  • Benchmarking

ELM is a metric-driven culture that uses data and smart analytics to benchmark across criteria. This improves weather and budget forecasting, helps meet conservation goals, and provides a baseline for accountability

  • Environmental Sustainability

ELM is focusing on strategies that help you maintain your momentum and leadership on climate action. These include site improvements, beautification programs, building and maintaining landscapes that sequester more carbon; and increasing waste minimization through improved landscape operational practices. We’re using earth-friendly alternatives, mitigating environmental risk across landscape, grounds and open spaces, and committing to increased plant and ecosystem health through continuous improvement in best practices.

If you’re looking to improve your approach to strategic sourcing, remove inefficiencies, better manage risk, and gain a partner that aligns with who you are and where your business is going, contact company president Bruce Moore Jr. at (203) 316-5433.

Photo: The Innovation Center at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield CT.  Landscape and grounds sustainably maintained year-round by Eastern Land Management.