By P.J. Heller When Zach Brooks took a midlife sharp U-turn change in careers, he had a unique goal in mind. “We set out to create a fully off-the-grid sustainable farm where we turn sunshine, rainwater and other people’s garbage into food and shelter and improvements to the planet,” he says. “That was kind of our North Star.” Brooks laid …
By P.J. Heller Sam DeLullo enjoys getting out of the office now and then to visit and reconnect with customers he hasn’t seen for a while. “The most interesting thing I find is to see what’s changed over the course of the years,” says DeLullo. The same is certainly true for anyone who comes back to visit Woodbed Corp. (WOODBED …
By P.J. Heller At some point during the school year, students are usually taught about their state, including the official state flower, official state bird, official state tree and official state animal. What’s often missing from those classroom lessons is the official state soil. Yes, all 50 states have each selected an official soil that has special significance to it. …
By P.J. Heller When Mark Highland launched Organic Mechanics Soil Company in 2006, his focus was on offering “earth friendly” soil products. “There were no compost-based, peat-free potting soils on the market in 2006,” he recalls. “I saw that niche and went for it. Environmental sustainability is a core value at Organic Mechanics.” Since the launch of that first product …
By P.J. Heller For peat’s sake, look to Canada. That’s the message from the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), especially when it comes to peatland science and restoration. “We’ve been recognized for our leadership, our environmental stewardship across the world,” says Asha Hingorani, president of the CSPMA, which represents more than a dozen horticultural peat moss producers in Canada …
By P.J. Heller Sales of consumer soil products are much more robust than previously believed, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Mulch & Soil Council. And projections from another survey paint a bright picture for 2024, especially with Gen Y (27-41) respondents saying they expected to spend more money and time on gardening than the previous year. The …
By P.J. Heller Brad Morgan followed the proverbial phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” to create a successful business. In his case, though, the correct phrase would be, “When life gives you manure, make compost.” And that’s exactly what Morgan has been doing since 1996, when he and his father, Dale Morgan, launched Morgan Composting and its Dairy …
By P.J. Heller If someone was to co-opt the Burger King slogan of “Have It Your Way,” it would likely be the crew at Full Circle Soils & Compost. Not content to produce just a standard compost that can be marketed to customers, Full Circle offers a complete menu of items that can be added to compost to create a …
By P.J. Heller Toothpaste. Kitty litter. Outdoor pizza ovens. Ceiling tiles. Garden and landscape growing material. Pipe insulation. Soaps. Environmental spill cleanup kits. Those items and more have one ingredient in common that many people may not be aware of: perlite. “Perlite is all around us,” notes Michael Dunlavey in discussing a mineral found throughout the horticultural, construction and industrial …
