Landscape Management, May 2018

profit centers Continued from page 26 regulators and from people who are forward thinking who say we have to be better stewards of our precious resources Q Can you talk about the role organizations like the u s green building CounCil the international Code CounCil and the ameriCan soCiety of heating refrigerating and air Conditioning engineers play in the future of the landsCape irrigation industry Brent Mecham Carlos Michelon Brian Vinchesi John Farner MechaM Most people in the landscape industry know there are certain codes and regulations we have to comply with such as protecting the potable water supply That is code thats been in place to protect the interest of the public With our controllers and wiring we also deal with electrical code to protect people So most building codes are about safety and the protection of people There is a new kind of code thats come around about protecting the environment called the green code which takes the basic codes of protection and safety and expands them to protect the environment With the green code they have now gone outside the building envelope and are saying we have to look at the site and what we can do to protect the environment at the site It gets a little bit complicated because most building officials are comfortable with building codes but are uncomfortable about what is going on with the site Its been under the jurisdiction of the planning and zoning commissions in the city or county not the building department Were seeing a crossover of who has the authority Q getting the publiC to see the value of the landsCapes we grow is a Challenge faCing the industry how do you think we Can overCome that hurdle Vinchesi I think education is the key You have to educate people on why landscape is important why maintaining the landscape with water is important and what the environmental benefits are I think you can also educate them that some regulation makes sense For instance Massachusetts has just finally started to implement some guidelines for rain shutoff requirements It was passed by legislators four years ago and is just now coming to fruition Pressure regulating sprinklers make sense Smart controllers make sense With regulations before you just kill it look at the technologies out there to save water Education is key from the contractor to the distributor to the regulator to the property owner It all has to come together Q whats your opinion on how to ensure that our workforCe is knowledgeable and ready to do the job that needs to be done is liCensing the answer or is it Continuation of CertifiCations Michelon I think certification or credentialing is a necessary tool and appropriate resource to recognize and call upon qualified professionals It begins from a place of understanding everybodys role in the marketplace as having a common stewardship responsibility A license or certificate isnt a guarantee that a site is going to be properly designed or managed so lets look beyond just the certification stuff I want to strongly support upgrading the requirements for licensure trying to possibly require where necessary some type of certification so the people who have boots on the ground are properly trained and vetted On the flip side I also want to see more market recognition for those who maintain these high standards We try to put the spotlight on the best practitioners who meet these standards MechaM I think its complicated in the fact that licensing is typically about a company and its ability to conduct business Certification is about the individual In many places you could use both I think the really good companies understand the value of certified individuals and they will recognize them with a higher paycheck and find some way to keep these people who know how to do the job I think there is room in the marketplace for both Q whats the biggest opportunity for the landsCape irrigation industry ahead of us MechaM The biggest opportunity is to become really professional and know what youre doing The way the marketplace is shifting you will be rewarded for knowing what youre doing I think the marketplace is going to start demanding it Michelon I think its integration and the spirit of stewardship when it comes to managing landscapes The opportunity is in trying to integrate with other practitioners so the products and services are presented in a more holistic approach Schappacher is a freelance writer based in Cleveland IrrIgatIon Water ManageMent lanDscaPeManaGeMenT neT May 2018 28