Organic Land Care Needs Assessment of Professional Landscapers in New Jersey Rowe, A.A. 1 ; Bakacs, M. 2 ; Hlubik, W. T. 3 ; Weidman, R. 4 ; Zientek, J.L. 5 1 Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Roseland, NJ, 07068 2 Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902 3 Agricultural Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902 4 Program Associate, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, North Brunswick, NJ, 08902 5 Senior Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Roseland, NJ, 07068 Abstract Organic landscaping is an approach to land Objectives • To gauge professional landscapers’ interest in organic land care Needs Assessment Results • Landscaping company owners were more likely to be care that implements environmentally- friendly techniques that not only maintain beautiful lawns and turf, but also improves watershed health by reducing both stormwater runoff and nonpoint source pollution. Currently, the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) runs an Organic Land Care Program in Connecticut land care • To collect data about landscapers’ existing knowledge about organic land care techniques • To determine if landscaper clientele have requested organic land care as a service • To learn if landscapers believed their clientele would be willing to pay more for organic land care service • Landscaping company owners were more likely to be interested in becoming certified organic landscapers than managers, who were more interested than staff (Table 1) • Owners, managers, and staff were generally unsure of if customers would be willing to pay more for organic landscaping service (Table 1) • Many landscapers have never had a client request organic techniques but owners have received the most Objectives This program’s goals are to educate municipal officials with practical information about these systems and to dispel myths Organic Land Care Program in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. The basis of the program is a 5-day accreditation course which certifies industry workers to be NOFA-accredited organic land care professionals. New Jersey-based landscapers must travel to other states in order to become NOFA-accredited. Rutgers Methods • Needs assessment surveys were given to professional landscapers at several events • After the landscapers’ need for more information was established, two “Introduction to Organic Land Care” workshops were held organic techniques, but owners have received the most inquiries compared to managers and staff (Table 1) Table 1. Organic land care needs assessment results of professional landscapers in New Jersey (n=141) Role in Landscaping Company Survey Question Owner Manager Staff Are you interested in becoming a certified organic 73% 58% 43% that may prevent the consideration of permeable pavement as a long‐term solution for stormwater management. Approaches Municipal officials may be hesitant to install permeable pavement for a variety of reasons and several methods may Cooperative Extension (RCE) is currently adapting and implementing the program for the New Jersey landscaping industry. In order to better understand New Jersey landscaping professionals’ attitudes toward organic land care, a survey was conducted over several landscaper workshop events • Pre/post-workshop knowledge surveys were given to participants to assist in determining impact. landscaper? Answered "Yes" or "Maybe" 73% 58% 43% Would customers be willing to pay more for organic landscaping? Answered "Maybe" or "I don't know" 51% 67% 50% How many clients have requested organic landscaping? Answered "None" 29% 58% 63% Introductory Workshop Results need to be employed to educate and overcome barriers to implementation. Successful approaches may include: y Demonstration site y Cost analysis y Green incentives over several landscaper workshop events. 200 surveys were administered, yielding 141 responses. 57% of respondents answered yes or maybe when asked if they would want to become a certified organic landscaper. 33% believed that being certified in organic land care would help their businesses, and 33% of respondents Introductory Workshop Results • Attendees of the “Introduction to Organic Land Care” workshops had some prior knowledge of organic techniques (52% of pre-workshop answers correct, n= 26) • After the workshop, 74% of the knowledge test answers were correct • This knowledge increase was statistically significant at Comments from Professional Landscapers believed their customers might be willing to pay more for organic landscaping. 40% of those surveyed stated that their customers had already expressed interest in organic or “all natural” landscaping products and techniques. Based on these results it seems there is moderate interest in organic land care techniques among New Jersey This knowledge increase was statistically significant at the 0.001 level (paired t-test) Organics are the future. Let’s educate the people and get on with it. I started organic land care many years ago. It’s an excellent idea to promote organics for the safety and reduction of t Future Plans • A working group including RCE, NOFA, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is being formed care techniques among New Jersey professionals and residents. Additional survey results will be presented as well as how these results will assist in planning New Jersey’s organic land care program. costs. Any sound science technique using organics is always a plus. • An organic land care accreditation program is expected to be in place by early 2013 • The landscapers need assistance making the public aware of the benefits of organic land care • RCE will provide that assistance by holding workshops for homeowners