Decarbonizing Horticulture Operations

Action on climate change involves moving away from fossil fuels. The Garden’s five-year strategic plan calls on the organization to evaluate and reduce the carbon footprint of its horticulture operations, which we are doing by opting for electric-powered equipment and renewable energy.

  • Horticulture member using electric string trimmer around apple trees.
  • Horticulture team leaf blowing in the Shade Garden
  • Electric mower used to mow turf grasses throughout property.

Making the Switch to Electric Equipment
In the fall of 2022, New England Botanic Garden became the first botanic garden in the nation to earn Green Zone certification from the American Green Zone Alliance for our efforts to decarbonize with electric equipment. The journey leading to this achievement began in 2019. Before partnering with the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA), horticulture staff were already researching and demoing electric equipment with hopes of transitioning the Garden toward more sustainable maintenance practices. Learn more about this process at our blog. 

In September 2020, Garden staff connected with AGZA founder Dan Mabe at an electric equipment workshop. In the months that followed, AGZA worked alongside Garden staff to determine what products would best suit the needs of the horticulture team and the landscape of the Garden. The organization then helped calculate the Garden’s current carbon footprint, and the change that would result from the transition to electric equipment. Learn more about the Garden’s Green Zone certification. 

Over the past four years, the Garden has replaced, or begun the process of replacing, its array of gas-powered mowers, leaf blowers, string trimmers, and chainsaws. We have also incorporated a fleet of 11 electric utility carts into our regular operations. Estimates from our AGZA and Quiet Communities partners suggest that these transitions will eliminate an estimated 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually—the equivalent of planting 2,220 trees, or taking eleven gas-powered cars off the road each year. 

New solar array installed on New England Botanic Garden Horticulture barn.Getting off the Grid
The Garden’s horticulture barn, located on the outskirts of the parking lot, houses a variety of tools including the team’s collection of electric-powered landcare equipment and utility carts. In fall 2023, the Garden installed a solar array onto the roof of the barn. The project, motivated by the Garden’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability, represents a major step in efforts to decarbonize horticulture operations, and it allows the organization to redirect cost savings afforded by solar energy into other mission-focused activities. The solar array generates 17,522 kWh of power, 121% of the organization’s previous usage for the barn, and charges all of the horticulture team’s electric equipment without reliance on fossil fuels. 

The Garden’s solar project was made possible by a $112,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Cultural Facilities Fund and a $50,000 grant from the Tern Foundation’s TernSOLAR Challenge Grant Program. Tern Foundation’s TernSOLAR challenge grant program is designed to expand renewable energy use in Massachusetts communities, making solar technology more accessible to nonprofit organizations. Grants are offered to dynamic nonprofits whose leaders engage creatively with their communities and also consider future generations and the natural environment in their strategic priorities and sustainability planning. Since 2010 Tern Foundation has funded 25 solar projects and associated environmental education initiatives. In addition to these funding partners, the Garden also extends thanks to individual donors to this project, John C. Amoroso and Bruce Fishbein and Sara Shields. 

Sourcing Locally
The Garden does not have the space to grow all the plants needed to fill the beds come springtime. While our horticulture team does grow a lot of specialty plants on site, most of the Garden’s plants are acquired from local nurseries and garden centers. 

Sustainable sourcing for the Garden means limiting the amount of plant material that comes from more than 250 miles away, thus limiting the carbon impact of the transportation needs. Around 95% of plant materials actually come from even closer — under 150 miles. These choices are in alignment with the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), a rating system designed to help organizations consider the impacts of their operations and incorporate more sustainable solutions. 

 

Each day, the Garden continues to make strides toward becoming more sustainable. Click here to learn about our Sustainable Initiatives.