Earth Day may be a single day, but there’s plenty of ways to make the spirit of sustainability last all year long. Check out our list of eco-friendly landscaping best practices. They’re easy to implement, promote better plant health, and can even save you money.

Waste Not with Mulching Mowers

Mulching mowers pack a powerful one-two punch in benefits. They reduce green waste that would otherwise be sent to the landfill by repurposing it onsite into a nutrient-rich compost. The mower's blades cut grass and leaves into fine pieces that are deposited onto the soil. As the pieces decompose, they act as a natural fertilizer for your landscape. Less waste + free fertilizer = win-win!

Beat Dry Spells with Drought-Tolerant Plants

Incorporating drought-tolerant plants into your landscape enhances curb appeal and can reduce your water bill. Thanks to their lower water needs, drought tolerant plants will look great, even during dry spells. And because they experience less stress in periods of water scarcity, that can translate to less need for fertilization and a greater resistance to pests and disease.

Be Waterwise with Smart Irrigation

When it comes to watering your landscape, there’s no reason for runoff, overspray, or watering in the rain. Today’s irrigation technology ensures the most efficient water application and implementing it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Among our favorites are rain sensors and smart controllers, which automatically adjust your watering schedule to ensure you’re not watering when it’s not needed. High-efficiency sprinkler heads and drip irrigation are another must have because they apply water in a slower, more uniform manner. This gives the soil more time to absorb the water, reducing runoff and wasteful mist that can blow away.

Let Sustainability Soak in with Permeable Surfaces

No pun intended, but concrete can be a little hard on the environment. That’s because concrete and other impervious surfaces don’t allow groundwater to soak into the soil and recharge aquifers. This leads to runoff and erosion. In contrast, permeable surfaces—such as gravel and permeable pavers—allow water to filter through, contributing to a more balanced ecosystem. And here’s a “cool” fact: permeable surfaces may even help reduce the urban heat island effect through evaporative cooling!

Remedy Run-off with a Rain Garden

Got drainage issues? Rain gardens are an attractive way to deal with depressions where rainwater collects. They act like nature’s sponge, soaking up excess water to prevent run-off, erosion, and flooding. Typically, rain gardens are planted with native plants that love water, but also don’t mind drier periods. Planted at the base of a naturally occurring slope, water funnels into the rain garden, where it’s able to soak into the ground more quickly. In a well-constructed rain garden, the water will be absorbed within a day, which prevents mosquitos and leads to some very happy plants.

Make sustainable practices your new norm. When you partner with BrightView, it’s easy to implement strategies like these in your landscape care. With electric commercial landscaping equipment, a large fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles, and United States Green Building Council LEED-certified landscape consulting, we’re leading the industry in environmentally friendly solutions. Get in touch to discover what’s possible for your property.

If you’re looking to make a big difference for your landscape and the environment, you can’t go wrong with a pollinator garden. Also known as bee or wildflower gardens, pollinator gardens bring beauty and beneficial insects to your property, creating a win-win for everyone. Getting started is easy, especially with the right landscape partner by your side. Here’s what to “bee” mindful of:

Choose the Right Site

For the greatest success, pollinator gardens are best located in a spot that gets at least partial sun and isn’t too windy. If the site currently has sod, it will need to be removed, and the soil tilled prior to planting your pollinator garden. Your landscape partner can advise on the best approach. 

Pro Tip: Aim to plant in clumps of a single type of plant. It makes it easier for pollinators to find their preferred food source.

Choose Native Plants

Not only are native plants well-adapted to your region, they’re also an important food source for pollinators. Check out the website for Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which maintains a list of native plants for each state. For year-round interest, we like to select plants that bloom in different seasons. 

Pro Tip: Beware of cultivars of native plants. Through selective breeding, these plants may have lost some of the qualities that originally made them attractive to pollinators.

Choose with Bees in Mind

According to the Xerces Society, bees are the most important group of pollinators because they spend most of their lives collecting pollen. In fact, a single female bee can visit hundreds of flowers in a single foraging trip. However, not all flowers are universally appealing. That’s because different species of bees have different tongues. Some have long tongues that work well for tubular blooms while others have short tongues that are better suited for small florets. Plant a mix of shapes and sizes to appeal to as many bee species as possible. 

Pro Tip: Save your red flowers for hummingbirds and butterflies. Bees can’t see red, but are attracted to purple, blue, white, and yellow.

Choose the Right Time to Plant

Spring is the best time to install a pollinator garden as it allows plenty of time for transplants to get established before their first winter freeze. If you live in a region with mild winters, fall planting could also be an option.

Pro Tip: It’s not uncommon for native plants to spend their first couple growing seasons establishing their root system instead of directing energy toward aboveground growth.

Choose the Right Landscape Provider

BrightView is experienced in implementing environmentally-friendly landscaping solutions—like pollinator gardens—across the country. Whether you’re looking to create unique outdoors spaces that attract top talent, promote healing, or enhance learning, our team of experts has you covered. Take the first step toward bringing your vision to life by scheduling a free consultation.

For other BrightView Landscapes stock information or other financial reports, please visit our investor website.

This Corporate Responsibility Report aims to provide a consolidated overview of BrightView’s non-financial performance. Metrics included in this Report cover our activities during the FY2024 (October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024) period, unless otherwise noted. This Report includes select metrics from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Professional and Commercial Services industry standard.

Agave Assassin

The Uninvited Guest In Your Landscape

They're the scourge of the succulent world — half-inch long beetles with a serious snout problem. Meet the agave snout weevil, a tiny beetle with a big appetite and an even bigger impact on your beloved agave. This 'agave assassin' may be small, but this invasive pest has earned a spot on the "Top 100 Worst Global Invasive Species" list, and they’re rapidly spreading a reign of destruction. 

Who's Eating My Agave?

The Weevil's Deadly Cycle

Imagine this: your agave plant, once a proud and spiky centerpiece, starts to look a bit... off. The leaves droop sadly, and there's a suspicious mushiness at the base. Enter the villain of our story — the agave snout weevil. This dastardly little beetle, with its distinctive snout, burrows into the heart of agaves to lay its eggs and spread deadly bacteria. The grubs eventually burrow into the soil to pupate or grow, emerging later as a new plague of adult agave snout weevils. Their downward-curved snouts, like needles, inject deadly bacteria straight into the agave's core as they lay their eggs of destruction.

Stop the Assassination Early

Spot the Signs

• Wilted and Discolored: Lower fronds or leaves losing their spunk? Could be a sign.
• Rotten at it’s Core: A foul smell and mushy base is a telltale sign of an advanced infestation.
• Give it a Rock: If your agave wobbles with a gentle push, it's loose in the soil and time to request back-up.

The Best Defense is a Good Offense

Stop the Spread 

Don’t wait for the weevils to RSVP — the best defense against the agave snout weevil is a good offense.

• Check Newly Purchased Plants: Carefully inspect new plants for signs of stowaways or hitchhikers before planting.
• Water Wisely: Overwatering is like sending out an open invitation. Use well-draining soil to keep it dry and drama-free.
• Insecticide Armor: Suit up your succulents seasonally with a systemic insecticide soil drench — think of it as giving the agaves some extra muscle to fight from the inside out.

Evict the Invaders

Treatment & Prevention

If you discover an infestation among your succulent ranks, act quickly.

• Insecticide Intervention: Apply a systemic insecticide to affected and nearby plants. It’s like having reinforcements show up.
• Remove the Ruined: Sometimes, you've just got to clear out the troublemakers. Remove severely affected plants to prevent reinfestation.

With some diligence, you can rest easy knowing your agave garden is protected from the tiny terror of the snout weevil. 

Don't let this tiny terror ruin your landscape oasis. See how BrightView can help you stay vigilant and take proactive measures to protect your agaves from the dreaded snout weevil.

Get ready to plant trees like a boss! We're about to unleash your inner tree-whisperer with our fun and easy guide. Say goodbye to boring plantings and hello to green-thumb glory! Let's dive into the dirt and turn that sapling into a superstar. Get your shovel and let's make Mother Nature proud!

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The best way to celebrate Earth Day is outside, of course! This scavenger hunt is a fun way to find everyday sustainability superheroes in your landscape. Gather your coworkers to make it a teambuilder or take it home to enjoy with family and friends.

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HERE’S HOW TO PLAY:

• Decide if you’ll compete in small groups or individually.
• Set the parameters for how far you can search, such as within your own landscape or within the neighborhood.
• Use your phone to capture a photo of each item on the list.
• You cannot use the same answer more than once.
• Disputed answers can be settled by the organizer or a group vote.
• The first team or individual in your group to complete the scavenger hunt wins!

Have you ever wished you could see into the future? Now you can. At BrightView, we’re making cutting-edge technology and the latest sustainability best practices available to the properties we serve. 

Are you wishing you could bring these same futuristic benefits to your property? Don’t be green with envy! We’ll bring them to you, too. Get in touch to discuss your sustainability goals. 

The 2024 Corporate Responsibility Focus Areas infographic showcases BrightView's unwavering commitment to being a good corporate citizen. At the forefront of its initiatives is the dedication to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Through meticulous attention to these pillars, BrightView has prioritized sustainable practices that minimize its environmental footprint, foster positive social impacts, and uphold the highest standards of governance. This infographic details insights into BrightView's sustainable strategies, including the addition of electric and battery-powered equipment and promoting water conservation and smart irrigation technology, enhancing community engagement, and maintaining transparent and ethical business practices.

With sustainability at the heart of its operations, BrightView aims to not only meet, but exceed the expectations of its stakeholders, driving meaningful change, and creating long-term value for the company and the communities in which its team members work, live, and play.

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BrightView (NYSE: BV), the leading commercial landscaping services company in the United States, today published its 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report, highlighting the Company’s commitment to being a good corporate citizen focused on environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance. The report is available on BrightView’s website.

“This report reflects our team’s hard work over the past year and continued focus on corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives. Every day we set out to positively impact our stakeholders, including our employees, clients, investors, and neighbors,” said Dale Asplund, BrightView President and Chief Executive Officer. “The actions we take, and the projects we promote, are designed to do our part to help improve our environment and to help take care of our team members and customers, and the communities we serve. We remain committed to setting ambitious goals, tracking our progress transparently, and continually improving our performance to ensure we’re working to create a bright future for the world around us.”

Fiscal 2023 Highlights

Environmental

• Established a baseline Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory.
• Ongoing replacement of our fleet with electric and fuel-efficient alternatives resulting in 17% of our vehicles being hybrid or electric as of the end of Fiscal 2023.
• Continued conversion of gas and 2-cycle landscaping equipment to electric power, with an additional 480 battery-powered handheld units, 200 electric/hybrid vehicles, and 80 electric mowers deployed.

 Social

• Continued to diversify our workforce.
• Once again, maintained a total recordable injury rate lower than the landscaping industry average, demonstrating safety is a top priority.
• Raised over $160,000, through the BrightView Landscapes Foundation, to support team members in critical situations.
• Team members contributed over 550 volunteer hours, as part of our Volunteer Time Off program.

 Governance

• BrightView’s Board maintains oversight of societal and other matters affecting the Company’s stakeholders and the environments in which we operate.
• Nine of 10 Board members are independent, with an average tenure of under five years.

For other BrightView Landscapes stock information or other financial reports, please visit our investor website.

This Corporate Responsibility Report aims to provide a consolidated overview of BrightView’s non-financial performance. Metrics included in this Report cover our activities during the FY2023 (October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2023) period, unless otherwise noted. This Report includes select metrics from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Professional and Commercial Services industry standard.