Real green

Practically every business in every industry these days claims a “green” product or service. The term is marketing buzz more than anything – who’s regulating that claim? No one, really. That said, how does a firm that truly is a trailblazer in sustainable landscapes communicate to the public that their green service is the real deal?

With all the greenwash flooding today’s marketplace, backing up sustainability claims is critical.

Rainscapes Environmental Solutions accomplishes this by showing the community just how rainwater harvesting works. Finished projects are the best way to “talk” about the green services you provide, says Kelby Reed, president of the Tampa, Fla.-based firm.

The way to promote sustainability without coming across as a trend chaser is “to physically build” your reputation, Reed says.

Also, Reed decided to change his company name to Rainscapes Environmental Solutions so customers would understand what his firm does. “There are plenty of ‘greenscapes’ and ‘environmental’ – the words are overused,” Reed says of common company names that reflect “green.”

He chose Rainscapes because it spoke to rainwater collection systems that landscape services weren’t building. This was, and is, a market niche for the company. And once he clinched a high-end design job that allowed him to show off his firm’s ability to execute a completely sustainable landscape project, he officially changed the company name.

“I was ultimately waiting for the right time to [change the name], but I never had the big project in the ground that gave me the backup to say, ‘This is what we can do,’” Reed says. “When we built an enormous rainwater collection system [for that property], that’s when we changed the name to Rainscapes Environmental Solutions, and we started to make job signs.”

From there, people began to recognize the company as an environmental steward – a firm that took on large-scale, elaborate “green” landscape jobs. By simply saying what you do – and providing it with finished projects – Reed says the work you desire will come.

This story is one of three that appeared in Lawn & Landscape's Business Builder e-newsletter. To continue reading about Rainscapes Environmental Solutions:

Drought defiant: Kelby Reed’s portfolio of sustainable landscape designs and elaborate water feature projects show Tampa residents that going green is a beautiful thing.

Generating boom in a bust market: Even in a down economy, homeowners are investing in outdoor projects.