Project EverGreen Releases New Fact Sheets

Project EverGreen has three new fact sheets available to help further educate homeowners and national media of the benefits of green spaces. Compiled from university and government research, the three fact sheets outline evidence linking green spaces to important environmental, economic and lifestyle benefits.

“Over the course of the last three to six months, we’ve been gathering resource reports from universities and associations regarding lifestyle and economic benefits and we’ve captured that information in three fact sheets,” says Den Gardner, executive director for Project EverGreen. “Up to now, the information was all available somewhere from some source, but we’ve taken the extra step to compile it and provide a single source for people to access.”

Among the facts listed in the fact sheets are:

• Economic benefits: Studies show that landscaping can increase home value by as much as 11.3 percent. 
• Energy savings: Trees can reduce attic temperatures by as much as 40 degrees resulting in lower energy costs. 
• Natural resource protection: Proper landscape maintenance can protect water supplies by reducing runoff and preventing leaching into the soil.

Research resources include the Universities of Florida, Georgia, Washington and several other schools around the country, as well as organizations like EcoPlanIt Madison and the Urban Institute.

“We really want these fact sheets to be a tool for consumer media as well as for lawn and landscape companies and other people in green industry, so they see us as a resource,” explains Katherine Brandenburg of Swanson Russell Assocaites, who compiled the fact sheets for Project EverGreen. “We looked for information from third-parties that were either governmental or educational. Part of the feedback we’ve gotten is that some consumer publications are now interested in using Project EverGreen as a resource to share these economic and lifestyle facts with their readers on a regular basis.”

Gardner says the goal is to help homeowners realize that “green is much more than just a pleasing color.” “In looking at university and government research, we found strong support for the practical advantages of maintaining and enhancing green spaces,” he says. The fact sheets are available for free on Project EverGreen’s Web site. Gardner says that for a nominal fee, Project EverGreen will provide multiple copies to contractors that are interested in disseminating the fact sheets to their customers.

For more information, visit www.projectevergreen.com/resources.