Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc.

Newsletter

August 2014

Broken

Water Main

Just a Drop

in the Bucket

Many of you have heard about the broken water main in Los Angeles, which spouted a 30-foot geyser into the air and flooded Sunset Boulevard and UCLA with more than 20 million gallons of water.

It happened in the middle of one of California's worst droughts ever.

People all around are lamenting the loss of water like a best friend. "Twenty million gallons," they moan.

I'm not here to downplay the severity of that incident, but I do want to put things into perspective.

Twenty million gallons is nothing compared to what most communities use on their landscape irrigation alone.

We've saved many of our clients that much water and up to five times more, simply by upgrading their irrigation systems and converting their landscape to a more drought tolerant variety.

We saved the Oso Valley Greenbelt Association 108 million gallons of water that resulted in a two-year cost savings of more than $251,000 to the community.

And that's just one community among hundreds within Orange County alone.

The average golf course can use up to one million gallons of water per week to keep its fairways green.

Twenty million gallons is 20 weeks of irrigation at a golf course, or, if the average family consumes 200,000 gallons of water per year, it is the total water consumption for 100 families for one year.

A UCLA study released in June, (yes, we see the irony...), said outdoor water use accounts for 54 percent of single-family residential water use in our region. The study urged water agencies to raise their rates, noting that water use has only dropped by 5 percent, compared to the 20 percent advisory issued by the governor.

Everyone clearly needs to do their part, and it should start with our irrigation and landscaping. Clearly, the biggest impact will come from the biggest water users: community associations, industrial parks, business and commercial complexes, and golf courses.

It's not all bad. Conserving water can also save you money. And that's a good thing. Contact us to find out how much you could save.

_____________

Steven Schinhofen is President and CEO of Harvest Landscape Enterprises, Inc.

Harvest Named One of the Industry's Top Green Companies

Landscape Management magazine has named Harvest Landscape Enterprises Inc. among the nation's top green companies for 2014.

We ranked No. 100 on Landscape Management's 2014 LM150 list of the Green Industry's largest companies based on annual revenue and business growth.

"We are excited and honored to be mentioned among the nation's best landscape companies," said President Steven Schinhofen. "Harvest works hard to provide the best in customer service and resource conservation. Clearly, that formula has paid off." Nationwide, landscape companies named on the list saw a collective drop in business of 0.2 percent in 2013, while Harvest's revenue in that year grew by 10 percent. "Congratulations to Harvest and all the companies on this year's LM150 list," said Marisa Palmieri, editor of Landscape Management. "Many of the firms on this list are the best of the best. It's an honor to be among them."

California Imposes Fines for Overwatering

We've been keeping you up to date on the historic drought that has crippled water services for many parts of the state and prompted mandatory water use restrictions for everyone. Beginning on Aug. 1, severe fines have been imposed on people who do not comply with the conservation requirements. Homeowners could pay $500 for landscape irrigation runoff from their properties. Water agencies that do not impose these fines could face their own penalties of up to $10,000 per day! The restrictions impact everyone, including community associations, business and industrial parks, and so on.

Contact us today for an inspection of your irrigation system to see what simple measures can be done to ensure you aren't wasting water or risking hefty fines.

Harvest Joins CAI Chapter for Day in the Park

No, Leslie and Paty aren't moonlighting as "carneys," they're having fun staffing Harvest's carnival booth at CAI Greater Inland Empire's "Day at the Park," held recently at Hunter Lobby Park in Riverside. Food, music, a bounce house, games and face-painting provided associates with the chance to bring their families to mingle. It was a fantastic event! "Most of us spend too much time away from our kids and it was great to be able to include them!!!." said one attendee. "Whoever came up with this idea, good call!!" For more information on the Greater Inland Empire chapter of Community Association Institute, visit www.caionline.org.

Come to Us for Superior Hardscape Features

The most beautiful landscapes reflect a tasteful balance of plants and hardscape, as in this monument sign we completed for the Eastbrook community in Lake Forest. Our concrete and masonry department is comprised of talented professionals who understand the importance of design, structure and durability in their work. Contact us today to find out more.

Harvest Family Celebrates Release of 'Kid Ramos' CD

We were happy to join with friends in celebrating the re-release of the CD "Two Hands One Heart," by Kid Ramos, also known as Harvest's very own Dave Ramos. A festive party was held at Big's Grill Fullerton to launch the new remastered, remixed CD released by Rip Cat Records, which also includes never-before-heard tracks! Congratulations, Dave!