A PLANT nursery has created a new video showcasing the sustainable measures it has introduced to help protect the planet for generations to come.
Oliver Wass is the owner of Olivers Plants in Coggeshall Road, Earls Colne.
As someone who puts climate change at the forefront of his business plan, Mr Wass is constantly looking to reduce, reuse and recycle, from rainwater harvesting to using computer-controlled coloured lighting to boost his seedlings.
In the video, commissioned by Braintree Council as part of its climate change strategy, Mr Wass shares some of his innovative methods.
Around 60 per cent of the plants sold at the centre are grown at the company’s nursery based a few miles down the road.
Mr Wass said: “That rises to 90 per cent in spring when people are purchasing bedding plants and planting up their hanging baskets. We grow all of those ourselves.”
The business grows primroses which are sold throughout winter and into early spring in their greenhouse, which is kept at a constant temperature all winter.
The team does not pump in artificial heat, instead, the windows of the glasshouse operate on sensors and adjust according to wind, rain and heat to create the perfect growing conditions.
When they do use heat, they do so from beneath using heated tables.
Mr Wass also introduced rainwater harvesting and collects run-off from the greenhouse roof to help water the plants.
This collects in gutters and gravity pushes it into pipes which run under the road to a 750,000-litre storage tank and allows the business to be fully self-sufficient for most of the year.
Water is also harvested at the plant nursery and reused for watering stock.
Mr Wass said: “We have invested huge amounts in our own nursery which has now given us control over what we grow and when we grow it, the amount of plastic we use, the energy we use and the water we use. It’s our duty to try and do what we can.”
Braintree Council environment boss Wendy Schmitt said: “Businesses have a duty to act responsibly and reduce their impact on climate change wherever possible, and we are pleased to highlight the work Olivers Plants are doing to create a better environment for the next generation.”
The video can be viewed at youtu.be/vf1pVuPyW_I.
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