Once a year, Earth Day reminds us to be more environmentally conscience. While some might be inspired to recycle their plastic bottle this holiday. It’s rare to consider your ecological impact on a grander scale.

However, corporate landscapes often contribute to more pollution and water usage than households, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That’s not at all surprising, as business properties are often larger and feature more attractive landscaping, aimed to please visitors.

This Earth Day, make a few changes to make your corporate landscape greener. Here are three ways to reduce your company’s environmental-impact this April:

1. Reduce Spreads of Grass

Ironically, less grass can make for a “greener” property.

Corporations with large landscapes often run sprinklers in an effort to keep their grass green and appealing. But sprinklers waste valuable H20. As much as 50% of the water we use outdoors is lost due to wind, evaporation, and runoff, according to the EPA. Replacing vast spreads of grass with stone, pavement or mulch can instantly save water.

Plus, less grass to mow means less pollution from gasoline-powered lawn equipment (and less maintenance for you!). The EPA also found that approximately 26.7 million tons of pollutants were emitted by this form of emissions— and these findings were from 2011. Today, fumes from landscape equipment account for an even larger portion of non-road gasoline pollutants in the U.S.

2. Water More Efficiently

While reducing the amount of grass around your corporate property can save water, many plants still need to drink. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can water smarter and reduce your H20 usage.

The EPA compiled a chart, showing what, on average, different corporate industries use outdoors to maintain their landscapes. They found that landscape watering accounts for between 5-30% of a facility’s total water use.

Many corporations reduce these watering habits by purchasing WaterSense products, like sprinklers and irrigation controllers, which help to regulate usage. This can be especially helpful for schools, which typically use the most water compared to other industries, in order to maintain lush grass turfs. Find a case study about your industry and see how much money and water your company can save by making the switch!

Choosing smarter products can certainly be beneficial, but oftentimes, water wastage is the result of inefficient irrigation. Improving your property’s drainage system can be a terrific way to go greener this Earth Day. A professional landscaping service can assess your property and contain run-off, time and measure dispersion amounts and help you landscape better retain moisture to reduce watering.

3. Plant a Few Trees

Your landscape might have a number of flower boxes or bushes, but how many trees are there? Planting a few trees can have drastic effects on the environment, and even save your business money.

Trees help clean the air we breathe and lower air pollution. Because of this, they are global warming heroes preventing carbon dioxide from collecting in our atmosphere.

In addition, trees can increase your property value. Studies comparing homes without trees vs. with trees have found that trees make a property more desirable, according to The National Arbor Day Foundation. Maybe it’s because they turn beautiful colors or bring pleasant songbirds close. Regardless, they make your landscape more aesthetically pleasing.

Trees can also cut your company’s heating costs, sheltering you from cold winds and reducing energy consumption by providing more shade, according to a study by Auburn University.

Trusting the Professionals

These are just three of the ways your business can make smarter environmental choices. Many companies also opt to use organic fertilizer and pest treatments, use regional vegetation and fewer harsh chemicals.

You might think that you can maintain your landscape by yourself, but there’s a number of reasons why trusting the professionals is almost always better than DIY.

Need helping find the right landscapers? Here’s how to know you’ve picked the best commercial landscape company.

Request your commercial property assessment today.