Flower Grower Tackles a Different Kind of Greenhouse Effect

A producer of plants for customers including Whole Foods and Costco has instituted energy saving measures that have saved about 305,000 therms per year.

Rocket Farms installed a number of efficiency technologies in its greenhouses, saving enough energy to power 616 homes for a year, or remove 249 cars from the road.

The measures include heat curtains, under-bench heating and rolling benches to increase the number of plants that can fit in a space.

Pacific Gas & Electric paid the farming company over $280,000 in incentives for its energy-saving measures.

Other recent environmental measures instituted by Rocket Farms include:

• Use of drip irrigation, where possible, to conserve water.
• Building a greenhouse almost completely composed of onsite recycled materials.
• Instituting an integrated pest management program to minimize the amount of pesticides used
• Recycling 31.84 tons of cardboard and plastic in December alone

Rocket Farms is the fourth largest greenhouse grower in the country, specializing in novelty orchids, poinsettias, herb and vegetable plants and potted flowering ornaments.

It sells its products to Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Costco and to local farmers’ markets, among other retailers.

Picture credit: Rocket Farms