Hairy offset?

Morning all, 

Potting is all done, and no compost left so I can't even be tempted to slip a few more through. We have had a thorough clean up in the potting tunnel and emptied out the new machine so we can oil up all the nuts and chains etc and get a grease gun to all the bearings etc. The compost that goes through the machine is quite abrasive and damp so I'm hoping this action will get the machine through the winter in better condition and it will last for a few extra years. Certainly a 'feel good' job, it almost looks like we are professionals. Everyone else is getting stuck into the pot mulching, trying to get a layer in place before the liverwort gets too much of a hold and slows up the trimming back later.

Trying to get to a position of 'net zero' on carbon output is the new favourite business target out there, and there are loads of people offering to help measure your performance to assist you on your way. As a business very interested on being as sustainable as we can be, while retaining a sensible level of commercialism, it is something I thought we should be able to have a good stab at and achieve this goal early on in the game. We have had quite a bit of experience over the years in measuring and reducing our direct carbon output in the areas we can actually measure ourselves. We have looked closely at energy use, waste output, transport emissions etc, but the one thing that has always bugged me was how do you measure the carbon cost of all the things you buy into the business. All those materials (pots, trays, tunnels, compost, young plants, consumables etc) plus all those services we use (accountants, waste disposal, electricians, servicing companies etc). All those things have a carbon cost, but I doubt if at this stage many of our suppliers could give us a carbon cost of what they deliver. At this point the net-carbon advisors start to apply generic estimated values based on the amount of money you spend with each supplier, allocated to very generalised groups and here things start to get a bit out of control, to the point of the whole exercise becoming farcical.

We put a lot of work into measuring and reducing our direct carbon emissions over the years and as a company our direct carbon output is just over 8 tonnes per year which is not bad considering we are employing 26 people, producing 450,000 hairy pots and a similar number of micro-propagated modules. However in the overall report carried out for us, they have estimated we also lose 51 tonnes from 'fugitive emissions' (I had to look this up, it means leaks from pressurise equipment), which can't be right, plus 751 tonnes from all our purchasing and material use! There is no breakdown of what materials or services these values have been allocated to, so how we are supposed to find a way to reduce them I'm not sure. I suspect the answer lies in the conclusion of the report, that to make ourselves net zero we pay someone (possibly the team who do the report!) to buy carbon offsets and fund carbon capturing projects.

I am awaiting to a response to a whole series of queries I made, but I suspect they would rather I take the easy way out and just pay up for carbon offsetting, which would currently cost just over £6,000. What I am actually now doing is gently harassing our suppliers for their carbon footprints for the materials and services they provide. I suspect that quite a few of the sort of things we are buying in have, either minimal carbon output, or indeed a negative one. We spend a monster amount on our coir pots for which I now actually have a carbon footprint and it comes out at a healthy negative figure, even after all the production, packing and transport costs are allocated. This is because the two main ingredients are coconuts and rubber sap which are both harvested from perennial tree crops which sequester carbon. I suspect there will be a similar outcome for the bamboo skewers which are also harvested from perennial croppers, but those sums are yet to be done.

The main issue I have with the whole thing, across all industries, is that most people will be working from guesstimates and generic data which doesn't actually help anyone. A quick payment to carbon offsetting and you are free to call yourself net zero. Even more frightening was an offer we had from our bank to work out our carbon footprint from our bank account activity, how accurate or meaningful is that going to be? The idea of these projects is that we find ways to improve but so far I see little evidence of this going to happen for most participants.

Wooden box returns

We have collecting up lots of our wooden boxes already, but if you have some ready for collection, just drop me a line and I will add you to the list for a visit. It may take a week or two to get round to you as we will be trying to tie them in with deliveries at the same time, to keep those transport costs in check. Thanks.

Availability list highlights

We have a range of Helleborus in stock to stretch those Autumn sales. Not a lot of flower yet but full of winter promise. Evergreen Lithodora looking smart as are the Liriope. I added a range of hardy Agapanthus varieties which are mostly evergreen, they are looking so strong I thought, why not?

Best wishes  from all at Kirton Farm Nurseries