Winner, Small Business Category: Salsbury-Schweyer Inc.
Working with the earth
Reconnecting people to the natural harmonies of the earth is what Salsbury-Schweyer Inc. is all about. As a landscape design and development group, it is familiar with the benefits of being environmentally friendly.
For more than 20 years, this Akron-based company has utilized the complexities of nature’s systems to create earth-minded landscapes, which when well-designed, can be portals to a sustainable world.
The company has made notable strides in stormwater management and other green infrastructure practices.
For instance, it was the company’s hope to reduce half of its waste by diverting waste from landfills through repurposing and recycling. Salsbury-Schweyer surpassed this goal with waste reduction of approximately 95 percent.
The company is always looking for ways to provide the most current green infrastructure practices to its clients. It works to maximize energy saving options, such as no-mow lawns and planting trees for optimal shading, all while minimizing energy expenditures by reducing toxic emissions from power plants and using only LED low-voltage lighting in its landscape designs.
To conserve water, the company employs natural infiltration systems that capture the first inch of stormwater from rainfall when project parameters permit, and installs low-water-use landscapes that reduce watering requirements.
By using more waste material rather than a nonrenewable resource, Salsbury-Schweyer endeavors to reduce half of its topsoil usage. This year, the company reduced topsoil use by approximately 95 percent by replacing it with compost for landscape beds and other projects.
