Sustainability Project
Matthew G. Siedlecki
Class Presentation
5.24.2007
Prairie Ecosystems: Lessons of Sustainability Past, Present, and Future
Instructor: Justin Borevitz
Assistant: Geoff Morris
Why build a business to encourage
sustainability?
• “Green washing” and ineffective labeling
standards hurt the credibility of green
products with the consumer?
• Increase the visibility and availability of
environmentally friendly products
• Education
Outline
• Market Analysis
• Merchandising
• Funding Requirements
Market Analysis
•
•
•
•
Market Size
Customer Profile
Competitors
Strategic Implications
How big is the market for
garden products?
U.S. retail sales of gardening products
2003 Prices, Source: Global Market Information Database
50,000
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1998
2000
2002
2004
Sales in millions
2006
2008
Who are our customers?
Gardening By Age
Source: Mintel/Simmons NCS
25
20
15
10
5
0
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
Gardened in the last 12 months
65+
Gardening By Sex
Source: Mintel/Simmons NCS
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Male
Female
Percentage gardeners by sex
Demographic Changes:
Median Age of Women
Source: Global Market Information Database
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Median Age of U.S. Women
Gardening By Income
Source: Mintel/Simmons NCS
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Under $25K
$25K-49.9K
$50K-74.9K
Household Income
$75K+
Gardening By Race
Source: Mintel/Simmons NCS
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
White
Black
Asian
Gardened in last 12 months
Hispanic
Typical Gardener Is:
•
•
•
•
White
Female
2-4 Member Household
High Household Income
Purchasing Green Products By Age
“How often do you buy green products?”
Adults with Internet Access, Source: Greenfield Online/Mintel
80
70
60
50
Regularly
Sometimes
Never
40
30
20
10
0
All
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64
65+
Purchasing Green Products By Race
“How often do you buy green products?”
Adults with Internet Access, Source: Greenfield Online/Mintel
70
60
50
40
Regularly
Sometimes
Never
30
20
10
0
All
White
Black
Asian
Hispanic
Purchasing Green Products By Income
“How often do you buy green products?”
Adults with Internet Access, Source: Greenfield Online/Mintel
70
60
50
40
Regularly
Sometimes
Never
30
20
10
0
All
< $25K $25K- $50K- $75K>
49.9K 74.9K 99.9K $100K
Who are our competitors?
Distribution Channels
60
50
40
2000
2002
30
20
10
0
Home centers
Mass
merchandiser
Garden
centers
Hardware
stores
Supermarket
or drug store
Seed store
Mail order
Strategic Implications
• There is a large, established market for
garden products and growing awareness
for environmentally friendly products
• Serve a niche market for gardening
products
• Cater to the needs of middle-aged women
– Store location and design
– Product availability
– Service
Merchandising
What are we going to sell?
Why do these products help the
environment?
Product Overview
•
•
•
•
Fertilizers
Seeds
Lawn/Garden Tools
Educational Information
Fertilizers
•
•
•
•
Soil Fertility
Dangers to animals and children
Fossil fuels
Packaging
TerraCycle
terracycle.net
• Garden Fertilizer
Concentrate
• Lawn Fertilizer
Concentrate
• Tomato Plant Food
• All Purpose Plant
Food
• Potting Mix
• Seed Starter
About TerraCycle Products
• Made from organic
materials headed to the
landfill
• Processed by worms
• Packaged in reused pop
bottles
– Pay groups to collect
used bottles
Native Plant Seeds
• Habitat
• Less-intensive
• More durable
Native Plants - Full Sun
Source: Chicago Wilderness, chicagowilderness.org
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Big Bluestem
Little Bluestem
Marsh Milkweed
Smooth Blue Aster
New England Aster
Side-Oats Grama
New Jersey Tea
Prairie Coreopsis (pictured)
Pale Purple Coneflower
Wild Bergamot
Switch Grass
Wild Quinine
Purple Prairie Clover
Shrubby Cinquefoil
Yellow (Gray-headed) Coneflower
Compass Plant
Showy Goldenrod
Indiangrass
Prairie Dropseed
Spiderwort
Ironweed
Native Plants - Partial Sun
Source: Chicago Wilderness, chicagowilderness.org
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nodding Wild Onion
Wild Columbine
Short's Aster
Tall Bellflower (pictured)
Purple-Sheathed Graceful Sedge
(Midland) Shooting Star
Sweet Joe Pyeweed
Wild Geranium
Alumroot
Sweet (Vanilla) Grass
Kalm's St. Johns Wort
Bottlebrush Grass
Blue Flag Iris
Cardinal Flower
Great Blue Lobelia
Foxglove Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
Heartleaf Golden Alexander
Native Plants - Shady
Source: Chicago Wilderness, chicagowilderness.org
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Maidenhair Fern
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Side-Flowering Aster
Lady Fern
Black Cohosh
Virgin's Bower
Marginal Shield Fern (Leatherwood)
Virginia Waterleaf
Virginia Bluebells
Cinnamon Fern (pictured)
Blue Phlox
May Apple
Blood Root
False Solomons Seal
Elm-leaved Goldenrod
Great White Trillium
Prairie Trillium
Hand Powered Lawnmower
•
•
•
•
Pollution
Hassles
Exercise
Easy to use
Other Lawn Tools
•
•
•
•
Composters
Wheelbarrows
Carts
Shovels/Rakes