How Kawahara Nurseries Delivers on Sustainability

MPS is a software tool that measures the environmental footprint of horticulture production for greenhouses around the world that grades on 5 criteria: water usage, energy usage, chemical usage, fertilizer usage, and recycling practices. Recognized worldwide as the number one environmental certificate.

We received our first certification in 2017 and currently operate at the highest level (Grade A).

We’ve been certified since 2014 for organic production to the USDA organic regulations.

CCOF visits annually, unannounced, for a physical inspection of our organic production areas and review of documentation of our records that apply to our organic crops, from seed purchase to production records, correspondence, and sales records.

We've recycled 87 million water bottles since 2016 which have been turned into best-in-class food grade rPET material by rEarth™.

rEarth™ is our supplier’s leading next step in solving the horticultural industry's biggest packaging challenge: sustainability. rEarth™ plastic packaged products are made from recycled water bottles and recyclable by the consumer via curbside recycling programs. The water bottles and other plastics are washed and then shredded into flakes. The flakes are melted and formed into 100% recycled pots.

We installed solar panels in 2021. Now 50% of our energy usage is powered by solar.

Solar energy plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change as it does not produce air pollution.

We eliminated neonicotinoids, also known as Neonics, to protect pollinators and create a safe environment for our workers. Neonics are a class of synthetic, neurotoxic insecticides that remain active for several years and therefore unintentionally spread to other areas, harming wildlife and even beneficial insects through their binding to the organism’s nerve cells. Click here to read more about Neonicotinoids.

We employ biological pest control which is the use of beneficial insects such as predators and parasitoids to control unwanted pests on specific crops.

We use a combination strategy across the nursery. Pesticides are a quick and effective way to eliminate unwanted pests; however, some crops are tricky and biological agents prove to be better in the long run!