The Legislative Press and Information Bureau
Distributed March 15, 2000
For more information,
contact: Dana Rae DelSignore, Publicist
State House Room 20
(401) 222-2457
email: ddelsignore@rilin.state.ri.us
Rep. Naughton praises Rhode Island's "green industry"
STATE HOUSE - Rep. Eileen S. Naughton, the Warwick legislator who is a strong supporter of Rhode Island agriculture, called attention today to the state's booming "green industry."
According to a study recently released by the New England Nursery Association, the state's environmental horticulture industry raked in $279 million in 1998. "Green" industries include wholesale nurseries and greenhouses, retail garden centers, landscape design and installation, florists, sod farms and retail stores such as The Home Depot. Not included in the study are fruit and vegetable sales or other edible farm crops.
"This is proof that Rhode Island is on the forefront of protecting and fostering our natural resources," said Representative Naughton, (D-Dist. 32), who shared the survey results with fellow legislators. "Those involved in environmental horticulture should be proud that their services play such a crucial part of the state's economy. We should also remember the University of Rhode Island, which with its fine agriculture programs has helped thousands of people further their love of the environment."
The study tracked New England's overall contribution to the environmental horticulture industry, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls the "fastest growing sector" of American agriculture today. In all, the study found that New England's wholesale nursery and greenhouse growers, landscape services and garden centers added $3.7 billion to the region's economy in 1998 alone.
According to the study, there are 540 environmental horticulture firms in Rhode Island, 50 more than in 1993. In addition, the industry employs approximately 8,400 people in the state, 2,700 more than in 1993.
"The industry is growing," said Kenneth Lagerquist, executive director of the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association. "More and more people are taking care of their yards and beautifying their landscapes."
Lagerquist also noted the importance of URI in regards to the state's environmental horticulture industry. Of the association's 400 members, more than three-fourths graduated from the university's agriculture-based programs.
"Green" businesses can be found in every nook and cranny of the state, Lagerquist said. "There's not one community that is not involved (in environmental horticulture)," he said. "You can find them from Westerly to Woonsocket, Tiverton to Bristol."
In fact, the industry is now in the midst of its busy season, with people rushing to buy perennial plants and flowers for their yards. In Rhode Island alone, plant sales account for more than 75 percent of the state industry's income. And as more and more people take up the nation's "number one hobby" - gardening - Lagerquist expects the perennial business to positively bloom in the future.
"This industry is much more than beautiful flowers, lawns and landscapes," said Representative Naughton. "It helps preserve open space and strengthens the state's booming economy at the same time. Think of that the next time you buy a beautiful bouquet of flowers, cut your lawn or plant a tree."
Representative Naughton is chairwoman of the recently created Committee on Accountability in Relation to all Aspects of the Environment and the Conservation and Use of the Natural Resources of the State. She is also a member of the House Finance Committee, the Joint Committee on Environment and Energy, and chair of the legislature's Aquaculture Commission.
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