First Environmentally Verified Greenhouse to be Celebrated Wednesday
First Environmentally Verified Greenhouse to be Celebrated Wednesday
5/23/08
Contact: Natalie Ebig Scott
Project GREEEN
Michigan State University
517-432-1555, ext. 157
or
Heather Throne
Michigan Department of Agriculture
517-373-1085
For Immediate Release
MEDIA ADVISORY
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses has taken the lead in environmental responsibility by becoming the first Michigan greenhouse operation to become verified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP). The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Michigan State University will host an open house to celebrate this accomplishment on Wednesday (May 28) in the Kalamazoo operation’s “New Millennium Greenhouse.”
More than 500 Michigan farms are MAEAP-verified, but Elzinga & Hoeksema is the first greenhouse to complete the comprehensive Greenhouse*A*Syst risk assessment that pinpoints best practices in water, fertilizer and pesticide use.
Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses is one of southwestern Michigan’s largest greenhouse operations, with five locations and more than 30 acres of product. The greenhouse features energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources.
The MAEAP was developed by a coalition of farmers, commodity groups, state and federal agencies, and conservation and environmental groups to provide a venue for farmers to learn about and implement sustainable pollution prevention practices and prevent environmental risks.
Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative housed at Michigan State University, funded the development of the Greenhouse*A*Syst risk assessment tool.
Event Information
What: An open house celebrating Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses, the first greenhouse verified by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).
When: Wednesday, May 28, 2008
10 a.m. presentation followed by facility tour
Where: Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses
5268 East O Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
Directions: Take I-94 west toward Chicago. Take exit 80, Sprinkle Road. Turn left onto Cork Street and take an immediate left (south) onto Sprinkle Road. Go about 2.5 miles, turn left (east) onto Milham Avenue, which becomes O Avenue. The greenhouse is located on the right-hand (south) side of the road.
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