16/03/2010 - Garden centres to be inspected
Inspectors will be delving into the accounts books of garden centres this week.
The annual Garden Centre Association (GCA) audit will see Andy Campbell, Roger Crookes and Ian Boardman inspect the 150 members, and they will specifically be looking at environmental issues.
Top of their checklist will be to see if garden centres have a peat policy - as peat in compost gives off a high level of carbon dioxide and amateur gardeners use the majority of peat. Inspectors will also look for GCA member's Forest Stewardship Council policy, whether they recycle, promote the environmental benefits of plants, use local suppliers and collect rainwater.
GCA chief executive Gillie Westwood said: "As an industry we are green and we should be leading the way and shouting about the things we do."
At the GCA conference at the beginning of the year, green campaigner Jonathon Porritt lambasted garden centres, claiming that few backed up their environmental credentials with a credible environmental policy.
TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin last week fronted up a Government campaign to promote the reduction in the sale of peat from garden centres. The campaign was backed by the Growing Media Initiative and HTA.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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