The pest management industry has come a long way in the green evolution. The rise of IPM and advances in natural product formulations give professionals many more choices for their teams and their customers. In fact, many PMPs find that their own passion for environmental stewardship makes them a little impatient waiting for the industry and general population to catch up.
“The industry is headed in the right direction, albeit slowly,” says Chad Highley, Environmental Pest Control. “Protecting the environment is key to our long-term survival not only as a society but as a species. It’s up to us to be good environmental stewards and take care of what we have. For us as PMPs, that means using IPM and being conscientious about what and how much we’re applying at accounts. For manufacturers, it means being careful what’s sold to consumers, who haven’t been trained in responsible use.”
Sam Soto, First Rate Pest Solutions, adds, “I wish more companies would embrace green. A lot of them think it’s not as effective, but they’re wrong. You just have to give it a real chance — keep practicing it. You’ll find out like I did that it really can be effective as well as profitable.”
Sam Tutton, Ecoskan Pest Solutions, has seen concrete evidence for public education. “When we first started our business a decade ago, there were a lot of community events and a lot of associations talking about sustainability and the carbon footprint. Our phones were ringing off the hook with clients interested in green/botanical solutions,” he says. “When 2020 hit and all the association meetings and community events were canceled due to COVID, we noticed the phone calls for green started slowing down. As community awareness faded, we saw a notable decline in interest from potential clients. There is clearly a connection between awareness and action.”
