Green Business Challenge Winners: Watermark Woods
Spotlight on the Winners: Green Business Challenge winner Watermark Woods
Learn more about the Green Business Challenge here. View photos from the October Green Business Awards Ceremony here.
1. What is your company and your role within that company?
Watermark Woods sells locally native plants. We are the only nursery in Loudoun County to be 100% native and 100% chemical free. I(julie) and my husband Chris own and operate the business.
2. What is your background this industry/how did you get to this role in your career? 
I started with an interest in gardening and nature and thru various volunteer opportunities became interested in native plants. They are critical to the balance of nature that I really wanted to help promote them and make them available to the people of Loudoun.
3. How did your company “go green” this past year in order to win this award?
This year we added so many little things, like re-using pots from customers, recycling bins in the shop and re-purposing wooden pallets into nursery tables. We put a big focus into transportation of the plants and significantly reduced our impact caused by plant transportation. We also added timers to our sprinkler system to reduce watering needs and plant loss, watering is one area we hope to improve even more in the coming year.
4. Why is being green important to your business?
Being green has always been important to us as a family. While it may be impossible to leave no trace we were here, we can reduce our impact on nature. We chose the name Watermark because a watermark on is typically a faint impression on paper, which is how we hope our footprint appears on this earth. Don’t leave a mark, leave a watermark.
5. Is there a practical tip you could give to other business people in making their day-to-day lives “greener”?
Every little bit matters. If it just means adding a recycle bin or remembering to turn off lights when not in use. All those little steps add up to make a big difference.