Named after the South Minneapolis neighborhood which has been its home for 34 years, this award-winning garden and landscape firm had solar on a longtime wish list. Phillips Garden owner Ed Burke didn’t hesitate when he came across an All Energy Solar mailer with information about the Minneapolis Green Zone incentive program. Rooftop solar would be the latest improvement to a property transformed from an abandoned Arts and Crafts gas station into a business that celebrates the value of beautiful natural spaces.
Contributing to an improved neighborhood
Minneapolis established the Green Zone programs in 2017 to support environmentally conscious economic development in two communities impacted by the “cumulative effects of environmental pollution,” among other criteria. Phillips Garden faced this issue when renovating its Southside Green Zone property years ago, removing toxic soil as part of the extensive environmental remediation performed at the site. Now, the financial assistance from the new Green Zone program would make it possible for this lot, once vacant and polluted, to contribute clean energy to the power grid.
All Energy Solar helped several properties in Green Zone neighborhoods understand their full range of options when it came to financing solar power. The Phillips Garden installation took place in the summer of 2018. The switch was straightforward (aside from some initial disappointment that the four foot perimeter required by zoning laws would reduce the potential space for an array) and soon the only evidence of the new power source came from the system’s mobile monitoring app.
“As landscape designers, we try and incorporate sustainable elements in the landscapes we build as well as on our own site. Sustainability and minimizing our environmental impact are part of Phillips Garden’s core values. Adding solar is in line with that commitment and our beliefs.” –Ed Burke (Owner)
