Richard Hesselein founded Pleasant Run Nursery (PRN), located in Allentown New Jersey, in 1998.  His vision was to provide hard to find and cutting edge woody plants, perennials, grasses and tropicals, along with standard garden-worthy landscaping plants.  Over the past 18 years, this mission further evolved to embraced sustainability as a core ethic of PRN business operations.  PRN has been a member of the NJ Sustainable Business Registry since 2014 and is recognized as an industry leader for its sustainability efforts.
 
Richard and PRN staff view themselves as stewards of the environment for future generations.  This ethos is reflected in PRN’s daily business operations and customer education efforts.  PRN is continually expanding its sustainability efforts, from utilizing an environmentally preferable purchasing plan, installing solar panels to generate power for the nursery, to providing an electric golf cart fleet for both staff and customers.   PRN also encourages its customers to purchase native plants through its use of native demonstration planting beds, raingardens and bioswales. 
 
Additionally, through its adoption of environmental best practices PRN is a regional frontrunner in nursery plant production.  This is exemplified through PRN’s dedication to Integrated Pest Management, which reduces the need for pesticides.  During the growing season, PRN utilizes experts from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Pest Management Office to identify, monitor and help treat pest issues.  PRN has also implemented a number of innovative environmental technologies to improve nursery stock, including using Rice Hulls for weed suppression and water conservation, installing a drip irrigation system and cultivating beehives to improve pollination and plant reproduction.
 
Collectively, these efforts have saved PRN money, reduced its environmental footprint and solidified its status an environmental leader in the state of New Jersey. To learn more about PRN’s sustainability efforts, check out their Sustainable Business Profile and website.