Outdoor Home Gardener Preferences for Environmental Attributes in Gardening Supplies and Use of Ecofriendly Gardening Practices

Federal Aviation Administration;Climate Change Clearinghousehttps://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04672-202020PDFJournal ArticleThomas, McKenzieJensen, Kimberly LVelandia, MargaritaClark, Christopher DEnglish, Burton CLambert, Dayton MWalker, ForbesUnited States. Federal Aviation Administration. Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and EnvironmentUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville. Department of Agricultural and Resource EconomicsUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Office of Environment and EnergyAmerican Society for Horticultural ScienceUnited StatesConsumer behaviorConsumer preferencesLandscapingAttitudesMultiple criteria decision makingClimate changeEnvironmentEnvironmental protectionconsumerMIMICmultiple indicator-multiplecausesASCENTHORTTECH04672-2013-C-AJFE-UTENN-Amd 5This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Home gardeners\u2019 concerns for the environment are expressed both in the ecofriendly gardening practices they use and in environmental attributes they prefer in the gardening products they purchase. This study uses data from a 2018 survey of 601 Tennessee outdoor home gardeners and a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model to illustrate how outdoor home gardener demographics, expenditures, information use, and attitudes influence use of ecofriendly gardening practices and preferences for environmental attributes in home gardening supplies. Practices considered include planting pollinator plants, using rainwater collectors, composting, recycling gardening supplies packaging, using organic gardening methods, and use of soil testing. Gardening supply product attributes include decreased need for fertilizer, pesticides, and water; native plant species; organically produced products; and recyclable packaging. The most widely used practice is recycling gardening supplies packaging, and the least used is soil testing. Gardeners with a greater propensity to use the six gardening practices include male, college graduates, who spend relatively more of their income on gardening supplies, and consider themselves as being knowledgeable about environmental issues. The gardening supply product attribute most widely considered as important is decreased need for pesticides, and least widely considered as important are native species and organically produced. Gardeners more likely to prefer the six gardening supply product attributes include older gardeners, who seek other gardeners for information, and who perceived themselves as being knowledgeable about the environment. This same group likes to grow their own food and feels responsibility for protecting the environment for future generations.109