You have approached this sad sight everywhere: a tree becomes so huge to the point at which nervous local bureaucrats, afraid of getting sued by some litigious fool who could trip on the sidewalk, take action by: punishing and hacking down the tree. It happens everywhere, but it is distressing when seen in areas like southern California, that need as many shade trees as possible. One entreprenuer, however, has been swimming against the tide with a solid solution.
Lindsay Smith, a former screenwriter, founded
Rubbersidewalks Inc. in 2001. Upset with seeing several ficus trees marked for destruction in Gardena, CA due to their obtrusive roots, Smith took action, calling a local newspaper. A story hit the presses and the cutting stopped, but she focused her energies towards founding her company, which turns recycled tires into sidewalk panels that are more flexible than concrete.
Smith faces challenges analogous to many entreprenuers in the green technology space: at $10 a square foot, her sidewalks are more expensive than those made of standard concrete, which is priced around $7 a square foot. She received a grant from the Integrated Waste Management Board, which reaps funds from those $1.75-per-tire recycling fee you pay at the auto shop. But there is a risk that such grants cannot last forever, and during tight budgetary times, cities will have a hard time justifying paying a premium for Smith's sidewalks, so she will have to find a way to make her product more competitive.
But at the same time, Smith has argued that her product line can
save money in the long run. And that is the biggest challenge in dealing with government: the government often
wastes money because it is always trying to
save money, with often penny-wise-pound-foolish results. Concrete sidewalks are expensive to repair, and waste from such projects hogs space in landfills. With Rubbersidewalks' panels, patches of sidewalks can be lifted temporarily, allowing for periodic tree root trimming.
Other benefits exist as well: the panels absorb rainwater, preventing runoff into storm sewers; the material is easier on pedestrians' knees and feet; and of course, the sidewalks save trees, allowing for only root trimming, not the yanking of an entire tree--which by the way, is quite pricey. Smith has already responded to market forces by lowering her prices to stay competitive; if she can weather this current economic storm, and if city officials can start understanding the concept of ROI, she and other innovators in this space have a shot at enjoying increased success.
