American Hydroponics Awarded Green Entrepreneur Award for 2004

For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Christian
(707) 822-5777 ext 311

Arcata, California — February 19, 2004 — California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that the Arcata-based American Hydroponics, a leading manfucturer of crop performance products, has been awarded the prestigious "North Coast Green Entrepreneurs Award.

The company was nominated by California State Assemblywoman Patricia Berg for its innovation and pioneering of the use of recycled materials in their products.  American Hydroponics uses 100% recycled materials in their NFT growing channels for an indestructible, environmentally sound contribution to the future of urban horticulture.

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 Humboldt County Prosperity Network Newsletter 

Humboldt County has long beenfamous for its natural environment. And now the businesses that thrive here andwork to preserve the environment through their business practices are beingrecognized.

American Hydroponics of Arcata wasrecently named “Green Entrepreneur of the Year” by the State Assistance Fundfor Enterprise, Business Industrial Development Corporation (SAFE-BIDCO).Michael Christian, president of American Hydroponics explains, “The centralfeature of a green business is that they have concern  for how they impact environment and demonstrate this byusing less resources more efficiently or using recycled materials in theirproducts. This includes a wide variety of businesses from those buildingtoxin-free houses to those using a portion of recycled materials in theirproducts.”

A majority of American Hydroponic’s products are made from recycledmaterials and their systems are engineered to conserve water, fitting Michael’sdefinition on both fronts.
 “Hydroponic gardening and farming uses 1/10 of the water of atraditional gardening methods by recirculating nutrients a water over and over.”Michael Christian stated. Hydroponics is growing plants without soil in wateror an inert medium such as sand or peat enriched with nutrients. Most ofAmerican Hydroponics products contain recycled materials and several productsare made of 100 percent recycled materials.

            TheNorth Coast Green Entrepreneur awards were created to recognize localbusinesses demonstrating both fiscal success and sensitivity to protection ofthe environment. The honorees are selected by each of the five Californialegislators who represent the North Coast area. Fire and Light Originals andWhit McLeod Furniture, both of Arcata, are previous local winners of the award.“It is an honor to commend this North Coast Business for its environmentalsensitivity,” said Assemblywoman Patty Berg, who nominated AmericanHydroponics. Michael wanted to make sure that Maureen Hart of the NorthCoastRecycling Market Development Zone is acknowledge for her work in coordinating therelationship between American Hydroponics and J&T’s Plastics in Redway. Dueto her influence, many thousands of products are being made locally fromrecycled materials and shipped all over the US.

 It is easy to see that American Hydroponics was a naturalchoice for Green Entrepreneur of the year. “American Hydroponics is showingleadership on two fronts. They’re growing the market for recycled materials,and they are reducing the demand for water while doing it” Berg commented. “Toensure that their products use the maximum amount of recycled materials as wellas maintaining high quality American Hydroponics manufactures the plastic usedin their systems from recycled plastic milk cartons.”

“It is a natural progression forthe economy to begin rewarding more resource conservative companies,” MichaelChristian stated. “The sooner we begin adopting green business standards thebetter the world will be in the long run for our grandkids”.

Find out more aboutAmerican Hydroponics by visiting http://www.americanhydroponics.com or call them at (707) 822-5777

For more Informationon North Coast Green Entrepreneur Award contact Will Shuck from AssemblywomanPatty Berg’s office at (916) 319-2001.

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Founded in 1984, American Hydroponics is a leader in the field of recirculating hydroponic systems in the United States.  Located in the town of Arcata, in Northern California, they employ 16 people in the design and manufacturing of hydroponic systems, trays, reservoirs, nutrients, bio-stimulants, growing containers as well as providing grower support to clients worldwide.  Their systems are sold by more than 500 retailers worldwide and their large-scale commercial growing installations are in use by growers worldwide including Kuwait, Hondouras, Mexico, Bahrain, Israel and Midway Island.  They use FDA-approved HDPE in their NFT growing channels for an indestructible, environmentally sound contribution to the future of urban horticulture.  For additional information, visit the AmHydro web site or contact them if you need help understanding any of their products or services.