Blooming in Baton Rouge

Louisiana, for all its man-made foibles and imperfections, is
blessed with a lot of lush greenery, natural wildlife, and a
temperate climate that allows for outdoor recreation. We also
take our great outdoors for granted, and as a result, have one of
the worst environmental records in the country and a host of
regulations to deal with it.


Diane Baum is owner of Baum Environmental Group, a contract
and consulting firm that specializes in helping commercial and
governmental clients secure environmental permits dealing with
things like storm-water runoff, while also providing services to
make sure their clients stay in compliance. Baum helps its
clients not only with the planning and the paperwork but also the
technical work, silt fencing or hydroseeding, for instance. The
company also helps companies determine their environmental risk,
and helps commercial and residential customers design more
eco-friendly buildings and homes.


Diane is an engineer, who founded the firm in 1995 after leaving
the Louisiana Department. of Environmental Quality with a vision
of creating a firm that would help small businesses navigate the
maze of environmental compliance regulations affordably.


Scott Ricca is owner of Clegg’s Nursery, a locally owned
garden center that has been something of an institution in Baton
Rouge since its founding in 1955 by Scott Clegg. Over the years,
the business grew, and in the 1980s, Clegg sold it to his son,
Marshall Clegg, who in 1999 sold it two of its longtime managers
– Tom Fennell and Scott. In the more than 20 years they’ve owned
the nursery, Scott and Tom have continued to grow the business,
which now has four locations.


Clegg’s has also branched (if you’ll pardon the pun) into a
wholesale growing operation, with the creation of a 40-thousand
square foot green house that cultivates plants and flowers for
local retailers to sell. Scott Ricca is a native of Baton
Rouge, who got his degree in forestry and wildlife management at
Louisiana Tech before returning to Baton Rouge and joining
Clegg’s in the 1980s.


Photos from this show by Jill Lafleur are at our website. And
here’s more lunch table conversation about conserving our
environment with Nicole Waguespack from Martin Ecosystems.


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