Rubber Bark in the Merced Sun-Star

Rubber Bark™ recently released a news item about a new partnership with Garland, Texas based artificial landscape company Synthetic Greenscapes. The Merced Sun-Star liked the story so much, it decided to publish last week. Here is a link to the article. Below is a quote from the story about the new distribution and why the partnership is, as they say, a match in artificial landscape heaven. 


Scott Moore, a spokesperson for Synthetic Greenscapes: 

“The overall quality and beauty of the products is second to none in the industry which is what drew us to Rubber Bark. The products are long lasting and a very high grade just like our grass products so it makes sense to use Rubber Bark.”

Moore said he believes that because Rubber Bark doesn’t fade, float or blow away, it will become a top seller, due to its low maintenance and an increased demand for water have made organic mulches and grasses costly to preserve.

Moore said he believes that because Rubber Bark doesn’t fade, float or blow away, it will become a top seller, due to its low maintenance and an increased demand for water have made organic mulches and grasses costly to preserve. “A synthetic solution is the best route to keep your home beautiful,” Moore said.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/03/08/2260877/rubber-bark-forges-partnership.html#storylink=cpy

"A synthetic solution is the best route to keep your home beautiful."

Color Coordinating With Rubber Bark™- UPDATED

Most style magazines would tell a person not to wear too much of one color, to mix it up and find colors that complement each other. However, there is the rare exception (such as a signature black dress) that looks great BECAUSE it is monochrome. 

Case in point: Napa Auto & Truck Parts' new look. Napa added blue Rubber Bark™ to the edges around its building, and the end result is an eye-catcher. Blue on blue adds some fun to the environment, and definitely moves the eye across the space to the highlighted name. Something the Napa folks appreciate, to be sure. 


Here's what Jana, the CEO of Rubber Bark™, had to say about the decision: "Blue is not the typical landscaping color but this is a great example of how Rubber Bark™ can really add to a colorscape." 

If Napa Auto & Truck Parts were a person, it'd be on the "best dressed" list. 

Got some cool ideas for how to use color with your Rubber Bark™? Let us know! 


UPDATE: Guess what?! NAPA thought that the blue was a little too blue, and decided to one-up itself by sprinkling in its other signature color, yellow. What do you think of the results? VERY STYLISH! 

Check out more photos of NAPA's new look on Rubber Bark's Flickr page! 

Parts 2 & 3 of Rubber Bark's Curiosity Quest Goes Green Episode

Here is the rest of the episode of Rubber Bark's Curiosity Quest Goes Green episode. The first part is a couple posts down on the buzz. We were super happy to be featured on this program last year, and we hope that you enjoy it while also learning a thing or two about Rubber Bark™!

Video of Rubber Bark™ on Curiosity Quest Goes Green

Did you ever get a chance to watch Rubber Bark™ on the great PBS show Curiosity Quest Goes Green? Last year, the cameras took a trip to the Rubber Bark™ facility in Ballico and had a great time filming the Rubber Bark™ creation process while learning about Rubber Bark's environmental contributions by keeping millions of waste tires out of landfills. Here is a clip of the episode, with more to come in the next few days.

Rubber Bark's new product in the Merced Sun-Star

Rubber Bark™ recently launched a landscape fabric to its line of outdoor products, and the Merced Sun-Star, a central California newspaper, picked up its news release on the topic, including quotes from Rob and Jana Nairn, CFO and CEO, respectively. Check it out on the Sun-Star's website. 

Here is one of the more witty quotes from the release that the Sun-Star included:

“It’s the perfect complementary product with Rubber Bark,” CFO of Rubber Bark Rob Nairn said in the release. “Rubber Bark™ is to weed cloth like peanut butter is to jelly."


More information on Rubber Bark's weed cloth is available on its website, within a couple weeks or check out the full release here.  To buy directly from Rubber Bark™ call 209-634-8849.

New Photos of Happy Feet 2 Promotional Display Featuring Rubber Bark™

Last month set designers put up a promotional display for the movie Happy Feet 2 in the Grove mall in L.A. and we have some photos to share!

 We are very happy with the results of the display, as the designers used or signature blue Rubber Bark™ to represent water surrounding ice floes and bergs with penguins dancing on them. Here is a link to our Flickr stream if you want to see them and more of Rubber Bark's contributions, events and displays.

Rubber Bark™ Introduces New Landscape Fabric, Gardeners Rejoice!

Yes, we are very excited to announce that a new product, a durable, sturdy landscape fabric with Rubber Bark™'s quality guarantee will be added to our wonderful list of outdoor products for the new year. Rubber Bark's landscape fabric complements our signature Rubber Bark™ mulch in numerous ways, including decreasing weeds and trapping moisture for soil and perennials while keeping out toxins. So, get your green thumbs ready, and make sure to get some weed cloth when you are ordering your supply of Rubber Bark™ from our website. Check out the news release below: 

Rubber Bark™ Streamlines Landscape Maintenance with New Outdoor Fabric

            Rubber Bark™, the leading west coast rubber mulch manufacturer, launched a protective weed cloth this week to its line of eco-conscious and budget conscious landscape products with the intent to streamline the process for customers to get both Rubber Bark’s signature mulch and the landscape fabric under one company.

Rubber Bark™ decided to include a weed cloth to its repertoire because of its importance in maintaining a beautiful landscape and its complementary features with Rubber Bark™ for many projects including gardens, playgrounds, edging, and yards.

            The weed cloth, which will come with the quality and guarantee of a Rubber Bark™ labeled product, acts a penetration barrier for weeds, and protects perennials surrounded by Rubber Bark™ from weed invasion.  Known as “geotextiles,” weed cloth is typically permeable fabric that has the ability to separate, filter, reinforce and protect drain systems. Rubber Bark™ will be carrying fabric made of Polypropylene in four different sizes.

Using Rubber Bark™ ensures the additional benefit of lengthening the life of perennials because it protects it from unnecessary sunlight yet allows for moisture and nutrients to pass through its pores and it provides an escape for trapped carbon dioxide, a toxic build up that can lead to sterile soil.  

             “It’s the perfect complementary product with Rubber Bark™,” said CFO of Rubber Bark™ Rob Nairn.  

“Rubber Bark™ is to weed cloth like peanut butter is to jelly.”

  Obtaining Rubber Bark™ mulch and weed cloth at the same location also allows for customer cost efficiency, as deliveries can be made in one trip and all the products needed for a weed-free project can be found in one place.

“Rubber Bark™ wanted to make it easier for customers to get both great products in one simple swoop,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn. 

“We are very excited to bring this new Rubber Bark™ product to our clients. It gives that extra protection some landscapes may need in weed prone areas.”

            

In Need of a Few Good Yelpers

Rubber Bark™ is currently trying to up its social media exposure, and we need all the friendly folks' help on the buzz who love to Yelp. If you are not familiar with Yelp, it is a website devoted to user reviews of pretty much anything under the sun. And Rubber Bark™ has its own profile too! Although we need our great customers to let the internet masses know how great Rubber Bark™ is.

So, if you, or someone you know has used Rubber Bark™ for any project, garden, yard, playground, what have you, write a quick review on Yelp and tell the world what you think about it. We'd really appreciate it, and your review will forever live in the infinite space of the world wide web.

Thanks.

Tire Business Press

We at the buzz are happy to report that Tire Business has also put a story up on its news website about Rubber Bark's donation to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Check it out!

Total Landscape Care covers Rubber Bark's Ronald McDonald House Donation

We are a little late on bringing this to the buzz, but we just found out that Total Landscape Care, a great outdoor/gardening/landscape magazine and website, picked up our news about Rubber Bark™ donating to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Picture included! Check out their coverage here.

As seen on HGTV...

Did you miss the premiere of the "HGTV'd" episode featuring Rubber Bark, that aired on the 1st? Well, you are in luck! While we are still working on getting a copy of the DVD of the episode to upload to the Buzz and our facebook page, there are some highlights, plus a shout out to the company on HGTV's website. 

It also includes pricing, for the exact amount that was used in the episode, as well as other products that were used. Check it out! 

Auto shops recycling tires on the rise

Interesting news lately on the rubber and tire recycling front. A new study shows that 88 percent of auto repair shops recycle their tires. That's great news for us, that is of course, if they donate (or sell!) the used tires to turn into our great bark. The study, published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, according to a CNET article, concluded that the efforts by auto shops to recycle the tires helps keep over 300 million tires out of landfills each year. 


However, according to a Tire Review article responding to the findings, said that it's standard practice for shops to recycle, because of environmental regulations. The percentage is actually lower than it should be, if all auto shops were following environmental guidelines, and "when it comes to scrap tire collection and disposal, auto repair shops fall under the same laws and regulations as full-fledged tire dealers. The comparatively few tires these “auto service shops” handle (compared to a tire dealer) represent a very small portion of the 230 million new replacement passenger and light truck/SUV tires sold in 2010, and the hundreds of millions of scrap tires that were processed through to disposal sites last year." 


So what does this mean for Rubber Bark™? Those auto shops that do recycle deserve some credit for doing, well, what they should be doing anyway. However, it also means that many shops aren't following environmental regulations, which is incredibly unfortunate (think of all the tires wasted that could be turned into wonderful bark, or a bench, or a horse stall mat!) We hope that this new information wakes up those shops that currently are not following regulations and consider donating their scrap tires to Rubber Bark™. 

"HGTV'd" Featuring Rubber Bark™ on October 1

Woohoo, it is almost here! The premiere of Rubber Bark's "HGTV'd" episode on the HGTV channel will play at 8pm Pacific time on Saturday, October 1! Check out the press release below for more info about the episode and Rubber Bark's involvement. 

HGTV Program Featuring Rubber Bark™ Premieres Oct. 1

Rubber Bark™ proudly announces the premiere of HGTV’s hit show “HGTV’d” featuring its signature product on the first of October at 8pm.

Working with High Noon Entertainment, the production company that creates “HGTV’d,” Rubber Bark™ was chosen to help a family renovate their backyard into a usable, child-oriented space.

“We were happy to help out the program, and are looking forward to seeing the finished backyard displaying our product with the rest of the America in October,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn.

Tina Seiler of High Noon Entertainment sought out Rubber Bark™ for the program and expressed gratitude toward Rubber Bark™ after the shooting of the episode for “providing ‘HGTV'd’ with [the] fantastic rubber mulch for our Clegg backyard episode.”

“The yard now looks amazing, and the homeowners are ecstatic!” Seiler noted.

According to the “HGTV’d” website, the premise of the episode includes renovating the large backyard into something the whole family could use. 

“Landscape designer Ahmed Hassan take on the daunting task of overhauling the Clegg family's big and barren backyard in the middle of Texas,” the website details.

Rubber Bark™ has also worked with High Noon Entertainment on the HGTV show “Carter Can.”

“It’s important to Rubber Bark™ to be involved in different media endeavors,” said Nairn. “We like to be in the forefront of the industry, and awareness of our product is the first step.”

"HGTV'd" premiered June 6 on HGTV and airs every Monday at 9pm/8c.

  

Rubber Bark™ at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford

Rubber Bark™ is proud to announce that it recently donated a truckload of Rubber Bark™ to the Ronald McDonald House Playground at Stanford. The Rubber Bark™ will be used for the house's playground where many children like to spend their afternoons. The Ronald McDonald House was established to give families of ill children a place to recoup and relax during long stays at Stanford's children's hospital. Please read the press release below, as it has more details about why having safe playgrounds is so important to organizations such as the RMH.


Rubber Bark™ also felt a greater obligation to donate to this specific cause because of recent events that have effected the Rubber Bark™ family personally. The Nairn's youngest daughter recently underwent surgery, along with several extended hospital visits. While she has been extremely brave and in good spirits through everything, it is the staff and the services available (for her, at Central Valley Children's Hospital in Madera) to children and their families that have made a world of difference. The Nairn family understands that much more fully now, and empathizes with the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Stanford and all over the world. 

Rubber Bark™ Donates Mulch to Stanford’s Ronald McDonald House

With more children affected with life-threatening illnesses each year, Rubber Bark™ decided to make a donation of thousands of dollars worth of its signature product to the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, Calif.

Rubber Bark™, a recycled tire-derived scrap mulch, was spread around a play structure where children undergoing treatment and staying at the Ronald McDonald House, along with their siblings, can play outdoors safely during a difficult time.

“Many of the kids spend their days in hospital rooms and clinics, often cooped-up waiting for tests and results,” Linda Lyon, Development Director of the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford said.

 “Returning to the House after a long day and being able to expend their energy and anxiety by climbing and playing helps the kids and parents cope with the situation they are in.”

“We support the Ronald McDonald House in their efforts to alleviate pain and treat illness for children around the world,” said CEO of Rubber Bark™ Jana Nairn.


“Rubber Bark™ saw an opportunity to make a difference through our donation for this organization, and jumped at the chance to help out.”

“By covering the ground beneath the play structure with Rubber Bark™, you allow the children a soft landing from falls as well as a relatively dirt-free environment on which kids can play and enjoy,” said Lyon about using redwood-colored Rubber Bark™ for the playground.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House go to: http://rmhc.org. For more information on Rubber Bark™ go to: http://www.rubberbark.com.

About the Ronald McDonald House:

Ronald McDonald House at Stanford creates a home-away-from-home and supportive community for families of children with life-threatening illnesses receiving specialized treatment at local hospitals.  Built in 1979, it was the fifth such house in the country and is one of over 300 worldwide.   


And for more photos of the new playground, go to Rubber Bark's Flickr page! 

Rubber Bark™ on HGTV'd in October

Woohoo! We finally got an air date back from the production company of the hit HGTV program HGTV'd.

The episode featuring our great Rubber Bark™ will air on October 1st at 8pm. WATCH IT!

And after you have watched the initial showing along with the masses, we will be putting it up on the blog and our facebook page as well, so you can re-live the Rubber Bark™ goodness all over again.

Rubber Bark™ in the Modesto Bee!

Well, not exactly. The town of Newman is undergoing a revitalization, including expanding its city hall, and is the subject of a recent Modesto Bee article. The town used Rubber Bark™ to landscape around a downtown plaza (mentioned in one of our previous posts), but the Bee never stated Rubber Bark™ as the provider by name. (Give credit where credits due, Modesto Bee!)

So, we are letting all the buzzers know about our contributions to Newman's makeover. 

Here is the snippet from the Bee:  

"A new plaza welcomes visitors. A landscape project — with colored, recycled tires for ground cover in place of traditional bark — has been completed. And this fall, the city will work on the intersections where the asphalt is wearing away."

We are very excited to be a part of the ongoing project in Newman and hope that its residents enjoy the Rubber Bark™! 

Rubber Bark™ and CalRecycle News Release in the Merced Sun-Star

Rubber Bark™  released a news notice last week in conjunction with opening of the applications for CalRecycle's tire-derived product grants. Below is a snippet: 


"To promote the use of products made from California's millions of waste tires, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is offering grants through its Tire-Derived Product program for public entity projects." 


Check it out! 

Sacramento Bee Picks up Merced Sun-Star Rubber Bark™ Story

Here is the originial article from the Merced Sun-Star about Rubber Bark™ that was published last week. And here is the story in the Sacramento Bee, a little shortened. We are really excited that the press is shining a light on our business as a success story during these hard economic times.

Also: A reminder! CalRecycle opened its applications for tire-derived products grants last week, and now is the time to get going to the application process, with Rubber Bark's help. And also, as stated in a previous post, we are offering a FREE SUPER SACK to any of those individuals who seek out Rubber Bark's guidance during the application process.  The applications close on September 30th.

Business profile of Rubber Bark™ in the Merced Sun-Star

In today's edition of the Merced Sun-Star the paper features a business article about yours truly. It describes Rubber Bark's roots as its affiliate company, Golden By-Products,  started as a humble scrap tire company, but also goes into the development of the mulch itself, and the development of its business model by CEO and CFO, Jana and Rob. 

We are very lucky and grateful to have such wonderful support within our community! And we hope to see many more of these well-written profiles in the future. 

CEO and CFO of Rubber Bark™, Jana and Rob
source: Merced Sun-Star

Again, here is the link to the article. Check it out!

Newman plaza gets makeover with Rubber Bark™

Recently, the city of Newman acquired a grant from CalRecycle to use Rubber Bark™ in order to replace the town's inferior wood mulch to our shredded tire bark. Volunteers and community members helped spread the mulch on a community plaza but the redwood colored bark will also be used for playgrounds throughout Newman. 

Newman workers filling a plaza with Rubber Bark™.
Source: Westside Connect

Newman Public Works Superintendent Doug Mutoza said, in a Westside Connect article, a Gustine-based online news site, that much of the 1,000 tires Newman disposes of a year end up at Rubber Bark™'s facilities to be transformed into projects, such as the 42,000 pounds of mulch used for the downtown plaza. 

From the news piece:

“It doesn’t deteriorate like wood bark, and it doesn’t compact like the wood bark, which we have to go out and fluff up every few months,” Mutoza explained. “The sponginess of this material is a lot better than the wood. Twelve inches of wood bark is required in the fall protection areas on playgrounds, while this only requires six inches."


The grant awarded the city $122,000 for the project. 


Remember if you, or someone you know in local government or those that meet any of the criteria specified by CalRecycle, have a project in mind that could use some Rubber Bark™, contact our company, and we will help with the grant application process, which officially opens on August 17th.