Landscape company goes publicIn 1998, Southern Tree & Landscape -- along with six similar firms -- went public on the NYSE to form Land Care USA. (This company was later acquired by Service Master, which merged it with TruGreen/ChemLawn.)Then, Braswell discovered an amazing Australian skid-steer product that launched him into a new career.Creation of Toro Dingo opens multiple marketsThe product -- a small utility loader -- allows its user to apply hydraulic power with a variety of attachments. Braswell brought the technology to the United States, then later sold the rights to Toro.Compact hydraulic equipment, Braswell saw, could be a way to serve many industries such as landscaping, fencing, nursery, irrigation, utilities, construction, cable installation, rental and even roofing.

Power-to-weight ratio. Ask a tradesperson for an opinion about a power tool and you''re likely to hear how powerful it is for its weight. Most of us want as much power as we can get for the weight we carry. It''s easy to feel the difference between the most powerful and the least powerful drills, but it''s harder to judge power in relation to weight. I calculated power-to-weight ratios by dividing each tool''s torque rating by its weight. That allowed me to compare drills on the basis of inch-pounds of torque per pound of weight. I used the manufacturer''s torque specs but weighed the tools myself.

In 2002, the Denver group teamed up with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to build a home that generates a portion of its own electricity from sunlight using photovoltaic modules. Habitat also has collaborated with the Buildings Technology Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a research and development group focused on promoting energy-efficient and environmentally sound building technologies, and the U.S. Department of Energy''s Building America program, which has built more than 14,000 homes with energy-efficient and affordable features. An initiative in Louden County, Tennessee, fostered Habitat''s construction of several Zero Energy Buildings. Structural insulated panels in the floors, walls and ceiling create a tight building envelope and provide insulation, allowing a smaller air conditioner to be installed. A heat-pump water heater saves about 60 percent in water heating energy costs. Solar-electric panels installed by the Tennessee Valley Authority provide power to the house and reduce demand on the utility grid. Some Habitat affiliates have begun to take their homes to even greener heights by incorporating more environmentally responsible building materials.

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