WASHINGTON – Nearly 80 lawn and landscape professionals volunteered their time and expertise to beautify the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery and Congressional Cemetery July 24. Their efforts were part of an annual "Renewal & Remembrance" project by the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA).
Now in its fourth year, opening ceremonies for the environmental enhancement project at Arlington National Cemetery featured remarks by PLCAA President Jerry Grossi, Arborlawn, Lansing, Mich., and Cemetery Project Coordinator Phil Fogarty, J.P. Horizons, Mentor, Ohio. The ceremony was held at a renovated garden site prepared last year by Environmental Care Inc. and U.S. Lawns, Calabasas, Calif., and Village Turf Inc., Mount Vernon, Va., for a pre-Memorial Day planting of the Veterans’ Honor™ rose by Jackson & Perkins. The site features a permanent granite marker with a bronze plate displaying PLCAA’s name.
The Renewal & Remembrance project was held in conjunction with PLCAA’s 11th annual Legislative Day on the Hill July 24-25 in Washington, D.C. After a morning at the cemeteries, lawn and landscape attendees shifted gears to make their voices heard in one-on-one visits with their representatives in Congress. The issues ranged from small business liability reform to regulatory fairness and openness of food quality protection.
In preparation for these congressional visits, Legislative Day attendees listened to experts discuss top issues and legislative subjects with special emphasis on bills, measures and regulations affecting small businesses and the green industry. Senior Vice President of Congressional and Public Affairs Lonnie Taylor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Rep. David Hobson (R-Ohio) were featured speakers.
First-time attendee to the event, PLCAA member Jim Campanella, The Lawn Dawg, Nashua, N.H., said his positive experience has him looking forward to the event next year. "The overwhelming feeling of pride I got at Arlington National Cemetery was enough to bring me back. When you add the congressional meetings, it makes it a must to return. I didn’t believe so few could have such a positive impact. There is no better way to protect our industry than by showing our elected officials the level of professionalism and integrity that PLCAA members have."
Co-sponsors for the Renewal & Remembrance project and Legislative Day on the Hill included: FMC, Novartis, American Cyanamid, Bayer Corporation, Dow AgroSciences and Aventis. Contributors included: Lesco Inc., The Andersons and IMERYS.
For more information about the events visit PLCAA’s web site at www.plcaa.org.