Project EverGreen Calls to Garden Centers to Create Green Campaigns

What’s out in 2008? Eco-weak. What’s in? According to Project EverGreen, it's Eco-chic. For the second year in a row, the organization is inviting garden centers to pull out all the stops and motivate Americans to turn their lawns and gardens into stylish green displays with its “Turning America from Eco-Weak to Eco-Chic” contest co-sponsored by Hines Horticulture and Horticultural Printers.

“Garden centers are able to have that vital one-on-one time with customers and motivate them to maintain and update their green spaces,” says Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen. “And there’s no better motivation than showing them how classy, sophisticated and affordable a lush landscape can be.”

The essentials—Garden centers must create a promotional campaign for their customers revolving around the benefits of managed green spaces. This could include in-store signage, how-to classes, giveaways and customer mailings — the store’s imagination is the only limit. Since Project EverGreen’s mission is to promote the economic, environmental and lifestyle benefits of green spaces, the entries should be sure to include these points. The garden centers must then submit pictures or examples of campaign materials by June 30, 2008, to be eligible for the contest.

The bonus—Garden centers are the driving force behind educating customers on the benefits of “eco-chic,” meaning the way to properly plant and maintain a green space, while making it look good and benefit the environment at the same time. For participating, garden centers will be eligible to receive a $1,000 cash prize from Hines, a significant donation in their name to Project EverGreen, exposure in a national industry publication, and a regional and local publicity campaign promoting their efforts. The customers benefit by having the opportunity to become a part of YEA! (Yard Enthusiasts of America) which provides free tips on planting, gardening, and lawn care.

“Many homeowners are interested in adding style and beauty to their homes’ exterior,” Gardner adds. “The benefit of this contest is that homeowners learn how to accomplish the look they want while delving into the ecological reasons that these spaces are necessary. Getting customers to be “eco-chic” means they will continue to seek out professional opinions and products, thus expanding the garden centers’ business.”

For contest rules, entry forms and more information, visit www.projectevergreen.com.