Scotts, Toro, TruGreen Donate Funds for Environmental Awareness Initiative

A few big names in the green industry have pledged sponsorship to a new initiative aimed at increasing public awareness of environmental issues.

Lawns and Environment Initiative (L&E) now has the backing of The Scotts Company, The Toro Foundation, TruGreen ChemLawn, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS), Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) and the Businesses for the Bay/Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

L&E was designed to teach the public about the environmental side of lawn care and landscaping, encouraging the adoption of responsible stewardship practices involving pesticide and fertilizer use, water conservation, wildlife habitat protection, and appropriate selection of plant species for residential landscaping.

“Companies like Scotts and Toro are leaders in their industry and have great influence on consumer choice and information concerning proper lawn care and landscaping,” observed Paul Parker, executive vice president of the Center for Resource Management and manager of L&E. “Organizations like EPA, SAWS, RISE and Businesses for the Bay are actively involved in their respective outreach efforts to educate the consumer.  We are very pleased that they are part of L&E and support the initiative through their expertise and financial contributions.”

The industry coalition will hold a national stakeholders conference March 14-17 in San Antonio, Texas, to review a final draft of guidelines and develop a joint public education strategy.

A founding member of L&E, Scotts Company has contributed $25,000 to support the initiative. “Scotts is pleased to join with other leading organizations in a common effort to educate consumers about best management practices of responsible lawn care and landscaping,” noted Chris Schmenk, director of environmental stewardship at Scotts. “We support the consensus building approach demonstrated by the Lawns & the Environment Initiative.”

The Toro Foundation also has offered $25,000 to support the effort. “Toro is committed to developing products and equipment that will help the homeowner manage the home landscape in an environmentally sound manner,” commented Anita Matlock, who represents Toro on the L&E committee. “We are proud to support this broad-based initiative to educate the consumer on practical stewardship practices that can help protect the environment in our home yards and communities.”

In addition to the manufacturers, L&E represents a voluntary team of lawn care and landscaping industry organizations, environmental community, and government agencies who are tied to residential landscaping issues. The coalition includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Professional Lawn Care Association, Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), San Antonio Water System, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Businesses for the Bay/Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and Agronomy and Horticulture Services.  The coalition is working to develop a common set of environmental guidelines for responsible lawn maintenance and landscaping.
 
The author is Assistant Editor-Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.