Everyone loves a green lawn, until that green turns local streams and waterways green with nasty algae. And then the fish die. Increasingly, the issue of eutrophication – a fancy word for nutrient overload that depletes the amount of oxygen in water and suffocates all inhabitants – is wreaking havoc with our nation’s waters. Many communities continue to struggle with figuring out how to cleanup our polluted waters. It’s heartening to see that some within Corporate America are doing just that – helping out. I commend The Scott’s Company not only for making their fertilizers more environmentally friendly, but teaming with communities and eNGOs to help cleanup our waters through an initiative called Water Positive Landscapes. Now some might cynically suggest that Scott’s is doing this just to protect its name and market share. Well, exactly! And that’s what Scott’s should do as a responsible corporate citizen.
I’m excited to share that Scott’s has teamed with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (see press release below), a non-profit on whose board I serve, to help promote better stewardship of the Bay watershed.
The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Announces ScottsMiracle-Gro Partnership
Scotts Miracle-Gro’s “Water Positive Landscapes” Initiative hopes to improve local waters nationwide
Annapolis, MD (June 9th, 2016) The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay announces its new partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro Company, the world’s largest marketer of leading brands in lawn and garden care. The partnership is part of the ScottsMiracle-Gro Company’s new nationwide Water Positive Landscapes initiative, an integrated program that demonstrates how consumers and communities can make a positive impact on local water resources while growing the landscape they want.
The first step for Water Positive Landscapes initiative was the creation of the Water Positive National Partner Network, currently comprised of 13 nonprofit organizations that are among America’s leading authorities on water quality and conservation, including the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
The Alliance and ScottsMiracle-Gro have developed a long-term agreement focused on two projects. Through the Alliance’s Businesses for the Bay program, the two organizations will partner to educate consumers about the proper use of lawn and garden products. Additionally, through the Alliance’s RiverWise Communities program, they will join forces to help homeowners throughout the Bay watershed create gardens that serve as natural rainwater catchments and filters to protect the Bay and its watershed rivers and streams.
“The Alliance is excited to be one of the initial 13 non-profit organizations selected by ScottsMiracle-Gro to be part of its Water Positive National Partner Network,” says Corinne Stephens, the Alliance’s Business Partnerships Manager. “We are looking forward to working with the Water Positive Landscapes initiative to help educate consumers about ways they can improve the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its rivers and streams through the use of correctly installed conservation landscapes and rain gardens as well as the proper use of lawn and garden products.”
“Gardens can’t grow without water – and as the world’s largest lawn and garden products company, it is our responsibility to help our consumers enjoy the landscapes they want while also protecting the environment,” said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer of ScottsMiracle-Gro. “In order to succeed in this effort, we need the input and support of others. It is in that spirit that our team has worked for months to build partnerships with a network of water protection groups from coast-to-coast and from north-to-south. Our goal is to support their efforts and seek their input, which will be key to making continued progress in our efforts to protect the environment and to empower our consumers do the same.”