Environmental Forum: March 1999, Duty to the Industry

The bulk of landscape contractors think of themselves as supportive to the green industry since it is the lifeline to their businesses. However, there are others who take this support one step further and urge their fellow contractors to follow in their footsteps.

Mark Schlossberg, president of Pro-Lawn-Plus, Baltimore, Md., and president of the Maryland Association of Green Industry, believes in strongly supporting the lawn care/landscape industry by lobbying legislators to protect contractors’ businesses.

“Contractors should be involved in supporting the industry so we can keep the laws reasonable and allow us to continue to operate our businesses the way we want to and need to,” Schlossberg asserted.

DUTY TO THE INDUSTRY. “Contractors have a responsibility to the industry just for the fact that they are trying to stay in business,” Schlossberg indicated.

He added to this by explaining the work that environmental groups have done when lobbying legislators could, in turn, affect contractors. One such issue revolved around a 1997 epidemic that was killing fish in Maryland waters.

It was believed by some, according to an article in the Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va., that a fish-eating microbe called Pfiesteria had developed because of rains that would wash nutrients such as manure and fertilizer into coastal streams.

These nutrients would feed the growth of algae, according to the Times-Dispatch, and then the young of fish called menhaden would inhabit those waters and eat the algae. This abundant menhaden provoked the Pfiesteria and they transformed into a toxic state and began attacking the fish.

After blaming the problem on excess nutrients in the soil, a state law was introduced that would require soil testing on any Maryland lawn before treatment could be given by lawn care professionals, according to Schlossberg.

The bill would have passed in this form if it wasn’t for the intervention of groups, such as the Maryland Association of Green Industry, that stood up for contractor rights.

“The bill did pass, but now it states that soil testing is only mandatory for properties larger than three acres,” Schlossberg explained. “This doesn’t affect our businesses too much.”

If industry associations had not intervened, the outcome could have been detrimental to area businesses and, more importantly, set a dangerous precedent for future legislation around the country.

THE INVOLVEMENT FACTOR. According to Schlossberg, getting involved with fighting legislative efforts is fairly simple. Contractors should start by joining their respective state turfgrass council. Then, they should get to know their legislators.

He explained how sometimes it may be even easier than that. “All it may take is a phone call. Just say ‘My name is John Doe and I own a lawn care business. I want you to vote against House Bill XYZ because it will hurt my business,’” Schlossberg said. “It can be as easy as that.”

Anybody can get involved in these political issues, Schlossberg added. The organizations that he is affiliated with are mostly comprised of arborists, tree care professionals, lawn care contractors and golf course superintendents. But in no way are groups limited to any of these specific professions.

Schlossberg explained that in past years, most of the issues that these lawn care associations would come up against would be dealing with pesticide use. Now these efforts have taken a turn toward fertilizers as well. For example, the Pfiesteria problem mention-ed earlier focused on the nutrients in fertilizer and how they were affecting water quality.

Another looming fertilizer problem that Schlossberg believe could be the focus of new legislation is the proper clean up of granular applications. Presently, there is no legislation regarding this issue, and lawn care professionals such as Schlossberg want to keep it this way.

“It’s important for contractors to clean granular fertilizers off of the sidewalks and streets after applying them to a lawn,” he noted.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION. While fighting restrictive legislation is one critical responsibility of contractors, some of these proposed laws could be avoided if contractors would focus on the image they present to the public. Schlossberg said he believes presenting a professional image to clients is the number-one way for contractors to improve public perception.

“We have to let the public know how complex and technical our field is,” he stated. “We have to be professional when communicating with the public. We have to let them know the amount of research we do.”

Along with the public not understanding the amount of technical work that goes on in the green industry, they also do not understand how large the industry actually is.

“People don’t understand how big our industry is and how much we affect the economy,” Schlossberg noted. “We’re not good at getting that message out there because we don’t market ourselves well.”

The general public’s perception of this industry can be linked to the media’s perception as well. When contractors are speaking with media members, Schlossberg explained a key point that should always be remembered.

“People need to have a message in their mind so that they are ready when someone from the media calls,” he said. “My message is that we try to provide the best lawn possible with the least amount of chemicals.”

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