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On April 20, landscapers from across the country participated in PLANET’s 4th annual Day of Service. More than 2,600 volunteers from 36 states and Canada and Puerto Rico participated in 150 projects, including landscaping schools and parks. It’s estimated that $675,000 in time and services was donated during this year’s Day of Service, according to PLANET.

Below are a couple of projects that show the type of work landscapers completed on the day.

For more photos of projects from the day, visit www.lawnandlandscape.com and search “Day of Service.”

Shadow Wood Community Association in Bonita Springs, Fla., took part by sprucing up Naples Botanical Gardens. The garden is a 170-acres and combines cultivated tropical gardens with seven restored natural habitats. About 20 people chipped in on the project. The groups worked on cleaning irrigation heads throughout the park, within the nursery area cleaning and planting trees. Volunteers also worked in the gardens placing new plantings and dead heading, and trimmed 45 trees.

“Our staff proudly wore the Planet Day of Service T-shirts and enjoyed working outside of their known property,” said Deborah Owen, who works in the landscape department at Shadow Wood. “Many of our staff expressed an interest in returning to view the gardens on their own time.”

Hackettstown, N.J.- based Duke’s Landscape Management worked on the grounds at two locations this year – Camp Merry Heart, located in Hackettstown, and the Rockaway Memorial Gazebo, located in Rockaway Township.

Camp Merry Heart is a program of The Easter Seals New Jersey. The camp provides a wide variety of recreation and activities to people of all ages and all types of disabilities and special needs. At Camp Merry Heart, Duke’s cleaned and landscaped the front entrance, cleaned and chipped downed limbs along the long driveway and cleaned and landscaped common areas by the cabins.

A second crew from Duke’s went to Lombardo Park in Rockaway Township, where the Rotary Memorial Gazebo is part of a multi-use outdoor park. Duke’s cleaned, landscaped and mulched the area surrounding the Memorial Gazebo.  

GIE+EXPO adds sessions

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– The GIE+EXPO Workshops, expanded to six sessions for 2012, will cover timely issues to help lawn and landscape pros improve profitability.

This mini-series is available for contractors who want an introduction to the Green Industry Conference (GIC), sponsored by PLANET, and Hardscape North America (HNA) Conference, sponsored by the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI).

Both conferences will take place in conjunction with GIE+EXPO, which will be co-located with HNA in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

The tradeshow is open to lawn and landscape professionals Oct. 25-26. GIC, the HNA Conference and the Professional Grounds Management Society’s (PGMS) School of Grounds Management will begin Oct.24. ICPI will offer hardscape installer and technician training Oct. 23-24.

An early-bird registration fee of $10 is being offered for a tradeshow pass until September 9. Beginning Sept. 10 the fee will increase to $25. The onsite registration fee will be $50.

Go to www.gie-expo.com to register and also to reserve your place in the GIE+EXPO Workshops, which are $50 per session. As a bonus for signing up for Hardscape Session 1 or 2, you will receive free access to a series of live demonstrations throughout the day on Thursday and Friday. The live demos are offered through Hardscape North America.

Bland Landscaping honored for sustainable business practices

RALEIGH, N.C. – Bland Landscaping, a full-service residential and commercial landscaping company, received two sustainability in business awards. The company is the recipient of the 2012 Smith Seal of North Carolina Sustainable Business Award from the Greater Raleigh Chamber’s Pinnacle Awards and the 2012 Market Transformation Award from Raleigh’s Environmental awards.

The Smith Seal of North Carolina Sustainable Business Award recognizes the company for sustainable business practices incorporated into daily operations.

The Market Transformation Award recognizes the company for its efforts in making business decisions that lessen the company’s overall environmental impact.

According to Bland, here are some examples of how the company has reduced its environmental impact and given back to the community:

• Replaced blowers for more efficient models, annually saving 23,400 gallons of gasoline and 461,000 pounds of CO2. Based on today’s fuel prices, this comes to a savings of $85,000 per year. 
• Converted vehicles to biodiesel with an environmental savings of 121,636.05 pounds of CO2, 20 percent less hydrocarbons, and 20 percent less SO2.
• Installed a 16,000-gallon rainwater cistern to capture rainwater from the roof, preventing erosion and saving gallons of potable water for other uses.
• Committed to reducing insecticide use to only those products on San Francisco Tier III list.
• Purchased hybridized 4-mix engines that generate less noise than traditional 2-cycle engines, use fewer hydrocarbons, reduce fuel consumption and save $40,000 annually

“We are always looking for better techniques and technologies that will help us reduce the environmental impact of our business and the services we offer,” said Kurt Bland, president.

Aquascape debuts water gardening app

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – Aquascape, a manufacturer of pond products and supplies, debuted its new smartphone app designed for pond and garden enthusiasts. The Aquascape app offers water gardening tips and information, divided into five sections. including:

• Hundreds of water photos including landscape transformations, fish, aquatic plants and outdoor living spaces.
• Latest news on Aquascape pond products and events.
• How-to videos on pond installation, maintenance, fish and plant care.
• Water gardening articles that cover fish and plant care, water quality, design tips, seasonal maintenance, and more.
• Online store that showcases a variety of pond supplies.

“The Aquascape app is like a miniature version of our website right at your fingertips,” said Greg Wittstock, founder and CEO of Aquascape. “Our goal is to provide useful information on all things related to water gardening on a convenient, easy-to-use mobile device.”

The Aquascape App is available for Apple’s iPhone and Google Android-based smartphones. To download the app, visit the iTunes Store or Google Play, then search for Aquascape Pond.

Syngenta launches enhanced GreenCast website

GREENSBORO, N.C., – Syngenta redesigned its GreenCast online product information and support website.

These changes will help turf professionals stay up-to-date on current trends and agronomic developments, while helping them understand Syngenta’s product portfolio and technical knowledge. Located at www.greencastonline.com, GreenCast features:

• Quick access to agronomic tools
• Product portfolio including labels, and MSDS
• Multimedia resources
• Assurance programs
• Agronomic and news updates
• Weather tools
• TechNotes by Karl Danneberger
• Online learning modules
• Industry news

“Syngenta is constantly developing innovative products and solutions to help our customers manage their businesses and do their jobs better and more efficiently,” said Shawn Potter, head of marketing for Syngenta turf and landscape.