The lawn care and landscape industry faces diverse, challenging issues. Legislation is constantly being introduced particularly at the state and, sometimes, the local levels. Each day, stories are published that target industry issues like pesticides, fertilizers, water, landscape equipment noise, or pollution. Sometimes, the tools vital to the every-day operation of businesses are referred to as a waste of valuable resources, and activists claim that consumers value their well-maintained lawn for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes only.
Because of the representative type of government we have at local, state and federal levels, we need to work with elected representatives and, in turn, they need to rely on us for feedback on our position on certain issues. In order for our industry to be successful in dealing with this type of process, we need to have as many representatives of the green industry tracking these issues and being willing to actively get involved and to get others involved.
Each month I will try and highlight some of the issues or legislation you should be aware of so you can understand what the industry challenges are. Even if it is not in your state or local area you need to understand it could just be a matter of time before it could be in your state or area, ready to affect you and your business. Legislators have associations and model bills and they share information on a regular basis. There are even services that give you the ability to search for state legislation that has been introduced by subject or even containing one particular word within the text of a bill in the 50 states.
Representatives of government and industries need resources - they cannot know all the issues equally well. Nevertheless, they must educate themselves or rely, on staff or other entities with more expertise, like associations and local businesses, to keep them informed.
We can all relate to what is happening in Canada where the banning of pesticides in many communities for all users is fact, not fiction. Our counterparts there can only wish that they had been better prepared. The United States is not immune - there are many government entities in the states that are already making decisions for stringent regulations, or are doing outreach with negative or misleading information about pesticides, fertilizers and water use.
We need to be prepared and involved before individuals and groups with their own agendas influence government representatives to the detriment of the green industry. Large numbers of green industry members are needed now to be a LINK: a “Lawn & Landscape Industry Network Keeper.”
We must be able to network. We need to make sure we know who our representatives are and they know who we are, what our industry is about, and what issues affect us in a positive or negative way.
We will especially need assistance from our state and regional associations to encourage members and non-members to become our industry eyes and ears, and be willing to contact their representatives with information we provide to advocate our industry positions.
If you can help as a resource, by being a messenger, an ambassador or an active respondent to a bad-news article or hearing at a local government or state capitol, let PLANET or your state association know.
Also, remember November is the time to VOTE. Get family and employees registered if they’re not, and encourage everyone you come into contact with to VOTE and exercise the best weapon we have in our form of government.
Let me know if you have feedback on any article by e-mailing me at tomdelaney@landcarenetwork.org.
