Green Infrastructure Support Gains Traction
from ANLA
Green infrastructure spending (that means the government spends money on trees and landscaping instead of drainage pipe and air-conditioning) is gaining traction among politicians. Just this week, this effort, spear headed by ANLA, received strong press. Now 13 days out from the ANLA Legislative Conference, our good friend Rep. Allyson Schwartz (along with Philly mayor Michael Nutter) has a well-placed editorial today in the Philadelphia Daily News on the importance of federal investments in green infrastructure. Read it here.
Why does this matter to you? J Frank Schmidt’s Nancy Buley will join a panel at the 2009 ANLA Legislative Conference explaining the industry’s vision for how this effort represents the evolution of highway beautification spending in the 1970’s and significant potential business for nurseries, garden centers and landscape firms across the United States.
Read more.
Ways to Boost Online Traffic
from Smart Money's Small Biz
Many people wonder what they can do to bring more traffic - targeted buyers - to their web sites, and how to get them to buy more while they're online. Here are a few tips for those of us running online stores to help bring in more traffic to sell products and services on your web site. More
The True Cost of Cash
from STORES Magazine
One of the most important reasons merchants like cash is because they think it costs them less - less than credit cards, PIN debit, paper checks and signature debit. On the surface, this assumption makes sense. After all, there are few barriers to accepting cash. There are no transaction fees and, unlike the acceptance of plastic, cash requires no added complexity or technology at the point of sale. Upon closer inspection, however, the survey reveals something interesting. More
Every Drop Counts
from The San Diego Union-Tribune
Amid birthday picnics, brisk morning strolls and visits to the botanical garden, visitors to Tijuana's largest public park might not notice the radical change that has taken place: The trees, plants and grass are being irrigated with treated wastewater. After years of planning, Tijuana's water-reuse program was launched last month in the city's fast-growing eastern end. Every day, 470,000 gallons are piped to the sprawling Morelos Park, a green oasis surrounded by parched hillsides packed with small houses. More
Green Yards Get a Break: Florida Offers Protection
from The Orlando Sentinel
When state Sen. Carey Baker proposed a law encouraging Florida homeowners to get rid of thirsty grass, he had Dorothy Bombera in mind. The Venice retiree has steadily ripped out her lawn, making room for daisies, perennial peanuts, palms and other drought-resistant plants. But not all of her neighbors found the new scenery attractive, and her homeowners association threatened to fine Bombera if she didn't re-create the old, conventional yard. Last week, Baker's legislation was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist, and Bombera is now off the hook."They were up to a $480 fine," Bombera said of the homeowners association. "I think that passing this was the most wonderful thing." More
ISM: Slow but Steady Economic Improvement
from Supply Chain Management Review
According to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the economy is slowly improving, but it is still improving, and likely will continue to grow, based on ISM’s latest industry report. Norbert Ore, chairman of ISM’s manufacturing business survey committee, said many economic indicators are still below 50 on the 0-100 scale, meaning they are technically “contracting,” but there are signs of steady improvement. Ore said June marked the second month in a row that “the overall economy has experienced some slight growth.” More
Safety Tip: Outfitting Your DC Workers
from Modern Materials Handling
As you determine how to outfit each type of worker in your facility, start by considering all applicable regulatory requirements. Various standards from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and other organizations can all come into play, depending on the type of work at your facility. More
Organics; Fastest Growing Food Industry Segment – But Can the Labels Be Trusted?
from Midland Food Examiner
The organic food market is big business. In 1990 the sale of organic food and beverages totaled one billion dollars. By 2007 sales grew to $20 billion, and according to The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics & Emerging Trends 2008, global demand is continuing to grow by $5 billion annually. More
Is East Coast's Tomato Blight Spreading?
from The Associated Press via The Houston Chronicle
Tomato plants have been removed from stores in half a dozen states as a destructive and infectious plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States. Late blight - the same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s - occurs sporadically in the Northeast, but this year's outbreak is more severe for two reasons: infected plants have been widely distributed by big-box retail stores and rainy weather has hastened the spores' airborne spread. More
Closing Maryland Garden Center May Get Reprieve
from Today's Garden Center
Costa High on New Hydration System
from Greenhouse Grower
Project Evergreen Street Teams Hitting the Streets in Milwaukee
from Lawn & Landscape
How Well Do You Communicate with Your Hispanic Workers?
from Landscape Management
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