November 21, 2011

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company announced on November 17 a multi-year partnership focused on improving the nation’s cities through garden and green space development.

“Our mayors have specifically called for cities to develop, grow and maintain edible gardens and green spaces in our parks and near city hall land,” said Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “This partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro is a natural fit that will provide tangible benefits for cities across the nation and equip them with educational tools on a variety of issues related to creating and maintaining green spaces.”

Through this new partnership, ScottsMiracle-Gro and the Conference of Mayors will award grants to mayors for the installation of innovative edible gardens, public gardens and green space development within their communities. Additionally, ScottsMiracle-Gro will work with the Conference of Mayors to establish resources to help educate communities about water quality and conservation issues.

“There are benefits that only gardens can provide, and we are honored to partner with mayors across the nation to improve their communities and enhance our environment,” said ScottsMiracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn. “There are more than one million community gardens in America, and participation in this activity grows every year. For more than a decade, we have partnered with national organizations to help increase community access to gardens and green spaces. We look forward to now joining with [the Conference of Mayors] to develop model green space initiatives and gardens that bring communities together.”

Hagedorn continued: “In addition, we are committed to protecting and conserving water, and look forward to partnering with [the Conference of Mayors] to create innovative education programs to preserve this critical resource.”