The Extension Smart Gardening team earned the Institute Team award for its work to promote science-based gardening, environmental awareness and sustainability principles to consumers during this year’s MSU Fall Extension Conference.
The campaign was created by the MSU Extension consumer horticulture work group that began with research-based information about smart lawns, soils and plants. Last winter, MSU Extension consumer horticulture educators and volunteers staffed displays at three large home and garden shows and talked with state residents about how to “green” up their landscapes and lawns while protecting Michigan’s water resources and environment. At these shows, more than 36,000 fact sheets were distributed.
The Smart Gardening team also has provided the MSU Extension home gardening website with dozens of tip sheets, news articles, videos and messages. Because of its increase in popularity, the site is now the first non-advertising site that appears in web searches on “gardening in Michigan.”
This campaign also has developed four issues of the Smart Garden Presse-newsletter, which is delivered to about 5,000 active Master Gardener volunteers across the state.