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America in Bloom
Planting Pride in Your Community | |
Photo Credit
Charles City, Iowa
2011 Winner 4,001-10,000 Population Category |
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Free Webinar! AIB Success Stories - How AIB Helps Your Town
 Mark your calendar for Tuesday, February 22 at 2 p.m. EST for the first in a series of 10 free webinars presented by AIB. Titled "AIB Success Stories - How AIB Helps Your Town," this webinar is presented by Cindi Cope, who has led Fayetteville, Arkansas' AIB committee for many years. Fayetteville has won their population category an unprecedented FOUR times. Listen to Cindi talk about how she did it and what it has meant for Fayetteville in terms of beautification, livability, sustainability, and more. You don't want to miss this exciting webinar. Register online at www.americainbloom.org/webinar. Participants in the live webinar will be able to ask Cindi questions. The webinar will be recorded and available for future viewing on America in Bloom's web site. |
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Beautiful Vermilion, Ohio
By Ed Rhinehart, AIB Judge
Wow, am I proud of my hometown of Vermilion, Ohio. I received an e-mail from the mayor's office and they were also so excited. After many years of hard work and dedication to beautify the historic downtown area, our community is recognized for its floral display in a national catalog. Proven Winners representatives visited last summer and took many photographs. In the recently released Proven Winners 2011 Landscape and Garden Color Guide and Catalog, Vermilion's beautiful gardens and containers are featured.
Let's go back to 2003 and let me tell you how AIB was instrumental in bringing beauty to this small, quaint city on Lake Erie.
The AIB judges left us with many wonderful suggestions that were implanted. Using the eight criteria from the AIB evaluation gave us insight and suggestions that got us started. Visiting Vermilion today, a totally different picture is seen. There are gardens and flowers everywhere. Hanging baskets galore, flower boxes, containers, and gardens; a new streetscape is completed; historic light posts line the streets; all the storefronts are filled with active businesses; and every week from May to September, a myriad of musical groups come together to entertain the residents and visitors. Come and see for yourself. AIB works! |
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Happy 10th - A Beautiful Bloomin' Anniversary Year
By Marvin Miller, AIB President
 Way back when America in Bloom was a fledgling organization, I remember a story told by the late Rance Searle of Bloom Master Corporation of Vernal, Utah. Rance told me that the people who sell disposable cameras were amazed to find there were more disposable cameras sold in the 7-Eleven in Vernal than anywhere else in the state. Rance said it was the power of Vernal's floral displays that sold those cameras.
Read the full article on America in Bloom's blog.
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Teachers Union Unites to Support Supporters
 The largest teacher's union in the United States is actively supporting "green" education and programs in a variety of ways. This web site not only provides a forum for schools to share what they are doing but the resources for educators to accomplish these lessons. Check it out. |
Calculating the Green in Green
 The ancient bond between humans and trees is expressed in a modern city dweller's intuition that trees add value to an urban landscape. And so they do, but how much?
Neighborhood and yard trees are not market commodities, so there is no simple, agreed-upon basis for calculating their value, comparing it to that of other urban-planning priorities such as keeping development costs low, or weighing benefits of trees against their costs. Read more. |
America in Bloom Displays at Spring Trials
Is there a town in your market that would be a perfect candidate for a beautification program? Imagine the fabulous varieties showcased by breeders at the California Spring Trials planted in medians, planters, hanging in baskets on Main Street, parks and residential gardens. What would that mean for your business?
America in Bloom will have an informational display at the Plug Connection Spring Trial location, March 26 - April 1, 2011. Also exhibiting at the site are Plug Connection, Suntory Flowers, Benary, and Cultivaris.
Stop by and learn how participating in AIB can help you grow your garden center/nursery business by engaging people to embrace beautification and landscaping as a way to improve the quality of life in your town. Celebrating its 10th year, the America in Bloom program has engaged nearly 200 towns and cities in 38 states. Three AIB cities on the Spring Trials trek are Encinitas (Ecke Ranch), Lompoc (Floranova), and Arroyo Grande (Greenheart Farms). Many of the Spring Trials hosts and attendees are America In Bloom stewards. Consider becoming one yourself. Plant pride and prosper. |
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Have a story to share? We would love to hear from you! Tell us about AIB activities in your
community, or let us know about a community you have visited that
should get involved with AIB. E-mail your story to Laura Kunkle, LKunkle@ofa.org.
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