Catskill, New York
Get in on the Excitement & Community-Building Momentum
It's time to register your community to participate in the 2016 America in Bloom program. The deadline to register is February 28. Bonus: if you recruit another AIB participant, you can save 25 percent on your registration costs. To learn more about the program, the benefits of participation, and how make the most of your experience, visit the America in Bloom website.
Seven Ways to Appreciate Volunteers

Volunteers are critical to the success "In Bloom" programs. Recruiting volunteers can be tough, so once you have them, you certainly don't want to lose them. One way to keep them is to ensure they know how much you appreciate their time and contributions. Are you thanking your volunteers enough? And in the ways that matter to them? Here are seven easy ways to say "Thank you!"
 
Students Learn Better with Views of Trees 
 
What if what is outside a school's windows is as critical to learning as what's inside the building? A new study of high school students in central Illinois found that students with a view of trees were able to recover their ability to pay attention and bounce back from stress more rapidly than those who looked out on a parking lot or had no windows. The researchers found a causal relationship: green views produced better attentional functioning and stress recovery. 

 
Bringing an Open-Air Venue & Park to a Former Landfill in Music City

The sight and sound of giant incinerators burning tons of trash in the heart of Nashville's urban core have been replaced by musical performances and picnicking families, tourists snapping photos, and occupants of surrounding offices, apartments, and condominiums experiencing the city's new LEED-certified riverside amphitheater and park. This is great inspiration for your own community.
 
Solid Waste Educator Saves Trash to Illustrate Waste Generation
 
What if you had to keep all the trash you generated for a year? How would you look at things like disposable water bottles, fast-food wrappers, and little things like straws and Q-tips? One Indiana woman is going to be doing just that by embarking on a year-long experiment to see what types of waste are created in the normal, every-day life of a person.

Taking a Leadership Position
By Marvin Miller, AIB Past President
 
Over the years of my involvement with America in Bloom, I have asked many other horticulture industry professionals to get involved with the organization and have, in turn, been asked why they should get involved. While I sometimes want to answer, "I think business is about making money," I usually redirect the approach and say, "It's about taking a leadership position." Indeed, in my mind, in this case, the two answers go hand-in-hand.
 
Customers like to direct their patronage to the businesses they view as successful leaders in their fields.
It's human nature to want not only a reputable supplier but also the best.

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Find America in Bloom on the web at www.americainbloom.org.
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, AIB@AmericainBloom.org