Field report

John Deere promotes standard 811 number
John Deere has partnered with the Common Ground Alliance, an industry organization that aims to save lives and prevent damage to underground facilities, to launch 811 – a nationwide “Call Before You Dig” number.

Created to eliminate the confusion of various “Call Before You Dig” numbers in use, the FCC-designated 811 number provides one simple number to call to have utility crews mark a requested site for underground lines before digging. The number, available for use nationwide beginning May 1, routes calls to the local One Call Center for each area. The One Call Center will then ask the location of the digging job and call the necessary utility companies, who will send a professional locator to mark utility lines for free.

According to John Deere, the public’s lack of knowledge about the importance of marking utility lines before digging can lead to death or injury, as well as costly damages to underground infrastructure and utility service disruptions to thousands of people.

John Deere will use its existing industry communications channels, trade shows, magazine advertisements and online and printed materials to encourage use of the 811 number. For more information, visit this site.
–Staff reports


Southern Living partners with PDSI to develop plant collection
Southern Living magazine and Plant Development Services Inc. have partnered in an exclusive Live Goods Licensing Agreement to develop and market a collection of plants under the Southern Living brand.

The collection, which will be marketed throughout the United States and Canada, will include shrubs, trees, bedding plants, groundcovers, tropicals, ornamental grasses, seasonals and related items.

The collection will feature innovative new plants to solve landscape problems for all consumers and will be available to consumers in spring 2008. Randy Hunter, vice president of Agility Marketing, the brand manager for PDSI and the Southern Living Collection, says the collection should be ready to introduce to members of the green industry in time for industry shows in late summer and early fall.

The collection will include eight to 12 plants across all categories in the first year and will grow to include more over time, Hunter says.
–Lori Creel


GRHC launches green wall course
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities’ new course, Green Wall 101: Introduction to Systems and Design, was unveiled at the Fifth Annual International Greening Rooftops for Sustainable Communities Conference on May 2.

As the first of six seminars focusing on technologies used to anchor plants and irrigation to the sides of buildings, participants learned the primary components and functions of green wall systems, including the selection, design, installation and maintenance of the major types of green walls. In addition, the course highlighted characteristics and advantages of green walls, such as heat reduction, protection from ultraviolet rays and the lowering of energy costs.

More introductory green wall courses will be offered throughout the year in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and at the American Society of Landscape Architects’ conference in San Francisco this October.

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