Association News

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

Environmental Turf, Catevo Win TOCA Awards

Environmental Turf, Avon Park, Fla., won nine awards at the 2008 Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association’s annual conference. Environmental Turf’s design awards were won in conjunction with Krush Creative Group, a digital design and marketing firm. The company received first place and merit awards for overall e-magazine design; merit for digital Christmas card; merit for overall newsletter/magazine design; first place and merit for writing news releases; first place for writing a feature article; and first place and merit for writing for electronic newsletter.

The Catevo Group, Raleigh, N.C., was also presented with TOCA awards. The company won first place for design of a John Deere interactive media kit; first place for writing for the Lawn Doctor Web site; first place for overall newsletter design for DeereScapes; merit for design of a Lawn Doctor direct mail campaign; and merit for writing for DeereScapes.

Also at the conference, McGavock Edwards, Catevo’s vice president of marketing communications, was elected to the TOCA board of directors. She was also asked to lead a committee tasked with researching the need for professional communications standards in the green industry.

ASLA News

The board of trustees of the American Society of Landscape Architects has selected the recipients of its 2008 honors, which will be presented in October during the ASLA annual meeting.

Joseph A. Porter, Aspen, Colo., will receive the ASLA Medal—ASLA’s highest honor—for his lifetime achievements and contributions to the profession, the welfare of the public and the environment. Porter has more than four decades of experience in the landscape architecture profession. Along with Don Ensign, he co-founded Design Workshop, this year’s recipient of the Landscape Architecture Firm Award. The firm, founded in 1969, now has seven offices across the country employing 200 people.

Kathryn Gustafson, of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd., Seattle, Wash., and Gustafson Porter, London, England, will receive the Design Medal in honor of her accomplishments. For over 25 years, Gustafson has created award-winning work across the globe, focusing on civic, institutional and corporate projects.

The Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal will go to Linda Jewell, of the University of California at Berkeley, for her contributions to landscape architecture education. Jewell’s three decades of teaching have influenced hundreds of landscape architects.

The LaGasse Medal will be awarded to Rodney Swink, Raleigh, N.C., for his leadership in management and conservancy of natural resources and public lands. Since 1984, Swink has served as director of the North Carolina Office of Urban Development.

The National Association of Olmsted Parks, based in Washington, D.C., will receive the Medal of Excellence for its contributions to landscape architecture policy, research, education, project planning and design throughout the United States.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas, will receive the Olmsted Medal for environmental leadership, vision and stewardship. Founded in 1982 by the former first lady and actress Helen Hays, the organization works to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.

The Community Service Award will go to Peter Pollack, Ann Arbor, Mich., for his sustained, pro bono service to the community demonstrating sound principles and values of landscape architecture. Pollack has contributed his landscape architecture expertise for over 30 years, spanning policy-making, physical planning and project implementation.

Landscape Structures, Inc., a manufacturer of commercial playground equipment based in Delano, Minn., has committed $200,000 to support the Sustainable Sites Initiative, an interdisciplinary partnership between ASLA, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the United States Botanic Garden and other organizations to develop guidelines and standards for landscape sustainability. The Sustainable Sites Initiative will measure the sustainability of designed landscapes of all types including public, commercial and residential projects.

Notes from GCSAA

Jackson Esoda, Marietta, Ga., will receive the 2008 Joseph S. Garske Collegiate Grant from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The $2,500 grant was established in honor of Garske, founder of Par Aide. It is funded by Par Aide and administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf. The program assists children of GCSAA members in funding their education at an accredited college or trade school. The grant is renewable for a second year with proof of enrollment and a grade point average of 2.0 or higher.

Esoda will enroll at the Georgia Institute of Technology with plans to study industrial and systems engineering. His father, Mark Esoda, is a 22-year GCSAA member and superintendent at Atlanta Country Club, Marietta, Ga.

In addition, Ben Anders, the 2007 Garske winner, has renewed his scholarship for a second year. Anders is majoring in business with an emphasis in dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His father, James Anders, is an assistant superintendent at the Buncombe Country Golf Course in Weaverville, N.C., and a GCSAA member since 1998.

Steven Fisher, chairman and CEO of Plaza Construction Corp., has joined the Environmental Institute for Golf’s advisory council, which provides guidance to the Institute’s board of trustees in the areas of outreach, fundraising and strategic planning. Plaza has pledged a $100,000 donation to the Institute for research, education and environmental stewardship.

NGA & Mantis Award Application Now Available

The National Gardening Association and Mantis are offering awards to charitable and educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life in their host communities. Any organization that has or wishes to create a community or youth garden is eligible to apply. In spring 2009, 25 of these programs will receive a Mantis tiller/cultivator with a border/edger attachment.

To apply for the 2009 Mantis Awards, visit www.garden.org and click on “Grants and Awards.” The application deadline is March 1, 2009. Winners will receive their equipment by April 30, 2009.