MLNA salutes Heroes of the Planet Award Finalists with Missouri Landscape & Nursery Green Leader Recognition. MLNA recognizes each of these finalists as winners within the green industry because of their high standards. "They each have set a positive example of environmental sustainability. We are so proud to have them here as an influence on our region" says MaryAnn Fink, Executive Director of MLNA, the statewide professional green industry association.

St. Louis Business Journal and Missouri Botanical Garden will presented this first annual award on Oct 23rd, 2008. It is proudly sponsored by UMB Bank, Veolia Environmental Services and Oracle.

MLNA thanks these sponsors for
recognizing environmental stewardship.

Sustainable Visionary
Kay and Leo Drey

Sustainable Communities
Alberici Constructors
Boa Construction Company Inc.
Clayco Inc.

Sustainable Employee Programs
Gallop, Johnson & Neuman
HOK
RideFinders

Sustainable Operations
Hansen’s Tree Service
Nestle Purina Petcare Company
Saint Louis Brewery Inc.

Sustainable Products
EPC
Pedro’s Planet
Sage Homebuilders

Sustainable Alliances
American Lung Association
Energy Solutions
U.S. Green Building Council-St. Louis Chapter

Giving Green
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Monsanto Company
William A. Kerr Foundation

For more information about these finalist and their accomplishments visit these links and read the St. Louis Business Journal. Please send a note of thanks to each for their sustainable stewardship.

Congratulations to each of you!

Upcoming MLNA Events

Green Industry Pro Tour “Grow Up”  Green Roof Workshop & Tour  Rescheduled

MLNA is pleased to announce a rescheduling of the Grow Up –Green Roof and Wall tour for late May 2009. Not cancelled but delayed to make it a bigger and better tour! This will be a better time frame to see these wonderful projects that showcase our MLNA members and this “growing “trend”. It will be hosted by Jost Greenhouse and Green Roof Blocks.

Missouri Landscape & Nursery members, all Allied Industry Organizations (AIO) Members including the St. Louis Regional Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects as well as any interested green industry professionals and will be invited. Watch for the date and further announcements as the MLNA 2009 calendar year is filling fast!

“Good To Great” December 3-4, 2008
MoTOC sponsored event

If you are a part of the Green Industry, the Missouri Turf and Ornamental Council (MoTOC, formerly MVTA), Gateway Chapter Sports Turf Managers Association (GCSTMA) and the Gateway Irrigation Association (GIA) would like to invite you to the Missouri Green Industry Conference to be held December 3-4 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, MO (just west of St. Louis. The knowledge you gain from just one session may be what it takes to get you and your company over the top from “Good to Great.” Educational tracks include Irrigation, Category 3 Pesticide Applicator Recertification, Sports Turf, Lawn/Landscape and Business. The topics are what you need to get ahead and the speakers are some of the best in the industry. For more information, click here.

Kansas City Area

Heartland Green Industry Expo, “Common Ground” in Overland Park, KS. December 16 and 17, 2008

Missouri Turf and Ornamental Council, MoTOC, (formerly MVTA) is partnering for the third year with Mid America Green Industry Council (MAGIC), and Heart of America Golf Course Superintendents Association to provide an outstanding conference and equipment expo. There will be Educational Tracks in Sports Turf, Lawn/Landscaping, Business, and Golf.

For more information go to the MoTOC website at http://www.motoc.org/ or contact Mike Krone, President, Missouri Turf and Ornamental Council (MoTOC) at (314)392-2328, mkrone@motoc.org.

January 4 - 6, 2009, Overland Park, KS.

2009 Western Annual Meeting and Trade Show

• MLNA - Business Meeting
• Missouri Green Industry Hospitality Reception
  • Sponsored by: MLNA, The Hort Coop of Metro St. Louis, The HortNetWork of the Kansas City Metropolitan Region.
  • Open to all Green Industry Professionals
• MLNA - Missouri Certified Green Industry Stars
  • Module 1 & 2 Testing. Contact us for details.
  • To find out more about the Certification Program, click here
  • Register for BOTH the 2009 WESTERN Annual Meeting and Trade Show AND with the Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association.

Check out our other Upcoming events here.

Kansas City, MO does preemptive strike against EAB

Kansas City gets money to replace ash trees downtown before dreaded bug arrives Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO (10-15-08)

by Matt Campbell, mcampbell@kcstar.com

Kansas City will get $10,000 from the state conservation department to replace 53 of the most susceptible ash trees downtown with other species before the dreaded emerald ash borer gets here.

Actually, the metallic green beetle, which has killed an estimated 100 million ash trees in other parts of the country, may already be here but just hasn’t been detected yet, said City Forester Forest Decker. But if it’s not, it soon will be.

And there will still be plenty for the destructive bugs to eat. Decker says there are more than 42,000 ash trees in the public right of way in Kansas City alone.

Q. What is a "DBA"? 

A: In using a DBA a person or a company is operating their business using a business name other than their actual name.  A fictitious business name, assumed name, or DBA (short for "doing business as") allows you to legally do business as a particular name at minimal cost without creating a new business entity. Once you do this you can accept payments, advertise, and otherwise market yourself under that name. In fact, if you present your business under a name other than your proper legal name without proper notification, it may be even considered fraud. Fortunately, filing for an assumed name is easy and inexpensive. 

Click here for Missouri’s DBA form

MLNA awards new member Hansen’s Tree Service as MLNA Green Leader and congratulates them for being finalist is the Hero of the Planet Awards! 

Hansen’s Tree Service was founded by Jeff Hansen in 1988. The company performs residential and commercial tree services, including diagnosis, treatment, pruning, tree removal and stump removal. In addition to 100 percent green waste recycling, Hansen’s also stands out because of its dedication to professional certification programs and staff development. Hansen’s is the first and only tree care company in Missouri to be accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) and employs nine ISA certified arborists. For more information, visit www.hansenstree.com.

(Please use the Event News Release Form or send an email to let us know what you are doing in the news and for our communities. Your event will be included on the MLNA website, the MLNA blog and enewsletter when space allows!)