Mayor Kevin Johnson Expands Edible Sac High as Part of National GRO1000 Gardens and Green Spaces Program

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will dedicate the Edible Sac High garden expansion project at Sacramento High School as part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and The U.S. Conference of Mayors nationwide GRO1000 gardens and green spaces program. The garden, previously established by Sac High Garden Club students, will be overhauled under the guidance of Greenwise Joint Venture, a non-profit launched by Mayor Johnson. The garden is the first investment in "Edible Sac High", a program established to provide students a transformative edible education through a teaching garden, kitchen classroom, future student-run cafeteria and an integrated curriculum.

The Edible Sac High project supports Mayor Johnson's vision to transform Sacramento into the greenest region in the country and a hub for clean technology through his Greenwise initiative. The Mayor's priorities for Sacramento also include providing a great education to every student and community volunteerism. Edible Sac High is a showcase project that provides opportunities to make progress in sustainability, education, and youth volunteerism.

"The GRO1000 program will allow us to expand the garden at Sacramento High School into a full-fledged outdoor classroom," Mayor Johnson said. "I am grateful to The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for their investment in Edible Sac High and for volunteering on-site April 30th to transform our garden area alongside our Sac High students."

GRO1000 is a national program launched by ScottsMiracle-Gro in 2011 to create more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. The U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered with ScottsMiracle-Gro on the GRO1000 initiative to recognize mayors for the installation of innovative, public green spaces designed to improve our nation's cities.

"We are honored to bring GRO1000 to Sacramento in support of the city's environmental stewardship and community green initiatives," said Jim Hagedorn, Chairman and CEO, ScottsMiracle-Gro. "Through the strength of public and private partnerships, this innovative program will continue to grow and reflect the vibrancy of the Sacramento community."

The GRO1000 Sacramento event at Sacramento Charter High School kicks off at 10 a.m. on April 30 at 2315 34^th Street, Sacramento, California 95817. More than 300 students from Sacramento Charter High School will join local volunteers, including ScottsMiracle-Gro associates, city officials and GRO1000 national and local partners, to prepare new edible garden beds in the existing green space maintained by Sac High garden club students. Gardening and environmental activities will take place 4–7 p.m. for students. One deserving youth will be presented with the ScottsMiracle-Gro Give Back To Gro Youth Gardener Award.

GRO1000 Sacramento was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners, including the City of Sacramento, along with national partners including, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Garden Writers Association and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The Sacramento GRO1000 event is one of several public installation events being held in the U.S., Canada and Europe in 2013.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro

With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. Visit us at www.scotts.com.

About Greenwise Joint Venture
Greenwise Joint Venture is a high-impact, regional organization focused on transforming the Sacramento area into the greenest region in the country and a hub for clean technology. Find out more at www.greenwisejv.org

About the U.S. Conference of Mayors:

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,295 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

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