TruGreen's Free MyBotanicPlanet.com Gets High Marks From Educators

Creative Online Educator Resource Inspires Students' Interest in Botany

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May 24, 2011, 06:17 ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TruGreen recently launched MyBotanicPlanet.com, a free online educator resource to inspire K-5 students' interest in the diverse plant world, to receptive educators attending the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) national conference in San Francisco. TruGreen, the nation's largest professional lawn, tree and shrub care provider, is receiving high marks from educators for the brand's creative resource that enables convenient access to U.S. standardized lesson plans in botany and related interactive activities.

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My Botanic Planet curriculum characters Inspector Nectarand Flavor Flores stepped out of the virtual world at TruGreen's NSTA exhibit to demonstrate the creative site with hundreds of enthusiastic educators. A brief video highlighting educator feedback on MyBotanicPlanet.com is available.

TruGreen collaborated with Memphis Botanic Garden on My Botanic Planet, where participants can customize their avatar then discover colorful plant environments and related interactive games as they meet Inspector Nectar on a flower mystery or Flavor Flores on a sensational sap safari. My Botanic Planet is based on the classroom experience offered through the Memphis Botanic Garden that has impacted more than 40,000 children. Created by professional curriculum developers, the initial six lessons meet national education standards and benchmarks and focus on the plant origins of flavors, the parts of the flower, and how pollination occurs.

"TruGreen's expertise in professional lawn care is based on science and a solid commitment to responsibly caring for our plant world," said John Crossmock, director of technical training and support, TruGreen. "The opportunity to inspire the upcoming generation's appreciation for botany is truly rewarding and supports TruGreen's commitment to being effective stewards of our environment and natural resources."

According to Thomas McManus, 2010 TruGreen–NSTA Fellow and science teacher at The Melrose School in Bronx, N.Y., educators are looking for supplemental teaching resources to effectively bring science and other subjects to life for students.

"Students tend to be inspired by learning experiences where they can personally interact with subjects like botany," McManus said. "As a teacher, I appreciate accessible resources like My Botanic Planet that provide thoughtful, hands-on lesson ideas and extensions that deliver on approved educational standards."

MyBotanicPlanet.com is featured in the online NSTA Science Supply Guide, including under the curriculum solutions section.

About TruGreen

Memphis, Tenn.-based TruGreen is the nation's largest lawn care company, serving more than 2.5 million residential and commercial customers across the United States with lawn, tree and shrub care. As the industry leader, TruGreen continues to pioneer the development of new technology for lawn care and devotes substantial resources to evaluate new products and equipment. The company is committed to responsible lawn care, including offering and promoting the use of natural, organic services and sustainable practices. Today, there are approximately 250 TruGreen LawnCare branches in the United States and Canada, including about 50 franchise locations. TruGreen is part of the ServiceMaster family of brands, one of the world's largest and most versatile service networks. Go to www.TruGreen.com or www.facebook.com/TruGreen for more information about TruGreen.

About Memphis Botanic Garden

Memphis Botanic Garden strives to enhance lives by connecting people with nature, increasing awareness and appreciation of our environment. The 96-acre property in Memphis, Tenn., includes 23 specialty gardens, which provide an in-depth look into various families of plants, flowers and trees. Memphis Botanic Garden serves more than 43,000 school-aged children annually through organized education programs, offering them the opportunity to get outdoors and learn through hands-on activities and nature play. Go to www.MemphisBotanicGarden.com for more information about Memphis Botanic Garden.

About ServiceMaster

With a network of more than 5,000 company-owned and franchise locations, Memphis-based ServiceMaster is one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. The company's high profile brands are TruGreen, Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Through approximately 22,000 corporate employees and a franchise network that independently employs over 31,000 additional people, the ServiceMaster family of brands serve more than 8.5 million customers every year and hold market-leading positions in residential and commercial lawn, tree and shrub care, termite and pest control, home service contracts, furniture repair, home inspections, residential and commercial cleaning and disaster restoration. Go to www.servicemaster.com or http://twitter.com/ServiceMaster for more information about ServiceMaster.

SOURCE TruGreen