Press Release

Meeting will cover water quality issues in conjunction with Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week

Annapolis, Maryland (June 6, 2019) As water quality issues continue to become environmental and health hazards across the United States, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is convening its National Partner Network to discuss solutions. On June 6, ScottsMiracle-Gro will convene over 40 individuals from 14 top environmental organizations across the nation. The meeting will focus on clean water issues and how each organization is addressing them. The meeting is being held in Annapolis, MD in conjunction with the annual Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, which is a time to celebrate the culture, history, and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay.

The organizations comprising the National Partner Network largely focus their work on water quality and water conservation. Each year, the groups meet to share ideas, discuss the challenges facing their unique waterways, and talk about the measures they are implementing to address them. Last year, ScottsMiracle- Gro convened the network in Oyster Bay, Long Island. This year, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is joining forces with ScottsMiracle-Gro to highlight issues local to the Chesapeake Bay region and the 64,000 square mile watershed.

“From engaging students to create marsh grass nurseries to educating the public on residential outdoor water use, these organizations are making remarkable strides to secure and improve their region’s waterways,” said Mark Slavens, vice president of environmental affairs, ScottsMiracle-Gro. “There’s a collective power that comes from bringing these groups together, as we all work toward securing a clean water future.”

“Scott's Miracle-Gro is clear about their work to support cleaner water for the future. Through their support of 14 non-profit groups from across the United States, they have formed a National Partners Network, where organizations can share their experiences and learn from each other on how to continue to improve local water quality,” says Kate Fritz, Executive Director of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. “The Alliance believes partnerships are essential to a cleaner Chesapeake Bay, and other waterways worldwide, and is excited to be partnering with Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation on the National Partnership Meeting.”

Members of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s National Partner Network include Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Alliance for Water Efficiency, Council for Watershed Health, Everglades Foundation, Galveston Bay Foundation, National Association of Conservation Districts, North Shore Land Alliance, Ocean Research & Conservation Association, Ohio Environmental Council, Restore America's Estuaries, Tampa Bay Watch and The Nature Conservancy.

For more information about ScottsMiracle-Gro’s commitment to water stewardship, visit www.ScottsMiracleGro.com.

About the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay:
Founded in 1971, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with headquarters in Annapolis, MD and offices in the District of Columbia, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Richmond, Virginia, works throughout the Bay watershed to lead, support and inspire local action and build partnerships with individuals, communities, governments, businesses and other groups to restore the Bay watershed and its lands, rivers and streams. For more information about the Alliance, visit: allianceforthebay.org

About The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation:
The mission of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is to inspire, connect and cultivate a community of purpose. The Foundation is deeply rooted in helping create healthier communities, empower the next generation, and preserve our planet. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds non-profit entities that support its core initiatives in the form of grants, endowments and multi-year capital gifts. For more information, visit www.scottsmiraclegrofoundation.org.

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