Landscape Industry Honors Our Nation’s Fallen Heroes with Day of Service at Arlington National Cemetery

Hundreds of landscape professionals and veterans will convene to further enrich the grounds during the 22nd annual Renewal & Remembrance event

ARLINGTON, Va. (July 11, 2018) – On Monday, July 16, 2018, 400 landscape and lawn care professionals from 32 states across the U.S. — many of them veterans themselves — will join together for Renewal & Remembrance, the largest annual day of landscape service at Arlington National Cemetery. Organized by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the event, now in its 22nd year, features landscape improvement and maintenance projects.

With their hands-on services impacting more than 200 acres of the vast grounds at Arlington National Cemetery, landscape professionals will work diligently and precisely to complete extensive landscape and lawn care activities.

Projects to be completed simultaneously throughout the day include:

Applying 45 tons of limestone and phosphate to turf, which provides nutrients for growth and vitality;
Aerating turf grass to strengthen its underground root systems;
Inspecting and installing irrigation systems to optimize watering practices;
Installing lightning protection in trees;
Planting and mulching garden beds;
Installing pavers, restoring broken and unlevel flagstone; and
Replacing a retaining wall

In addition, during the popular annual children’s program, kids ages 3 to 13 and their families, serving as volunteers from NALP, will plant flowers and learn about the history of Arlington National Cemetery and honoring America’s veterans.

“This incredible service event brings together landscape professionals and their families for a single purpose: To honor our nation’s heroes,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs, NALP. “Through the donation of time, equipment and talents, the members of our association are paying their respects through the best way they know how — landscape service. It is an honor for us to return to Arlington National Cemetery again this year.”

Renewal & Remembrance will kick off at 7:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony featuring keynote speeches and a dedication of the day’s work at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, followed by grounds work throughout the morning. A special wreath laying by children of select volunteers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier will also take place that morning.

After the massive volunteer effort on Monday, members of the landscape industry will head to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for its annual Legislative Days on the Hill, where the industry comes together to advocate for issues that ensure the continuation of thriving landscapes and landscape businesses across the U.S. One of the most pressing issues is reform regarding the federal H-2B visa program to provide seasonal workers that landscape businesses rely on to maintain their livelihood.

For more information on Renewal & Remembrance, visit the event website.

About NALP

The National Association of Landscape Professionals represents an industry that employs nearly 1 million landscape, lawn care, irrigation and tree care professionals who create and maintain healthy green spaces for the benefit of society and the environment. For more information, visit LandscapeProfessionals.org or LoveYourLandscape.org.

###