A Feather in Every Pot
from ANLA
Since 2006, the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Institute (USDA-ARS) has led the way in producing a truly biodegradable plant container made from keratin (poultry feathers). Learn more about this project by watching Voice of America's recent interview with HRI researcher, Dr. Masud Huda, and USDA-ARS's Dr. Walter Schmidt.  More
 

MasterTag Introduces Two New Nursery Tags MasterTag introduces two new nursery tags. Available as a folding or card style tag. Large landscape photos and detailed inset of key attributes such as flower, leaf color or fruit. Text information is based on extensive consumer research. Available with or without bar code, price and D.O.R. Comprehensive variety listing.

Managing Brand Bashing on Social Media
from Retail Customer Experience
As retailers increasingly look to social media sites to deepen interactions with consumers, there is one hazard in particular that continues to test their abilities to market in the dynamic, fragmented and real-time environment of social networks — bad buzz.  More
 

Wal-Mart Settles Environmental Case for $27.6 Million
from Courthouse News Service
Wal-Mart will pay $27.6 million to settle claims that it improperly transported, stored and dumped pollutants like pesticides, aerosols and other chemicals, prosecutors announced. The settlement, signed by Superior Court Judge Linda Quinn, comes after the San Diego County district attorney's office and California's attorney general sued in April, claiming that all of Wal-Mart's 236 stores, Sam's Club stores and other facilities violated environmental laws.  More
 

Landscapers Find Workers Choosing Jobless Pay
from The Detroit News
In a state with the nation's highest jobless rate, landscaping companies are finding some job applicants are rejecting work offers so they can continue collecting unemployment benefits. It is unclear whether this trend is affecting other seasonal industries. But the fact that some seasonal landscaping workers choose to stay home and collect a check from the state, rather than work outside for a full week and spend money for gas, taxes and other expenses, raises questions about whether extended unemployment benefits give the jobless an incentive to avoid work.  More
 

Three Ways to Mentor Millennials
from BNET
How are you supposed to effectively coach young workers? It's a definite challenge for managers to juggle their own work while trying to mentor new employees. An article in the May 2010 edition of the Harvard Business Review claims "in four years, millennials — the people born between 1977 and 1997 — will account for nearly half the employees in the world."  More
 

DOT Report: Condition of U.S. Highways, Bridges has Improved in Last Decade
from DC Velocity
A recent report by the Department of Transportation (DOT) has concluded that the condition of the nation's interstate highways and bridges has improved during the past decade, a finding that runs counter to the conventional wisdom that the U.S. infrastructure is systemically falling apart. The report, which was devoted to laying out a roadmap for the DOT's strategic initiatives through fiscal 2015, found that the percentage of vehicle miles traveled on interstate roads having what DOT called "good ride quality" increased to 57 percent in 2009 from 46 percent in 2000.  More
 

How to Sell to the Next Generation
from Modern Distribution Management
This week in Indianapolis, Robert Wendover of the Center for Generational Studies spoke to a full room at the Business-to-Business Selling and the Emerging Generations session at the Industrial Supply Association's Product Show and Conference about how to "sell to and service the most diverse, wired, impatient, skeptical, demanding, fun-loving customers in history."  More