The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Announces Creative Collaboration with Globally Renowned National Geographic Photographer An...
January 16 2018 - 9:00AM
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation today announced a creative
collaboration with Andy Mann, a globally acclaimed environmental
photographer. Mann will document U.S. watersheds affected by
harmful algal blooms, bringing to life how this pervasive global
crisis is affecting communities across the United States.
Driven by excess phosphorus, harmful algal blooms pollute fresh
waterways in all 50 states. Over the last decade, The Scotts
Miracle-Gro Company has taken action to prevent local nutrient
pollution from lawn and garden activity by removing phosphorus
from its traditional lawn fertilizer products sold under the
Scotts® brand. The move has reduced consumer use of phosphorus by
10,000 tons each year. Unfortunately, more than 10 million
metric tons of phosphorus continue flowing into freshwater from
other sources. Demonstrating its ongoing commitment to this issue,
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation has established a national Water
Positive™ initiative dedicated to protecting freshwater in key
regions and uniting citizens, scientists, and communities in
finding a lasting solution for excess phosphorus.
“Our company is proud of everything we’ve done to protect water
resources, but we also know that algae blooms represent an
under-recognized global crisis,” said Jim King, chairman of The
Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation. “The goal of our Foundation related
to this issue is two-fold – to create more public awareness about
this crisis and to fund the efforts of environmental partners
across the country who are trying to solve it.”
“Our partnership with Andy Mann will certainly shine a spotlight
on this issue. His photography is nothing short of breathtaking and
he is one of the few people in the world capable of capturing
images that depict the beauty of nature while simultaneously
showing the damage being inflected on the environment from algae
pollution. I’m confident that his work will capture this issue in
ways that greatly enhance awareness for millions of people,” said
King.
Mann has captured stories from key watersheds affected by algal
blooms, including the Florida Everglades, Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay
and the Long Island Sound. He will share the culmination of his
work through a photo and video docuseries to be revealed on World
Water Day in March 2018.
“Each watershed tells a story in conflict,” said Mann. “It has
been disheartening, for example, to document the story of Lake
Erie, which has been infested with toxic green algal blooms to the
point that it has tainted the drinking water for millions of
people. But it has been encouraging that in the same communities
impacted by this crisis you’ll find local scientists who are
researching and testing new technologies that instill hope. Those
are the stories that we want to tell to inspire change.”
The creative collaboration with Mann will also focus on The
Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s multi-year sponsorship of the
Everglades Foundation’s George Barley Water Prize, the world’s
largest water prize. This prize competition, now in its third
stage, awards $10 million to the person or team developing the most
cost-effective, scalable technology to remove phosphorus – the root
cause of toxic algal blooms – from freshwater sources.
“We want to raise awareness of freshwater issues, but more
importantly we want to showcase the inspiring and innovative work
being done across the world to improve water quality,” said
King.
Follow Mann’s journey documenting these waterways
at www.instagram.com/andy_mann/. For additional information on
water quality issues and solutions,
visit www.scottsmiraclegrofoundation.org.
About The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization with a mission to inspire, connect and cultivate
communities of purpose in the areas of environmental improvement,
youth empowerment, and community gardens and greenspaces. The
Foundation carries out its mission by funding qualifying charitable
entities that support its core initiatives in the form of grants,
endowments, and multi-year capital gifts. The Foundation is deeply
rooted in preserving our planet, empowering the next generation,
and helping create healthier communities. For more information,
visit www.scottsmiraclegrofoundation.org.
For media inquires:
Molly Jenningsmolly.jennings@scotts.com 561-681-7683
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd0e3d3f-9f57-4cf7-8cd6-0d5957967292
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3d3df962-a3be-4cc3-a066-81e295ed7e9c
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