The Scotts Company Announces Partnership With Keep America Beautiful(R) to Promote Community Gardens and Consumer Education Outreach and education program will reach more than 1 million people MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scotts Company, the world's largest marketer of branded products for consumer lawn and garden care, announced today that it has signed a multi-year partnership to support Keep America Beautiful and its Great American Cleanup(TM), the nation's largest annual community improvement and beautification program. As part of Scotts' sponsorship, the two organizations will launch a national consumer outreach program beginning March 21, the first day of spring. The effort will include providing information to more than 1 million people each year to help them understand the best ways to incorporate environmental stewardship principles when maintaining a healthy lawn and garden. On the same day, the two organizations also will begin working to build community green spaces in Orlando, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Virginia; and Long Island, New York. "This partnership is a natural and significant extension of our commitment to social responsibility," said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer of Scotts. "We are glad to have a partner in Keep America Beautiful that shares our commitment and understands the positive impact that healthy gardens and landscapes can have on people, communities and the environment." Keep America Beautiful(R) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its signature program, the Great American Cleanup, which takes place from March 1 through May 31. Last spring, 2.3 million Great American Cleanup volunteers improved more than 15,000 communities during 30,000 events in all 50 states -- planting 5 million trees, flowers and bulbs; cleaning 6,500 miles of rivers, lakes and shorelines; and collecting 1.2 million tires for recycling and 150 million pounds of litter and debris. "Scotts' commitment to beautification and environmental stewardship makes it an ideal partner for Keep America Beautiful," said Ray Empson, president of the national, nonprofit organization. "We are excited about our partnership, and look forward to using the combined resources of our organizations to provide valuable information to homeowners and to beautify communities in a way only made possible by gardening." Since the Company's founding in 1868, Scotts has strived to provide the public with the finest quality lawn and garden care products. Scotts is continually looking for new and innovative ways to maintain a healthy environment. For example, the Company's innovative sprayer on ready-to-use control products has been given national awards for environmental stewardship. Scotts also is one of the country's leading recyclers, using about 6 billion pounds of recycled organic waste every year in its growing media business. The Company also provides consumer education and environmental stewardship tips through its award-winning Web site, http://www.scotts.com/ , its toll-free help line, 888-270-3714, and other outreach efforts. "Our commitment to a sustainable environment permeates everything we do at Scotts," said Rich Martinez, chief environmental officer at Scotts. "Our partnership with Keep America Beautiful will be an important tool to continue to deliver on our commitment to preserve and support a healthy environment, which is crucial to the future of communities in which Americans live and work." About Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. The Great American Cleanup(TM) is one of its many programs that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation. For additional information, visit http://www.kab.org/ . About Scotts Dedicated to a Beautiful World The Scotts Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company owns the industry's most recognized brands. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts(R), Miracle-Gro(R) and Ortho(R) brands are market leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup(R) brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. The Company also owns Smith & Hawken, a leading brand of garden- inspired products that includes pottery, watering equipment, gardening tools, outdoor furniture and live goods. In Europe, Scotts' brands include Weedol(R), Pathclear(R), Evergreen(R), Levington(R), Miracle-Gro(R), KB(R), Fertiligene(R) and Substral(R). DATASOURCE: The Scotts Company CONTACT: Jim King, Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications of The Scotts Company, +1-937-578-5622 Web site: http://www.scotts.com/ http://www.kab.org/

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