Miracle-Gro and Tournament of Roses Association Make City of Pasadena a Little Greener

Miracle-Gro and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses® will come together this holiday season to help with the expansion of a natural pollinator garden at Muir Ranch and distribution of fresh produce and Thanksgiving-themed food boxes to local families in need.

Muir Ranch, located on the campus of John Muir High School in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), is a two-acre urban farm that grows over 1,000 produce items per month. The produce grown at the farm and other regional farms support a community supported agriculture (CSA) initiative where boxes of farm fresh produce are sold throughout the Pasadena community. Since its launch in 2011, Muir Ranch has both increased the environmental awareness of students as well as provided them with jobs.

The community event will take place Monday, November 24, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. PT, at John Muir High school. Volunteers from the Tournament of Roses and Miracle-Gro, as well as area students and community leaders, will build, expand and refurbish a pollinator garden on the campus in an effort to enhance lives through green spaces.

“Muir Ranch is a tremendous opportunity to help foster community spirit and bring the benefits of gardens and green spaces to areas in need,” said John Sass, Vice President Miracle-Gro. “We are committed to southern California and are proud to partner with the Tournament of Roses and give back to this community.”

Volunteers will break for a farm-to-table lunch menu. Local dignitaries, Miracle-Gro representatives, Tournament of Roses President Richard L. Chinen, Mayor Bill Bogaard and PUSD Board Member Tyron Hampton will be on-hand to provide support.

“In Pasadena, and in areas across the country, green spaces are vital to community growth,” adds City of Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. “We are thrilled to see the ongoing support of this inspiring space for students and the community which helps our environmental and economic footprint. I’m looking forward to seeing this expansion first-hand and helping where I can.”

The Muir Ranch initiative is part of ScottsMiracle-Gro’s GRO1000 program, which brings gardens and green spaces to cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe with the goal of 1,000 gardens and green spaces by 2018, the company’s 150^th anniversary.  In addition to volunteer support provided by the Tournament of Roses, Miracle-Gro has made monetary and in-kind donations to help the Pasadena community’s greening efforts for the past three years.

“The Tournament of Roses three-year partnership with Miracle-Gro to improve green areas in Pasadena has been meaningful and important to our communities. Our members have been able to help with projects and reinforce our commitment to this impactful programming,” said Tournament of Roses President Richard L. Chinen.

For more information, please contact: Leah Rosenfeld, leah.rosenfeld@zenogroup.com.

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts the Rose Parade®, the Rose Bowl Game® and a variety of associated events. The Tournament’s 935 volunteer members act as ambassadors of the organization within the community and serve on one of 31 committees that ensure the success of the parade and game.  Collectively, they contribute upwards of 80,000 hours of manpower each year.  The 126th Rose Parade themed “Inspiring Stories,” will take place Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015, followed by the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.  For additional information on the Tournament of Roses please visit the official website at www.tournamentofroses.com.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro®

With more than $2.8 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro® Company is the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company’s brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company’s Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® ® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business.  In Europe, the Company’s brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro® ®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.