Why is public policy important?

I never thought that I’d testify before the International Code Council but through the NHLA, I was able to do so and discourage that body from adopting a 40% turf limitation.

-Mark Dominguez, The Landscape Partners (Richland Hills, TX)

...because demand for our services is critical to growing our businesses. After speaking with us, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and others agreed to write the EPA administrator Lisa Jackson regarding his concerns that the EPA WaterSense 40% percent turf limitation was bad environmental policy and put a quarter of a million Hispanic jobs at risk.

...because we can’t afford a 50% increase in labor costs. Proposed H-2B regulations will mandate sharp pay increases that small businesses in our industry and others can’t afford. Temporary seasonal labor at affordable rates makes it possible to grow businesses and to add better paying year-round supervisry and other positions that Americans want.

…because the value of the services we provide needs to be better appreciated. A typical American home lawn is much more than just a pretty place, it produces all the oxygen a family of four needs to live, it sequesters carbon dioxide, cools the environment, reduces storm water runoff demands on public sewer systems, filters and recharges our groundwater supply, enhances our property values, and provides a setting for play and recreation. We need to educate others about these facts and others giving them many reasons to better appreciate natural turf grass for its unique qualities and benefits.