Mayor Mark Mallory Brings Edible Forest Garden to Mill Creek as Part of National GRO1000 Garden and Green Space Program

CINCINNATI, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mayor Mark Mallory will dedicate the Mill Creek Edible Forest Garden in Cincinnati along the Mill Creek River. The revitalization project is part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and The U.S. Conference of Mayors nationwide GRO1000 garden and green spaces program. Once declared "the most endangered urban river in North America," the Mill Creek will be transformed with a newly constructed greenway trail and garden. The edible forest garden will produce food for local residents, provide a natural habitat for wildlife and create a green edge between a highly developed city and its river.

"The transformation of Mill Creek River is one of the focal points of our city's continued economic revitalization, as well as our efforts to enhance the livability of our city with better and more enjoyable green spaces," said Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. "I want to thank ScottsMiracle-Gro and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for supporting us in this initiative. With their generous grant, and the support of other great partners like Groundworks Cincinnati, we'll transform Mill Creek into the most sustainable and interactive urban riverfront in the nation."

GRO1000 is a national program launched by ScottsMiracle-Gro in 2011 to create more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. The U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered with ScottsMiracle-Gro on the GRO1000 initiative to recognize mayors for the installation of innovative, public green spaces designed to improve our nation's cities. The Mill Creek Edible Forest Garden will be the first phase in a comprehensive Mill Creek Greenway development program that lays the foundation for the Healthy People/Healthy River Strategy, created by Mayor Mark Mallory and Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek.

"We are proud to be a part of the sustainability planning and environmental reinvestment taking place in Cincinnati's Mill Creek community," said Barry Sanders, president and chief operating officer, ScottsMiracle-Gro. "The new edible forest and greenway trail will provide area residents access to a healthy green space and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors."

The GRO1000 Cincinnati event kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on May 23 at the Mill Creek Edible Forest Garden, located adjacent to the intersection of Old Ludlow Avenue and Dooley By-pass in Northside. Parking is available three blocks south of the event site at Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek, 1617 Elmore Court, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223. Area schoolchildren will join local partners and more than 100 ScottsMiracle-Gro volunteers, plus city officials and GRO1000 national and local partners, to prepare and plant garden beds along the greenway trail. Gardening and environmental activities will take place for area residents and youth. Students from Pleasant Ridge Montessori will be presented with the ScottsMiracle-Gro Give Back To Gro Youth Gardener Award.

GRO1000 Cincinnati was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners, including the City of Cincinnati, Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek and PAR Projects, along with national partners including, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Garden Writers Association and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The Cincinnati GRO1000 event is one of several public installation events being held in the U.S., Canada and Europe in 2013.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro
With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. 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. Visit us at www.scotts.com.

About the U.S. Conference of Mayors:
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,295 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

About Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek (GWC)
GWC is a boots-on-the-ground, community-based nonprofit working in collaboration with Mill Creek neighborhoods, youth, and other cross sector partners. The goals of the organization are to revitalize Mill Creek neighborhoods, regenerate the health of Mill Creek and other natural resources, provide environmental education and training for youth, recycle derelict properties in the blighted river corridor, build the City's Mill Creek Greenway Trail, and plant an edible forest garden along the river to encourage healthy eating. Visit www.groundworkcincinnati.org.

SOURCE The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company