Mar 1, 2019

A Good Start By Tim Hodson

Last week, the organizers of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) announced that they had surpassed their target of registering 1 million pollinator gardens in North America.

Over the past three years, 1,040,000 gardens were registered with the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) involving an estimated 8 million people, concentrated in the United States and Canada with some in Mexico.

From tiny yards to public gardens, the 1 million plus gardens add up to a network of approximately 5 million acres of enhanced or new pollinator habitat.

“Leaders in horticulture have stepped up to meet consumer demand for pollinator-friendly plants and to provide the necessary education about sustainable methods that support habitat,” said Craig Regelbrugge, senior vice president of AmericanHort.

Launched in June 2015 by the National Pollinator Garden Network (NPGN), the goal of the MPGC was to create networks of gardens to help save pollinators, which are responsible for one out of three food bites we take each day.

An impact report indicates the MPGC led to a shift in consumer awareness and wider actions such as pro-pollinator pledges, proclamations and policies. Since the campaign launch, 92 percent of garden centers have seen an increase in demand for pollinator-friendly plants and services and 86 percent are offering more pollinator-friendly plants, services and education.

Thanks to the MPGC’s co-founding organizations, the NGPN more than doubled to more than 50 conservation, garden trade, garden club, and voluntary civic and federal partners.

The co-founders of the initiative include: AmericanHort; National Garden Bureau; National Wildlife Federation; Pollinator Partnership; American Public Gardens Association; National Gardening Association; American Seed Trade Association; and KidsGardening.org.

One million pollinator gardens is a good start — now it’s time to start on the second million.

To learn more, please visit millionpollinatorgardens.org.

— Tim