Sunday, March 8, 2009

MARYSVILLE OHIO HERE I COME


Early this morning, while I hope you were sleeping, I was at the Portland Airport finding out that my flight to Minneapolis had been considerably delayed. The plane took off four hours later than scheduled and now I'm in Minneapolis, waiting for a connection to Columbus, OH on what turns out to be an oversold flight.

No, you too?

So before I hit the newsstand and load up on M&M's for dinner, I thought I'd ask what you think of that best-known garden candy for plants with a sweet tooth, Miracle Gro. I'm also very curious what you think of the company's website.

I ask because I'm heading to their HQ in Marysville to do a little consulting re:Scotts' efforts to create an online community and serve up compelling content.

Neutrality's never been my strong suit so I let them know I had a prejudice against chemical fertilizers, but I'm pleased Scotts joined the party a few years back and launched an organic product line. For that alone I'm willing to offer my encouragement and support.

However, the company's not without ample skeletons; it owns Ortho. My own feeling is that thinking gardeners would like to see the company address these mutually exclusive pursuits rather than pretending they're not there. I'd be more willing to trust a product that came clean.

That's likely way beyond what I'll be asked to consult about, but I am curious if this issue speaks to you. If you're at all inclined to sound off on either the product or its presentation, I'm all ears.
at 4:06 PM

15 comments:

  1. Ketzel, I work for a company that sells Miracle-Gro (and lots of it), and although my paycheck can tip its hat to Scotts/MG , I also realize that this is a product that is completely uneccesary and maybe even detrimental.The soil of course, is everything. Having said that I also realize the power of marketing and that the average homeowner who dabbles in gardening has been having this product pitched to him/her for what, 30 years ? I think Scotts has a way to go to shed the mantle of toxicity- Ortho, Round-up etc all being benchmark brands. The serious home gardener (particularly here on the Left Coast) is trending away from the type of products made by Scotts. Perhaps they need to direct thier efforts toward edibles, and the less experienced gardener. ..maybe an interactive veggie garden design tool,targeted towards the growing desire for local produce, and the economys of 'home grown.'

    I could go on, but the Chardonnay beacons.

    Kathy in Napa
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  2. I was so angry at Scott's idiotic spots on NPR ("Be careful not to get our lawn fertilizer on your driveway because it might wash off into the waterways" like it won't wash off your lawn?) I wrote NPR. Who did not reply. Lawn chemicals seem to give pets lymphoma, and God only knows what they do to the birds who forage there. Eutrophication is killing the lakes. I am not even a very strident person but the whole lawn worship thing with x-tra chemicals makes me foam at the mouth. (You want to hear about how bad lawnmower engines are for the air?) I hope they give you lots of money and you betray them, big time.
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  3. To me once you've gathered up a bunch of ingredients, over-packaged, and shipped them across the country you are so far from any sense of what organic is all about that it just doesn't matter what the ingredients are. Anyway, I wouldn't trust Scott to really care about organic or sustainable gardening. It is possible that Scott could build this trust, but it would take more than a little greenwashing.

    I will continue to fertilize my lawn and garden only with compost that doesn't come from any farther away than I can carry it.
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  4. I remember as though it was yesterday, first opening the "garden room" door of a house we would eventually buy. In a row, lovingly lined up on four feet of shelving, there was: Ortho, Ortho, Ortho, Ortho...you get the picture. And the smell: that distinctive pyrethrum scent or what ever it is you always smell in the garden store.

    Coming from an 18-year organic garden background it was slightly scary and definitely sobering. At least I knew what I was dealing with. After two years of letting the soil of that garden lay fallow, and amending it, I'm ready to try some edibles this year.

    I have been known to use Miracle-Gro on my houseplants, though, so I guess organic is a tich better.
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  5. I'd be a lot more impressed if this mega-corp hadn't spent so much time and money trying to put tiny little innovative Terracycle (http://www.terracycle.net/ real organic worm poop fertilizer in reused packaging) out of business.

    http://www.sustainableisgood.com/blog/2007/04/scotts_miracleg.html

    I don't know which I found more offensive--the argument that Terracycle was confusing us poor consumers by using the colors green and yellow in their packaging or the argument that Terracycle was practicing false advertising when they argued that organic fertilizer was preferable to chemical.

    If they want us to take their organic products and claims to good citizenship seriously, they could start by taking our commitments seriously--and not treating their potential customers like idiots.

    Julie in Georgia
    {I wouldn't post as Anonymous if I could figure out how to do anything else.}
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  6. Scotts has a very long, long way to go before I feel I can trust any of their products.

    I do not believe it's wise, nor possible, to give up entirely on chemicals in our lives...some of them are critical to civilization's well being. But no amount of PR will ever convince me that Scotts' execs are anything but greedy people who are simply worried they will loose their market share and are hoping to seduce good folks by hiring good folk like you.

    If their hearts were in the right place, why don't they take MG off the market, for good, and spend millions on an entirely organic educational PR blitz on how to care for the soil which will, in turn, care for us?

    If I were you, I would look at the difficulties you've had getting to their headquarters as an effort from The Good Gods to prevent you from being sucked into the vortex of an evil empire.
    Just kidding.
    Sort of.
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  7. I agree with all of you -- about Ortho, about the Terracycle suit, and the difficulty trusting a multi-billion dollar company that can introduce a new line of organics while continuing to market a weed killer with 2,4-D.

    But after a long day in the belly of the beast, I am seeing more gray and less black and white. Yes the decision to move into organics only happened when consumer buying habits promised profitability; yes, the folks at the top are rich, white Republicans whose own carbon footprints belie any serious concern about the environment. But the reason organic products have been developed at all is because of people on staff who've been on the right side of the fight all along.

    Let's keep the conversation going while I consider whether I'm willing to step into this morass and risk toxic exposure.
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  8. Ketzel, I am grateful that you are willing to talk with The Beast, and that you've met good people on their staff. Good people must, or corps like Scotts will never change.

    My biggest concern is that Scotts simply uses anything and
    anyone to their advantage--not yours. It does not appear that they plan to stop their current strategy of raking in big bucks by selling a "good" product out of one hand while promoting "poison" out of the other.

    It's not clear what future job/relationship they may be courting you for. It sounds like maybe they are simply consulting with you for your thoughts/ideas at this point? If so, there seems no harm in taking their money and yes, the possibility of doing some real good.

    Two questions come to mind:
    Did they ever approach you when you were working for NPR, or are they taking advantage of your current economic need--seducing you with future promises to clean up their act?

    And, what will any sort of formal relationship with them do to your credibility with your audience? I don't want to see your reputation tainted by association with a corp that is still doing a lot of harm. To a lot of people, taking money from the devil to do good works is perceived as sleeping with the devil. Unfortunately, perception trumps reality far too often.

    In my opinion, if they truly are dedicated to a different approach to the market, let them show their hand, their commitment, first.

    Consulting with them and being up front and honest with them while earning a good few bucks is one thing--and one way for them to do penance, in my opinion.

    Again--Thank you for speaking your mind with them. I hope they paid you a big pile of cash.
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  9. OK Ketzel,

    No one else will say it but I will. . . Support their effort to go green and maybe they wont suck so much in the future. If everyone continues to throw rocks at them (with justification, mind you) they will just hunker down and never even make a show at organic products. But if they get motivated (that is exploit a market$$) awful Ortho will fade and Organic Choice will grow. You are a missionary going to share the good news. (Besides it could help pay for dog food)
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  10. Excellent comments, keep 'em coming. And please know I will under no circumstances compromise what I believe. They have a lot to account for, period. I'll stay transparent about the whole interaction as it unfolds.
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  11. I'm with Davey, Ketzel. If someone with your Street Cred helps them see that there is a market for Organic Choice, especially if the marketing effort convinces the mow, blow & go community to use more organic products, then it will be worth your time and effort.
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  12. Hi, I agree with Davey, too.

    Why not encourage them with Organic Choice, promoting decent sustainable potting mix (why not a bit of coir, for example), and any pro-sustainable things that they can do, that will appeal to today's market? I'm seeing interest in all things edible, currently, and no one who thinks about it is going to put any Orthene on something they're going to eat!

    Lisa
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  13. Ketzel,

    It was very nice meeting you and being able to show the type of products we are working on here. I busted my butt to get my Organic Choice Potting Mix trial out in time for you to see it so i was very happy to be able to talk to about it. Thanks again for traveling all the way to Ohio!

    Jordan
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  14. Jordan is one of those folks at Scotts who is on the right side of the fight!
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  15. I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.


    Margaret

    http://howtomakecompost.info
    ReplyDelete

Why be Anonymous? After all, I've showed you mine.

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