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INDUSTRY NEWS 8 September 2016 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com TurfMutt, the outdoor education and environmental stewardship program led by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's (OPEI) Research and Education Foundation, has signed an agreement for a second season with the Emmy-award-winning "Lucky Dog" television show on CBS, and is expanding its relationship with global children's media and education publisher, Scholastic. The new episodes of "Lucky Dog" will feature TurfMutt messages for viewers about how to create a quality, living landscape and outdoor space for the health and well being of families and their pets. In a recent Nielsen Harris poll, 67 percent of women and 54 percent of men said that they were interested in learning about how a yard provides a safe place for families to gather and for children and pets to play. The "Lucky Dog" show airs on Saturday mornings as part of the "CBS Dream Team, It's Epic" block of programming and is produced by Litton Entertainment. Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI, the creative force behind TurfMutt, said, "This expansion is a natural outgrowth of the TurfMutt program, and we know these expanded partnerships will help us reach even more people. "The national TurfMutt program has raised awareness about the importance of living landscapes and our yards to commu- nities and families for the last seven years. The program has reached more than 62 mil- lion children, educators and families since 2009, showing them how they can 'save the planet, one yard at a time.'" As part of the program's outreach, each year TurfMutt awards grants to schools to use for "greening" up the school environment, contribute to an outdoor classroom, or fund another environmental endeavor of the school's choosing. Other new program developments include an expanded www. TurfMutt.com site, a new digital storybook, and fresh educational activities for the 2016-17 school year. TurfMutt is an offi cial sponsor of the national 2016 Fido Friendly Route 66 Pet Adoption Tour in September. TurfMutt's guardian, Kiser, will attend along with "Lucky Dog" host Brandon McMillan. Kiser, an ardent supporter of animal rescue and adoption, added, "Our pets are an important part of our lives, and who better to be an ambassador for the value of green spaces than a dog?" Saluting Branches expands for 2016 Following the success of the inaugural Saluting Branches, the event is expanding to more locations throughout the United States. This year, the Saluting Branches: Arborists United for Veteran Remembrance national day of service is on September 21, 2016. The event will be held at 36 cemetery sites in 27 different states. This is an increase of 25 percent over last year in the number of veteran cemeteries that will receive free tree pruning, removals, and tree health care services from volunteer professionals. The majority of this growth occurred from the arborist community stepping up and wanting to take on a Saluting Branches event at a site near and meaningful to them. The fi rst Saluting Branches event was held in 2015, and, by all accounts, the event was a success. Arborists and tree care professionals throughout the country joined together to honor our veterans, bringing together more than 1,100 volunteers from 226 different companies to provide an estimated $1 million in donated services by pruning, removing, inventorying and planting trees. The impact to our nation's veteran cemeteries will have a profound and lasting effect. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration, the contribution from arborists was one of the largest charitable donations the organization had ever received. Saluting Branches was conceived by Twin Cities-based Rainbow Treecare as a way for arborists to come together and give back to our veteran community. The idea took more than three years of planning, organizing, and partnering with the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration to make it a reality. The vision is to grow Saluting Branches into a self-sustaining charity that is owned and embraced by the green industry. In 2016, Saluting Branches became a 501C(3) non-profi t organization, allowing tax-deductible donations from sponsors. Learn more about site locations, volunteering, and sponsorship opportu- nities at www.SalutingBranches.org TurfMutt signs for second season with CBS TV show