TURF INDUSTRY NEWS

“Greenery”—Pantone 2017 Color of the Year According to Pantone, “Greenery" is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first buds and grass blades of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate. Greenery is nature’s neutral. Te more submerged people are into modern life, the greater their innate craving to immerse themselves in the physical beauty and inherent unity of the natural world. Tis shift is reflected by the proliferation of all things expressive of Greenery in daily lives through urban planning, architecture, lifestyle and design choices globally. A constant on the periphery, Greenery is now being pulled to the forefront—it is an omnipresent hue around the world. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, states, “Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalize, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.” Pantone has created several color palettes to demonstrate how Greenery can work with different color pairings.

OPEI’s “LOOK BEFORE YOU PUMP” Campaign Gets Facelift Dealers & Manufacturers Remind Customers to Fuel Outdoor Power Equipment with Only E10 or less. Te Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) has updated its free consumer and dealer education materials for its “Look Before You Pump” campaign due to increased availability of higher ethanol fuel blends at gasoline filling stations. Gasoline containing greater than ten percent ethanol (E10) can be harmful to, and void the warranty of, outdoor power equipment, including lawn mowers, snow throwers, power washers, string trimmers, chain saws, and other small engine equipment such as boats, snowmobiles and utility vehicles. Te 2016 national polls by Nielson/Harris and OPEI showed consumers remain confused about the changing fuels marketplace. Less than one third—only 31 percent of poll respondents—knew that gasoline blends in excess of E10 are harmful to outdoor power equipment. Only five percent knew that gasoline blends in excess of E10 are not approved for use in small engines. Even more alarmingly, sixty percent of poll respondents assumed that any retail fuel is safe for any type of engine. As higher ethanol blends enter the fuel marketplace,

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consumers must remember to select gasoline based on the product’s specifications, and not just choose fuel based on price. With than 250 million pieces of outdoor power equipment currently in home garages, utility and maintenance sheds, and facility management stations, OPEI urges consumers to remain vigilant and always check their product manuals for proper fueling instructions. OPEI launched its “Look Before You Pump” campaign in 2013. More information can be found at http://opei.org/%20ethanolwarning/.

Overtime Rule Blocked, Block Appealed On November 22, a federal judge blocked the Department of Labor’s controversial new overtime rule from going into effect on December 1. U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant agreed with 21 states and a coalition of business groups that the rule is unlawful and granted a motion for a nationwide injunction. Te Labor Department has appealed to the New Orleans- based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Te Department asked for an expedited briefing, but that court has stymied the Obama administration before, blocking Obama’s executive actions on immigration in 2015. At press time, no ruling on the appeal has been made. Without the appeal being expedited it is unlikely any ruling would be made for several weeks to months. President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t said what he would do if the Overtime Rule were to go into effect, but had indicated earlier that he was against it. Employers should stick with whatever course of action they already decided to take at this point, whether they opted to wait and see what happens to the rule or to roll forward with changes for employee-morale reasons or other purposes.

TurfMutt Educational Contest Launched Tanks to an amazing rescue dog named Lucky, a.k.a. TurfMutt, a lucky teacher will win a trip to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) annual conference, an elementary school will win a $10,000 grant, and thousands of children in grades K-5 will learn science and how to take care of the environment. Lucky is the real-life rescue dog behind the cartoonized superhero, TurfMutt. Trough classroom materials developed with Scholastic, TurfMutt teaches students and teachers how to “save the planet, one yard at a time.” Entries are due January 23, 2017, and contest entry deadlines and rules are available at www.TurfMutt.com.

TPI Turf News January/February 2017