GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The UF/IFAS Extension and FDEP’s Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) program recently won two state awards and one national award for Extension program content and implementation.
The Florida Association of County Agriculture Agents (FACAA) honored the UF/IFAS GI-BMP program with two awards at the recent Extension Professional Associations of Florida’s state meeting in Naples. FACAA’s Communications award spotlighted the program’s online learning module and website interface. The Search for Excellence in Landscape Horticulture award recognized the development and implementation of an outstanding Extension education program.
“The success we have achieved for the GI-BMP program can only be attributed to teamwork”, said Esen Momol, state director for the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program, which oversees the GI-BMP program. “All the Extension agents, FDEP coordinators, and our industry partners statewide who have put in countless hours for curriculum development and instructing hundreds of training classes can feel a great deal of satisfaction in the recognition provided by these awards. Florida is truly better off for their efforts.”
In addition to the two state awards, Don Rainey, the state coordinator for the GI-BMP program, was recently awarded the award for Excellence in Landscape Horticulture at the national meeting of the National Association of County Agriculture Agents in South Dakota. As the national winner, Rainey was the keynote speaker at the Search for Excellence Awards Luncheon.
“It was quite a thrill for our Extension program to receive such national recognition,” Rainey said. “But, most importantly, it shows how our UF/IFAS programs are leading the way nationally in protecting our natural resources.”
As part of the UF/IFAS Extension and FDEP’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program, the GI-BMP program trains landscaping professionals in proper fertilization and irrigation practices that protect Florida’s water resources. To date, the program has trained more than 41,000 individuals using in-person and online classes given in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
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By: Beverly James, 352-273-3566, beverlymjames@ufl.edu
Source: Esen Momol, 352-273-4520, eam@ufl.edu
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