Northern Green: Innovation, Connection, Environmentalism

The Northern Green Industry Conference is an event we at Irrigation by Design look forward to attending every year. It is one of the largest gatherings of Green Industry professionals in the area and boasts an attendance in the thousands. Northern Green is a collaborative effort to bring industry professionals the most up to date information on new technology and to provide the best service and tactics to combat environmental issues facing our native Minnesota landscape.

The MNLA, formed in 1925 as the Minnesota State Nurseryman’s Association, began hosting this green industry gathering over 40 years ago. It started out as a group of landscape irrigation professionals, arborists, and commercial flower growers. Since then, it has expanded to include golf course specialists, municipal parks professionals, and many more.

Showing a dedication to education by providing a forum to share ideas and discoveries, each year the Northern Green hosts high school and college field trips through science programs that want to learn more about our landscape. The MNLA Foundation also offers scholarships to students each year who have chosen the nursery and landscape industry as their career choice, recognizing winners at the awards celebration held at the Northern Green. 31 scholars total in the year 2019-2020 were awarded $1,000 individual college scholarships and $500 individual high school scholarships.

Our team, from our Landscape and Irrigation Professionals, to our Designers and Account Managers attended the conference this January 14^th-16^th and came back with new environmental knowledge, connections, and ideas for innovation. This year we enjoyed topics such as keeping on top of invasive species, the changing climate and its impact on our native plant life, and the use of advanced technology (and old-fashioned remedies) in improving landscapes. It is a continuing education opportunity we take advantage of to keep us current on best practices in the Green Industry, helping us to provide the best possible informed service for your outdoor living environment. Click here to see how we help you save money and water!