Marketing snapshot - Hortlink 2017, edition 1

This Hort Innovation Nursery Fund marketing snapshot has been taken from Hort Innovation’s Hortlink 2017, edition 1.

Marketing for the nursery industry is all about the 202020 Vision, the collaborative program to drive a 20 per cent increase in green space in urban areas by the year 2020. The program has a dedicated website, www.202020vision.com.au, which includes detailed information about the 202020 Vision and all resources produced under it for growers, green-space decision-makers, other collaborators and more.

In the last edition of Hortlink, it was revealed the 202020 Vision was a finalist in the highly-regarded Banksia Sustainability Awards, within the Sustainable Cities category. In December 2016, the 202020 Vision was announced as the winner. The Banksia Foundation raises the profile of sustainability issues facing Australia, and recognises those whose initiatives are an encouragement and an example for others to follow. The Sustainable Cities Award recognises the role of 202020 Vision in helping cities adapt, grow and thrive sustainably in a changing environment.

Other updates since the last edition of Hortlink include:

• Work is progressing towards the building of a new playground for Marrickville Public School in New South Wales, as part of the consumer-focusing 202020 Vision campaign. The school was the 2016 winner of the My Park Rules competition run by the 202020 Vision and long-term partner and advocate the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), raising the profile of the importance of parks and green play areas in local communities. Construction will begin in mid-April, with green space to replace existing asphalt and provide an inner-city refuge for students. View the school’s entry on the My Park Rules website here.

• A new resource – the 202020 Vision How to Green Your School Guide – will be released upon completion of the Marrickville Public School green space. The guide will be developed in partnership with AILA to help schools from all over Australia access more plants and trees.

• There is the continued distribution of the new and improved 202020 Vision e-newsletter, which launched in October last year. Sign up to the newsletter at the bottom of the 202020 Vision website. It includes a first-of-its-kinds ‘Ask Us’ service, via a Q&A section, and features green space project updates, the latest urban-green-space stories from around the world and more.

Throughout the 202020 Vision program, a number of how-to guides have been produced and continue to be available. They provide practical, easy-to-understand tips and processes to help get more plants and trees in the ground. For example, the How to Grow an Urban Forest workbook, released in 2015, remains a catalyst in getting local councils around Australia to implement Urban Forest Strategies that include canopy targets.

Building on the success of past guides, four new guides are soon to be released:

• How to Create a Community Action Plan
• How to Get Your Park Approved (in partnership with CoDesign Studio)
• How to Speak Engineer
• How to Get People There (in partnership with Place Partners).