By Marvin Miller, AIB President
I have often written my column for the March AIB e-newsletter close to the first day of spring, and this March is no different. For this issue, I often find myself waxing about the birds and the bees, the relative warmth after a cold, snowy winter, or the first blooms of spring. Having seen the first crocus blossoms of this spring just this afternoon, I find myself fighting the urge to do the same this time. Yet, instead, I feel the need to write about my hopes for next spring.

On a flight earlier last wek, I engaged the young woman seated next to me, asking her what drew her to buy the Better Homes and Gardens magazine she was reading. I wanted to know whether it was the cover photo, a particular article highlighted on the cover, a regular read, or something else. She replied she was an art teacher and she wanted the magazine to help with an art project, as it would provide fodder for the collages a friend was making for a fundraising project. She was reading the magazine first, but ultimately the pages would be chopped into smaller pieces and used for art. Intrigued about her classroom instruction, I asked her where she taught, what grades she taught, her favorite types of art, and the preferences of her students. I asked her if she ever used real gardens for her art subjects. When she said, “No, but that’s funny, because I love gardens and gardening,” I found my opening.

I explained that gardens and schools should go hand-in-hand, because there were numerous research studies suggesting that students exposed to green spaces did better in school. I explained that it had been shown that students were more focused on their studies, less distracted, more creative, and achieved higher grades when exposed to green spaces as part of their school day. Students also were more sociable, less prone to arguments, fights, or violence, and more “well adjusted” when exposed to these environments on a regular basis.

The art teacher and fellow passenger seemed quite intrigued with what I was saying. So, I explained America in Bloom to her. I invited her to visit our AIB web site to learn more and to also see the citations of research findings found on the site’s resource pages. I gave her an AIB card with the web site address on it. And I asked whether she knew the right people to help make AIB a reality for her city. She responded that if she didn’t know them directly, she had their children in her art classes. I asked her to picture what it might be like to have her school building transported to the middle of a garden, to have horticulture incorporated into her art curriculum, as well as into the reading, math and science curricula at her school, and into the curricula of all of the schools in her town. And I asked her to consider this educational opportunity as part of a larger community-wide effort. She responded, “You certainly have planted a seed.”

Quite ironically, the very next morning, after returning to the office after a week of travels, I had a message to return a call. I ended up repeating almost the identical conversation. A greenhouse grower was looking for information to help prepare his community for the 2012 AIB effort he was helping to organize. And this is not the first community of which I am aware with intentions to participate in our AIB contest in 2012.

I ask you all to help plant similar seeds for our AIB future. Along the way to helping to plant pride, stop to smell the flowers that this spring offers. They will be beautiful in many, many ways.