|
|
America
in Bloom: A growing
Idea! Our
Canadian office being a few blocks from the
Vancouver Convention and Cruiseship Centre's "Five
Sails" -- and head office being on New York's Fifth
Avenue near the Empire State Building, " we take
part in dozens of business, professional and travel
trade events each year. So, it's just natural that
we are introduced to many exciting new concepts.
One idea that won our hearts in recent years, began
in Hamilton, Ontario and is sweeping the world.
It's called "Communities in Bloom." Our Editor
Jerry W. Bird sang its
Annual "Bloom Ratings", from
2 to 4 Blooms, and the 5 Bloom Winners in each Size
and Class Category announced at The National Awards
Ceremony, was hosted by Saint John, New Brunswick.
The concurrent National Symposium on Parks and
Grounds, a Communities In Bloom initiative, offered
educational presentations and workshops on topics
of interest to participants. The Bloom and Garden Tours
of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Tourism
Commission and Tours Chantecler, combine the
worldwide interest in gardening with the growing
demand for travel to Canada. Four exciting and
educational Bloom and Garden Tour Itineraries
feature "Canada's Most Beautiful Sights", including
public, private, botanical gardens and natural
locations. Four and five Bloom CIB communities are
featured on the Bloom and Garden Tours. Winter Lights Celebrations,
CIB's newest program will be launched at the
National Awards Ceremony. Based on a similar
participation formula as the Communities In Bloom
program, judges will visit Winter Celebrations
across Canada and provide evaluations on the visual
presentations of creative lighting and adornments,
and community festivals and exhibits. Winners will
be announced at the National Capital Commission's
Winterlude Festival in Ottawa, in February
2002. America in
Bloom" has its own web site at
www.americainbloom.com Communities in Bloom is made
possible by the contribution of:Founding National
Sponsors: Green Cross, Nutrite, National Capital
Commission, Zaunscherb Marketing, Air Canada.
National Sponsors: Miracle Gro, Plant & Garden,
British Columbia Municipal Finance Authority,
Canada Blooms, Canadian Heritage, The Stinson
Family |
praises
to the Airport Authorities who distribute our
magazines and on occasions where he is guest
speaker. Seizing the moment, our publisher plans to
suggest "Africa in Bloom" to the African Tourism
Ministers in attendance at our Ecotourism Symposium
in Cameroon this May. We also see Communities in
Bloom as an ideal parallel program to the Worldwide
Peace Parks introduced at the 
From
news release:
The appeal of the
program is more than simply visual. As important as
this benefit is, CIB's real strength comes from the
social impact participation has in building a sense
of pride through community involvement. Whatever
the outcome of this friendly competition, these
benefits make Communities in Bloom a contest where
everyone truly is a winner. Qualified CIB Judges
visit and evaluate each entrant on its overall
tidiness, urban forestry, landscapes, floral
displays, turf areas, environmental effort,
heritage conservation and community involvement.
The judges value a high level of co-operative
effort by individuals, businesses, organizations,
institutions and the municipal government. Detailed
reports, and access to an information exchange
network with other participants creates a dynamic
and rewarding process for a community's continuing
improvement.