The Edge June/July/August 2026

THE NALP EXPERIENCE

Renewal & Remembrance Marks 30 Years of Honoring Heroes Through Horticulture By Jill Odom

RENEWAL & REMEMBRANCE, PRESENTED BY NALP AND powered by Hustler and DeWalt, has navigated everything from association mergers to a pandemic, yet throughout all these changes, the spirit of the event has always centered on giving back to those who made the greatest sacrifice.

will return years from now with their families to show them the garden where they volunteered,” Hildebolt told volunteers in 2009. “These children are learning what we already know — that by renewing the earth, we renew our souls.” In 2020, ANC was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, NALP was still able to coordinate with ANC to hold a small ceremony in Section 81 and plant a red oak tree donat ed by Country Spring Wholesale Nursery. The 25th Renewal & Remem brance marked the first time NALP members and staff gathered since the start of the pandemic. It also marked the expansion of the event with a second location at the Na tional Mall in partnership with the National Park Service. Every year following the 25th event, NALP has coordinated with NPS to beautify a secondary location, including spaces around the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Tidal Basin, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The NPS has been deeply grate ful for the help of NALP members in restoring and rejuvenating various memorials throughout the nation’s capital. While this volunteer event typically takes only half a day, the coordination required to prepare the service sites and gather the necessary materials and equipment calls for months of planning. Bill Benoit, Renewal & Remembrance chair and VP of sales and marketing

First held in February 1996, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America organized the inaugural Renewal & Remembrance. Hun dreds of professionals from across the country gathered at Arlington National Cemetery, where they spread mulch, pruned, planted, installed lightning protection for trees, and limed and aerated more than 200 acres of turf. Since then, this event has served as an opportunity for lawn and landscape professionals to gather and pay their respects to fallen service members by giving of their time and skills. The projects have ranged from spreading lime and fixing irrigation heads to installing hardscaping and planting shrubs and annuals. In 2005, PLCAA merged with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America to form the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), which later rebranded to NALP. Through this organizational change, Renew al & Remembrance carried on. The event resonates deeply with both veteran and non-vet eran industry members as it allows them to pay it forward. Bill Hildebolt, a late former PLANET president, said in a column that the event is ‘a tribute to the past and signified our continued commitment to honor the men and women to whom we owe our liberties and freedom.’ Renewal & Remembrance also features a children’s program where volunteers’kids can learn about the history and sacrifice associat ed with ANC while working on a project of their own. “Children who plant here today

with The Integra Group, says they meet in February with ANC and NPS to identify project locations. Once this is settled, they calcu late the manhours, materials and tools needed for the projects. After securing everything, deliveries begin over the next four to five days leading up to the event. Oftentimes, a core team conducts site prep several days in advance as well, so volunteers’time can be spent as efficiently as possible. None of Renewal & Remem brance could be accomplished without the volunteer efforts of industry professionals and the sup port of numerous partner brands. “We’re measured by our deeds, more than our words,”says Brandon Sheppard, a Weed Man franchisor in the Mid-Atlantic. “It’s the mem bers that make it happen. They travel long distances on their own dime, bringing many of their team with them. It’s a true portrayal of the sense of service and commit ment to making our communities and country a better place that the members of the professional landscape association have at their core.” This year’s Renewal and Remembrance is July 19-20, 2026. Registration for the 30th Renewal & Remembrance is open. TE

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