Provide Financial Relief to Landscaping Companies who Participate in No Mow May!
Background:
This movement now known as “NO MOW MAY” — launched out of the UK circa 2019, before the pandemic and “I Want to Mow Your Lawn” wasn’t a thing — and back then I was only doing my own lawn every couple of weeks. I was not in touch with the landscaping world — as I am now. It took me a little bit to absorb the idea and think it through — ultimately, I think it’s a great ‘idea’. But there’s a lot of moving parts to truly make it a regular, global mainstream success. Most important element is effective COMMUNICATION across many stakeholders for proper execution. Everyone has to be on the same page and buy into the concept.
Parties include: Cities / Townships, States and Federal Government Level Officials, Country Representatives where Lawn Mowing Occurs, Residences & Businesses with Landscaping Contracts, Homeowners without Landscaping Contracts i.e. those who do their own yards or not at all, Equipment Companies, Dealers and Distributors, Landscaping Companies, and even Realtors!
We’re in a unique position as a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization designed to help others in need with FREE LAWN MOWING — I understand we have a platform and a responsibility to serve a greater good. And if that means taking a stance (at the very least) to create deeper conversations — then I am all for it.
Can one month of not mowing could really have a substantial affect on the bee population?
Based on the data made available for public consumption, if there is a collective effort across all parties involved (listed above) including municipalities, state lines and even countries – there can absolutely be a substantial effect on the bee population, I’m talking J Curve swarms of bees. Nevertheless, not using gas-powered lawn mowers for just a month, of course gives people’s wallets a break and the ozone a break from all those fumes. In a similar fashion, thinking back to the time we were all in lockdown in 2020 — I recall seeing confirmed reports about how that temporary pause of everyday life inadvertently had a positive impact on the environment and overall air quality.
Would landscaping companies drastically lose revenue during this time?
Yes and no. I have utmost respect for landscaping companies who rely on lawn mowing as a primary revenue generator. But there’s so many other services out there in the green space — and to my understanding, “NO MOW MAY” just means you refrain from literally mowing for one month — whereas planting or hardscape work are still ‘fair game’.
These people have families to provide for and bills to pay. They can’t just go into lockdown and agree to not cut grass for their clients without some stipend in place (and communication across the board) — especially if one is living paycheck to paycheck or contract to contract.
Thinking out loud — One measure landscaping companies can take is adding a check-mark box into their contracts asking clients if they’d like to contribute towards the movement of NO MOW MAY in turn for some extended commitments on their contracts or other nifty concept that makes sense financially for the landscapers.
And if they do agree to partake in such an initiative, perhaps put up official yard signs with their company logos (free advertising) and images of bees — which proactively explains to the town and neighbors about the participation. And maybe inspire others to do the same.
Furthermore, I took a page out of Doctor Strange’s book. I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict. Fourteen million, six hundred and five — to be exact. The ONLY way to make this initiative work for all parties — is to have a program that pays licensed landscapers and companies, who meet certain criteria regarding lawn mowing, a fixed income during the month of MAY.
To help kickstart and execute, I put together a petition on behalf of our organization — “Fund Landscape Contractors during “No Mow May”. At least to get a conversation started. By having such a program in place — that will trickle down to the rest of the dependencies.
In some areas, lawn mowing is an evergreen year-round industry therefore we’d be giving some relief as well to these hard working pro’s to spend time at home (or just a little less on the road) while earning supplemental income for playing a part and of course, bee populations will improve!
Lastly, lets not forget about the equipment makers and dealers who may experience a drop in sales if the majority buy-in and participate in this movement — perhaps they flip the script and actually bank on the idea and get some positive press relations of their own by offering exclusive discounts during the month of “NO MOW MAY” but agree to not have equipment delivered or picked-up until June 1 !
Could it be a welcomed break to get other, more profitable landscaping tasks done?
I can’t speak for the profitable side of things being a non-profit organization but I wouldn’t mind the downtime — during one of the busiest times of the year, fielding inquiries all across the USA. But again it comes down to the overall communication and education about this program.
Better late than never! Consider this to be our official 2 week notice here on Turf Magazine, starting mid-May we are going to transition into a “NO MOW MAY” mode (err #MOWED ) to help build on this #MOWmentum. That doesn’t mean we’re shutting operations entirely, we’re taking pre-orders for June 1!
Clients and their caretakers can sign-up on our website at:
Have 3 very part-time people working with me on the org on the back-end — managing both client relations and volunteer coordinating.
Whereas charitable landscapers can register here to help out 2nd half of the year:
https://iwanttomowyourlawn.com/volunteer-sign-up/
Like boy scouts, Landscaping companies can elect to display senior and/or military veteran badges on their profile with us and even display 25%-50% or ‘name your price’ labels for incremental revenues.
Is it tougher to then mow a lawn that’s been let-go for a month?
Without question, however, the taller grass cutting is something we’re already used to considering the people we help generally don’t have the financial or physical means to tend to their yards regularly. Those who experience overgrowth due to lack of lawn care might even be harassed by their towns for overgrowth and receive fines. In my experience, it makes their neighbors upset too . That’s why our organization exists – to provide relief stemming from these issues and contributes to the overall well-being of the neighborhood.
Being that we’re a registered charity which relies on outside donations and NOT a regular landscaping company with contracts, it’s hard to make regular commitments but we do our best to help others. Sometimes clients’ yards go for a month plus and it’s not the end of the world. These people (including their neighbors) are just appreciative for taking one thing off their plate!
IF towns can give any form of slack during the month of May because of this movement – and the program can officially be communicated from top officials so that neighbors are also made aware of why a month of no mowing next door – then this can be a sustainable success.
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