Divot Mix

My favourite shots are the practice swing and the conceded putt. The rest can never be mastered. -- Lord Robertson

Rooftop greenbelt planned in China

Just about everyone recognizes the benefits of greenbelts to urban environments, from their effect on humans, to their effect on air quality. But what about those cities that have no room for green belts?

Now, according to Reuters News Service, downtown Beijing, China is going sprout grass on its rooftops. The story, which appeared online on the Environmental News Network, says that in an effort to clean up the air in time for the 2008 Olympics, the city's parks and woods bureau has already planted 10,000 square meters of grass on rooftops. It hopes to plant another 100,000 square meters in 2005.

The bureau expects that 40 percent of the city's high rises and 60 percent of its lower buildings will have grass on the roofs by 2008. For more visit http://www.enn.com/today.asp?id=6896

GCSAA plans relief effort

GCSAA has announced that it will make a donation to both those affected by the devastating storms in Florida this past fall and the victims of Southeast Asia tsunami.

The association will present a check to officials while in Orlando for the GCSAA Education Conference and the Golf Industry Show.

In addition, the association will collect donations in the GIS Registration Center during the week of Conference and Show.

GCSAA will match those contributions and then forward the funds to the U.S. Golf Tsunami Relief Fund. This is a collaborative effort of the major golf associations to address the needs of the regions affected by the natural disaster. For more on the U.S. Golf Tsunami Relief Fund, visit http://www.pgatour.com/info/company/story/8085942 .

Members can offer questions for Nicklaus

When GCSAA's Old Tom Morris Award winner Jack Nicklaus is honored during the Opening Session at next month's Golf Industry Show, The Golf Channel will be on hand to broadcast a Q and A session interview with the golf legend.

GCSAA members have an opportunity to provide questions to The Golf Channel for the program. To submit a question for consideration, contact Jeff Bollig, GCSAA director of communications, at (800) 472-7878, ext. 4430, mailto:jbollig@gcsaa.org .

Green industry companies join relief effort

A number of companies and organizations who market products to the green industry have announced plans to contribute to the tsunami relief effort. Among them are John Deere, Toro, Textron, Caterpillar, Syngenta, BASF, Bayer, JCB and Dow

Textron Inc. has announced that it will donate up to $750,000 to assist with the relief efforts, including an initial contribution of $250,000 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund's tsunami relief efforts, and a $250,000 grant for a dollar-for-dollar match of employee contributions to the organization.

"On behalf of Textron employees worldwide, our heartfelt sympathies go out to all who have been affected by this devastating tragedy," said Lewis B. Campbell, Textron chairman, president and CEO. The effort accompanies a variety of local efforts initiated by Textron businesses and facilities worldwide in support of tsunami relief in affected regions.

The Toro Co. is encouraging its employees to contribute to this effort with monetary donations. All contributions received will be matched dollar-for-dollar by The Toro Foundation to a maximum of $100,000. The donations will be directed to the American Red Cross and International Red Cross/Red Crescent.

"We hope to help meet immediate and long-term needs of those affected in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Malaysia and Maldives," said Ken Melrose, chairman and CEO. "The employees of Toro will work together to help make a difference to all who have been shattered by this tragedy."

In addition to monetary donations, Toro's employees and channel partners in the region are working to identify additional opportunities to provide assistance, products and support in the international restoration effort over the coming months. The company says its distributors and dealers in Sri Lanka and Thailand were spared from the devastation of the tsunamis.

The Caterpillar Foundation is committing $1 million to ongoing relief and recovery efforts in the region.  Donations to relief efforts by Caterpillar employees, retirees, Caterpillar directors and employees of Caterpillar dealers will be matched by Caterpillar up to $2,000 per person.

The contribution from the foundation will be divided between The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Oxfam, and The Salvation Army.

In the immediate aftermath, Caterpillar dealers in the region have made equipment, personnel and other resources available to aid in recovery and cleanup efforts.  At the corporate level, Caterpillar is working with dealers to make additional equipment available to government agencies and non-governmental agencies. According to the company, all Caterpillar employees and their families, and dealer employees in the region have been accounted for, and no casualties have been reported.

The John Deere Foundation will provide $1 million to support ongoing relief and restoration efforts. Foundation officials said the money will be provided for international relief efforts through the American Red Cross, efforts that are expected to be ongoing for many months.

"This disaster has touched all of us deeply as individuals," said Robert W. Lane, chairman and CEO. "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by this unimaginable disaster." Lane serves as vice president and a director of the John Deere Foundation.

Company officials said that its business operations and employees in India - a joint venture manufacturing facility in Pune - were not impacted by the earthquake and tsunami.

Syngenta is initially donating a total of $100,000 to aid agencies in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In addition, the company will provide 10,000 safety kits with gloves and masks for the Red Cross and specific insecticides to reduce the risk of dengue fever spreading in affected regions. It will also work together with regional and international agencies to contribute to additional aid initiatives and programs.

JCB, the UK-based maker of loaders and excavators, is donating $1 million worth of machines to help in the clear up operation in the Asian earthquake disaster zone. The company has a U.S headquarters in Savannah, Ga.

JCB machines are now being made available through JCB India and also through dealers in the devastated region. Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford said: “As we've watched the devastation in the region unfold, it is quite obvious that immediate assistance is needed to help in the aftermath of this disaster.

“JCB will make available as many machines as we can to help to help in the clear up efforts. If it takes more than $1 million, we stand ready to help."

BASF Aktiengesellschaft has agreed to provide €1 million in immediate aid.

In addition, employees donations throughout the BASF Group worldwide will be matched through Jan. 31, 2005.

In a joint letter from the Board of Executive Directors, the Works Council and the Committee of Executive Representatives, BASF employees are called upon to contribute to the appeal. “The damage resulting from this once-in-a-century disaster is unimaginable. It is our utmost concern to help the people in need. Therefore, we call on all our workers to make a donation,” said BASF Chairman Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht."

BASF has sites in the affected countries, but none directly in the affected areas.

The Bayer Group is continuing to assist, with donations of cash and medicines totaling about €10 million.

Following initial spontaneous donations to the value of some €500,000 already made at the end of December, Bayer is now helping to meet the relief organizations' need for medicines to treat flood victims and aid workers.

Bayer HealthCare is sending antibiotics, pain relievers and cardiovascular drugs to treat people in the stricken areas, and Bayer CropScience is supplying products to combat the insects that spread diarrhea, malaria and other hemorrhagic fevers.

Bayer employs some 5,700 people in India, Indonesia and Thailand, which are among the most severely affected countries. They, too, are helping their fellow-citizens by donating money, technical assistance and clothing and by assisting directly with relief operations in the devastated areas.

The Dow Chemical Co. will contribute $5 million to the relief efforts including $1 million to the Red Cross and $1 million to match employee contributions. The remainder will be given in products, technology and funds for restoration.

The company says it will work with governments, agencies and other interested parties in the affected areas to determine how best to provide support.

Andrew Liveris, president and CEO, said: "As we've all seen, the reports and images from the tsunami-stricken regions in Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent are at once incomprehensible and heart-breaking.  At times like these, we all struggle to come up with meaningful ways to contribute and help those who have lost so much."

No Dow operations were directly impacted by the tsunamis.