The Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association, New Prague, Minnesota, and Project EverGreen, Mentor, Ohio, named Darren Gruner, founder and CEO of Turf’s Up Radio, as the recipient of the 2022 TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year Award.
The award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding communications efforts regarding publicly managed green space and environmental issues, was presented during this year’s TOCA Annual Conference in Kansas City. Gruner is the 23rd recipient of the award.
Gruner, who is also the principal at Totalscape Design in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been involved in the landscape industry since high school when he launched a lawn mowing service.
In 2010, the New Jersey native started doing podcasts and guest hosting on local stations and satellite radio to help elevate and educate the green industry.
In 2019, Gruner combined podcasting with live 24/7 radio and broad internet exposure to launch Turf’s Up Radio, a platform accessible to green industry professionals and consumers across the globe. Turf’s Up Radio offers a variety of live programming and podcasts covering everything from tips on financial management and sales to industry news and plant health. The network currently has 50,000 monthly listeners.
“We wanted to create a forum where the industry can come together and exchange information, share ideas and connect through their love for the outdoors and all the benefits it provides,” says Gruner. “The green industry is a terrific place to make a living and have a positive impact on the environment and people’s lives, and Project EverGreen has given me the opportunity to give back to communities in need of professional volunteerism.”
Gruner is an active volunteer with Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Communities initiative. He has put his talents to work on urban green space renovations projects in New York City, New Jersey, Florida and Michigan.
“Darren is a gifted communicator whose natural curiosity and demeanor brings out the best in his guests and listeners on Turf’s Up Radio,” says Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “With regular radio shows on running a business profitably, to in-the-field tips to industry trends and innovations, the impact of the information presented day in, and day out is priceless. Through his volunteer community work, he’s been instrumental in sharing with gardeners and consumers the know-how needed to maintain a healthy green space.”
Read more about Project EverGreen.
