ASHS 2024 Conference

The UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM (FFL) Program is Florida's premier Extension program for ecologically sustainable, science-based landscape practices that conserve water, protect water quality, and promote biodiversity. Since 1993, the FFL program has promoted water resource protection through both water conservation (water savings) and reducing non-point source pollutants (fertilizer nitrogen and phosphorus; pesticides) that may otherwise be carried into the state’s water bodies via runoff and/or leaching into groundwater. Despite longstanding promotion of FFL through Florida’s 67 county Extension offices, most Florida residents remain unaware of the program and its benefits. To promote public awareness of FFL, the program has undertaken a variety of marketing initiatives involving radio, television, social media, webinars, and online educational opportunities. On the radio, FFL produced a series of one-minute-long spots providing sustainable gardening tips. Called Florida-Friendly Landscaping in a Minute, the episodes aired twice each weekday on two NPR stations covering 19 northeast Florida counties. The daily listening audience was estimated at 4,600 for each airing, with 2.4 million total listeners each year. Webpage links to additional information back-up each episode. A wider audience was reached through the subsequent production of the Flip My Florida Yard television series. Produced in partnership with Crawford Entertainment with funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, each 30-minute episode chronicles the complete makeover, or flip, of a homeowner’s typical Florida landscape into a more sustainable Florida-friendly landscape. All accomplished in eight hours, each episode features local designers and contractors and the local Extension agent, as well as a Maintenance Moment tip and a Yard Science segment featuring experts from UF/IFAS and other state entities. New shows air statewide on PBS and past episodes are streamed online. The program received a regional Emmy award in 2023. Flip My Florida Yard has been viewed more than 9.9 million times in the past year. FFL also recently hired a social media manager to increase FFL’s visibility on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and Linked-In. FFL’s social media reach is now growing exponentially. FFL also offers monthly webinars for both commercial and homeowner audiences. These webinars are archived to the FFL website and have accounted for more than 38,000 live and recorded views in the past year. Finally, the program has developed numerous online trainings and certification programs to help reach audiences at their convenience. As FFL begins its 32nd year, these marketing initiatives are helping it grow and reach new audiences.