Among the insights the TruGreen survey uncovered regarding how Americans think about outdoor activities include:

• Bring Back the Neighborhood Games: More than 80% of parents surveyed wish their children had more opportunities to play games with neighborhood kids the way they did growing up. And this desire to play games doesn’t go away as we grow up with more than 6 in 10 Americans saying they’d like to get together with neighbors for community-centric games and events.
• Getting Playful in the Midwest: According to the TruGreen survey, Americans living in the Midwest are 35% more likely to play lawn games than those in the Northeast, the region that came in last.
• Can You Come Outside to Play?:  As previously reported, TruGreen’s research found that Americans overwhelmingly seem to favor outdoor play as 92% of those surveyed said it’s important for children to replace video game/internet time with time outside. Bringing the gaming fun into your yard could be a great way to lure kids away from the screens and into the grass.

In its survey, TruGreen learned that about 50 percent of Americans currently play games or host activities in their yards. However, considering in the same survey two-thirds said their fondest family memories involve spending time together with friends and family in their yard, TruGreen believes we can do better and is offering inspiration to help more Americans get outside and create modern memories.

Tips to “Gamify” Your Yard
Turning your yard into a game haven can be as simple as pulling out the Frisbee or as intricate as setting up a multistage obstacle course. Either way, having fun outside doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your lawn. In fact, spending time running across your turf can help you find areas that might need extra attention. Here are a few suggestions for enjoying your yard this summer while also keeping it beautiful.

• Get Crafty: Personalized DIY game creation is gaining in popularity with plenty of inspiration online. You can be the first on your block to bring the color to the cookout with an easy-to-make backyard bowling set. By using empty soda or juice bottles, a little water and a soccer ball you’ll have a creative and fun yard activity. Watch the video for the five easy steps.
• Lawn tip: As you’re getting crafty outside, if you happen to spill paint on the grass, make sure to rinse it off before it seeps into the soil or covers the leaf blade preventing it from getting nutrition from the sun.

• Get Competitive: From cornhole to volleyball, team-based games can foster fun and friendly competition among family, friends and neighbors. According to the TruGreen national survey, both these games are among the top ten that Americans love to play, but the game Americans played the most as children was kickball. Bring back the nostalgia and break out the homemade scoreboards at the next block party with a six inning match of this beloved ball game.
• Lawn tip: All that running around and sliding into home base when playing kickball can cause overuse in some areas. Keep an eye on those spots and make note to potentially re-seed come spring.

• Get Drenched: With water-based activities being America’s favorite kind of yard games, we need to make sure the hose gets rolled out this summer. From slippery slides to water balloon toss to running through the sprinkler, create a “wet-zone” in your backyard dedicated to splish-splashing fun!
• Lawn tip: If this area tends to get saturated with a lot of water, adjust your watering schedule and irrigation pattern to avoid this area.

“TruGreen believes more life should be lived outside, and the foundation to a life lived outside is a beautiful lawn,” said TruGreen President and CEO David Alexander. “Thick, healthy grass is an essential backdrop to spending time with family and friends. It was great to see how much fun Americans have with their yard games, and we want to help make sure that America makes time to get outside and play this summer.”

For more tips to Gamify Your Backyard while keeping it beautiful, check out TruGreen’s helpful infographic or visit Pinterest.com/TruGreen.

TruGreen is hosting a #LiveLifeOustide photo sweepstakes all summer long. Share your backyard gaming moments with TruGreen and you could enter to win weekly prizes including lawn games, TruGreen service, tickets to the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI and a consultation with TruGreen spokesperson, Jason Cameron.

Survey Methodology
**TruGreen’s National Live Life Outside Survey was fielded from January 28 - February 2, 2015, using the field services of Research Now. The online survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 18-64 (n=2,000), with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About TruGreen
Memphis, Tenn.-based TruGreen is the nation’s largest lawn care company, serving more than 1.8 million residential and commercial customers across the United States with lawn, tree and shrub care. TruGreen believes more life should be lived outside and is committed to providing a beautiful lawn to serve as the foundation for outside experiences and lifelong memories. As the leader in the professional lawn care industry, TruGreen helps define responsible lawn care practices, conducts industry-leading education and training for our people, pioneers new application technologies and educates our customers on proper mowing and wise-use watering techniques. Today, there are approximately 210 TruGreen lawn care branches in the United States and Canada, plus about 35 franchise locations. Go to http://www.TruGreen.com or http://www.facebook.com/TruGreen for more information about TruGreen.

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Contacts:
Amy Simpson, TruGreen
901.597.8309
[email protected]

Danielle Sullivan & Erin Del Llano, MSLGROUP
781-684-0770
[email protected]