In the early 1990s Dr. Steve George of Texas A&M, in response to the public and industry’s desire to make man-made landscapes more sustainable developed a program known as Earth Kind®. This program was to develop landscape management methods that included systems of improved soil fertility and structure, water retention and decease control without using conventional pesticides and fertilizers. In addition to this a palette of regionally adaptable sustainable plants was to be identified for use by home owners and landscape professionals for use in the landscape. These plants, after extensive successful trialing, would be designated Earth-Kind® and this would become the label that consumers would look for when purchasing landscape plants.