Every Thanksgiving, we sit down to enjoy time with our family and share a wonderful bounty of food. All that entertaining and preparing not to mention the clean up, requires a tremendous amount of water. This year, let’s take a minute to think about how grateful we are for the water we have. Thanksgiving Dinner From Farm To Table It’s estimated that producing a typical Thanksgiving meal for six – from farm to table to clean-up – requires more than 30,000... MORE >
H2Otel Challenge is a new EPA WaterSense program that reduces water use and saves money. Want proof? Ask Caesar’s Entertainment who was the first hotel group to sign up for the program or The Resort at Pelican Hill Newport Beach who reduced their outdoor water use by 37% and saved $75,000 on their water bill in a year. As the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio, Texas; San Francisco’s Parc 55 Union Square Hotel and the Holiday Inn San Antonio International... MORE >
For years the Dallas/Fort Worth market has been on the forefront of seeding ryegrass into dormant turf for the winter. Why seed ryegrass you ask? (Ok, so you didn’t ask…but I’ll tell you anyway) Well, in this market the warm season turf, predominately Bermuda and St. Augustine, goes dormant in the winter, leaving the turf naturally brown. Years ago someone came up the idea of sowing ryegrass (a cool season turf) into dormant, warm-season lawns. Magically, the brown grass became... MORE >
This week, March 12th thru 18th marks the EPA’s 4th annual Fix a Leak Week and as landscape irrigation professionals there are many things we can do to educate our customers to increase their awareness of the importance of fixing leaks. According to EPA Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, “Across the country, household leaks add up to more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually. The amount we’re losing could supply Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami for a full year. We’re... MORE >
BACKGROUND The scenic canyon location of this Santa Ynez community is a major draw for residents who enjoy views from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. But the hillside slopes surrounding the community proved problematic for the homeowners’ association. Faced with an aging irrigation system prone to breaking, the board decided to take action to prevent costly water loss from ruptures and to address serious soil erosion problems threatening homes. Project Scope Santa Ynez Homeowners’ Association was experiencing... MORE >
There was a tremendous amount of activity at last week’s WaterSmart Innovations Conference . I counted 43 exhibitors, and attendance exceeded 800 people from 33 states and 9 countries. More importantly, I felt the attendees were serious about managing water more efficiently and the conversations were interesting and meaningful. This was definitely the right crowd wanting to make a difference in water management. One of the best conversation I had was with Charles Fishman over coffee one morning. Charles is... MORE >
This year’s WaterSmart Conference is just a couple weeks away. Seminars that are particularly of interest to me include, Valuing Water and Landscape in the Urban West, presented by Lori Catalano University of Colorado Dept of Landscape Architecture and Paul W. Lander Am. Soc. of L. Arch: Chair, Water Conservation Professional Network, The Benefits of Water Budgeting and Why It is an Efficient Method of Reducing Outdoor Water Usage presented by Peter Estournes [California Landscape Contractors Association] and Community Based... MORE >
The EPA is making history by labeling homes “Water Efficient” under the WaterSense program. The impact of the program on home prices will be positive. Water saving should be substantial, and homeowners will save money on water. On December 10, 2009 the EPA’s WaterSense program created final specifications for home builders to have their homes labeled as “water-efficient” under the WaterSense program. The Congressional authorization for WaterSense is about to be introduced in the Senate and House. Overall it is... MORE >
