The last decade has demonstrated a tremendous increase in water savings with indoor conservation measures, including low-flow toilets and faucets and high-efficiency appliances such as washing machines. As population growth in urban areas continues to explode and water delivery systems and infrastructure can’t keep up with this rapid expansion, our mission is clear: It’s time to step up our game and focus on new opportunities.
You’ve heard the statistic repeatedly: Over 50% of water used in a residence can be attributed to outdoor use. Our society loves its landscapes! It’s no secret when it comes to water conservation that the new opportunity rests in the outdoor landscape environment.
Mandatory watering restrictions, turf buy-back programs, state legislation, and local ordinances are becoming more mainstream, and the debate among politicians, government officials, water purveyors, conservationists, farmers, industry, private citizens, developers, manufacturers, and distributors—to name a few—is forcing them to spend a great deal of time, energy, and resources attempting to digest and take strides toward resolving this paramount issue in their own backyards.
Is there a simple solution? The uncomplicated answer is no. Unfortunately, the proper management and conservation of this most precious resource is not a black or white issue but one that is fraught with shades of gray.
Maintaining a water-efficient landscape is more complex than someone not intimately acquainted with the vast array of variables might realize; water-pressure variances, soil characteristics, weather, elevation changes, evaporation rates, and plant material are just a few of many considerations that must be taken into account when designing, installing, and maintaining an irrigation system. Complexity, however, does not equate to impossibility for the designer, installer, or end user.
The Four Keys to Success
Continued advancements in technology, cooperation, education, and communication are essential to our future success—and actions speak louder than words. We must continually evaluate our environment, resource availability, use patterns, and technology and modify our focus and behavior accordingly.
We must not only accept responsibility but also embrace the opportunity to cultivate new relationships, strengthen existing partnerships, and remember our ultimate mission: Education is the key to our success, and the opportunity for our industry to shine is upon us.
Manufacturers are answering the call to action with new technology, such as weather-based irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensors, high-uniformity sprinklers, and low-volume irrigation. Many distributors are embracing this technology and proactively working with vendors and water purveyors to develop rebate programs and other incentives for contractors and end users. Many irrigation manufacturers and select distributors are offering quality educational classes to help meet the needs of the industry, as well as in-depth water-conservation summits focusing on new technology, current trends, and future challenges.
Distributors and manufacturers are becoming actively involved in an array of water-conservation initiatives. Alliances are being formed throughout the industry—as well as across green-industry lines—and associations are fortifying and expanding to include a diverse collection of perspectives, experience, and resources to lead the charge.
Last year, the Irrigation Association (IA) named July Smart Irrigation Month in effort to create an annual campaign to highlight new technology and provide tips about “smart” water-management practices and has developed a host of free resource materials to use in promoting the message of proper water management.
Through the IA’s Smart Water Application Technology (SWAT) initiative, the industry has begun to focus on promoting technology. SWAT’s first task was to develop a protocol for testing weather-based irrigation controllers and soil moisture sensors. Manufacturers have responded and have submitted products for testing; results can be found on the IA’s SWAT Web site at http://www.irrigation.org/SWAT/Industry/ia-tested.asp. The next technology for protocol development will be rain sensors.
The American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC), along with its host of professional members, is promoting efficient irrigation design and practices. Green-building professionals and water efficiency advocates are becoming new partners as we look at sustainable development.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program will focus on promoting irrigation professionals and new technologies that have been proven to save water. This is a great opportunity for the irrigation industry to continue to raise the bar on professionalism.
The newly created Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) will provide a much needed national voice and advocate for water conservation. AWE will also feature a complete one-stop clearinghouse on the Internet for the most current and complete information on water conservation.
As water agencies continue emphasizing outdoor water conservation programs with rebates and incentives, there is also an excellent opportunity to work with the landscape and irrigation community in developing partnerships to educate the consumer about the importance of water conservation. In some areas price signals are beginning to catch the consumers’ attention on why water conservation should become part of their daily lives.
All of these factors work together to reinforce the tremendous opportunity presented to green-industry professionals, at every level.
Water Conservation for Kids
In many regions of the United States, water conservation education has been—and still is—as much a part of the elementary school curriculum as science or social studies. Kids are introduced to the concept of saving water at an early age and exhibit great enthusiasm for encouraging parents, relatives, and friends to employ water-saving behaviors learned through such programs in their own homes.
This is an effective strategy: Parents want to lead by example and do not want to disappoint their children by engaging in behaviors that are considered unpopular—or worse—wasteful. Many colleges and universities are developing programs specifically designed for educators to assist in developing water conservation curriculum. Traditionally, however, most of these programs have focused on indoor water use, as opposed to the outdoor environment; kids learn to take shorter showers, turn the water off while brushing teeth, and fix leaky faucets.
This fact is gaining recognition, however, and new approaches—inclusive of outdoor water use—are beginning to emerge. “All Dried Out”, a children’s’ book focusing on water conservation in outdoor landscapes, has generated a great deal of interest and is now being translated into Spanish. Coloring books focusing on outdoor water use have arrived on the scene. Water districts and purveyors are developing and implementing their own curriculum programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Water-conservation art programs and contests have appeared, teaming water authorities and schools together to produce water-conservation art calendars. Web sites geared toward children with fun facts and games pertaining to water conservation offer tips for teachers, kids, and parents.
Teachers are often hungry for curriculum ideas and programs that are manageable and pertinent. In fact, participation in such programs is often required for promotions and pay raises. So why not have the water conservation-message more readily available? There are many perspectives that have yet to be explored in this arena—all related to water conservation in outdoor environments.
Consumer Education
Equally important to our role of educating landscape and irrigation designers, installers, and maintenance contractors about the importance of proper water management and conservation is the effort to inform consumers about the many advantages of embracing water-saving opportunities.
Commercial businesses, residential homeowners, homeowners’ associations, athletic field mangers, golf course superintendents, and parks and recreation managers can all benefit from adopting new technology, as well as proper water-management techniques that will save water and lower water bills while maintaining vibrant, healthy outdoor living spaces. In fact, there are often incentives for doing so!
Rebate programs for smart irrigation products are fast becoming the norm.
So far, the green industry has achieved a great deal of success among the early adopters, the budget-conscious, and the tech-savvy. Others will follow suit, if there is an increase in demand on part of the consumers. For example, if homeowners begin to demand that water-efficiency be taken into consideration, more contractors will be prompted to adopt new technologies and employ proper management techniques.
Despite the reality of the water scarcity issue, most consumers still do not understand just how much water they actually use, leaving our industry with an immense opportunity to provide education on water-friendly landscapes and practices.
Some organizations are already targeting consumers with the water-conservation message, using mainstream media, partnerships with utilities, and a wide variety of other avenues to increase awareness of the water scarcity issue and provide information to educate individual families and businesses, such as Be Water Wise, Water—Use It Wisely, and the Metropolitan Water District’s California Friendly program.
The Era of Opportunity
Some might look at all the challenges we face and wonder where the silver lining is, but the fact of the matter is it is a great time to be in the irrigation industry. Technology is experiencing incredible advancements, and the industry as a whole has grown more involved in proactively addressing the global issue of water scarcity. I can think of nothing more relevant to the future of our industry—and our lifestyles—than proper water management and conservation. The challenges are, and will continue to be, great—but opportunity is knocking, and the green industry must answer.