Rain Bird Corporation Partners
to Support WaterSense, the Environmental Protection Agency's
New Water Efficiency Program Announced Today
EPA's Ground-Breaking Program
for Water Efficiency Recognizes Rain Bird's Contributions
in Promoting the Importance of Water Efficiency and for Its
Products and Services That Help the Public Become More Water
Efficient
Irrigation Leader Calls for Immediate Industry-Wide Support
and Adoption of the EPA's Initiatives Through Product Innovation
and Public Education
GLENDORA, CA (June 12, 2006) -
Rain Bird Corporation, the leading manufacturer and provider
of irrigation
products and services joined the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) today at a press conference in San Antonio,
TX, to support the unveiling of WaterSense, the EPA's Water
Efficiency Program to build a national brand for water efficiency
and educate American consumers on making smart water choices
that save money and maintain high environmental standards
without compromising performance. In a press conference held
in conjunction with the start of the American Water Works
Association (AWWA) Annual Conference and Exposition, the
EPA outlined its new water efficiency program and recognized
the industry partners that have already taken the lead in
committing their efforts to water efficiency through product
innovation and education.
"The EPA's program goes hand-in-hand with many of the
initiatives that Rain Bird has been implementing under our
corporate philosophy of The
Intelligent Use of Water™ which is aimed at educating the industry and public on the
need for landscape water conservation," said Rain Bird's
Director of Corporate Marketing, Dave Johnson. "Rain
Bird immediately recognized the value and importance of the
EPA's program in helping to communicate the importance of
water conservation and motivating consumers to use water
in the most efficient manner possible by making it easy to
identify the best water-conserving irrigation products and
services on the market."
The EPA's WaterSense program will raise awareness about
the importance of water efficiency, ensure the performance
of water-efficient products and provide consumers with information
that will enable them to make an informed decision when choosing
water-efficient products and services. The WaterSense brand
label will be easily identifiable by consumers on products
and services that perform at least 20 percent more efficiently
than their less efficient counterparts and enable manufacturers
to certify their products as meeting EPA criteria for water
efficiency and performance by following specific testing
and verification protocols specific to each product category.
In addition to the product focus, the EPA's program will
work in conjunction with Rain Bird and its industry partners
to reach out to homebuilders, schools, landscaping professionals
and others to promote water efficiency through the WaterSense
labeled certification programs, enabling landscape professionals
to certify their understanding of water efficiency and proper
irrigation system design, installation and maintenance, and/or
system auditing. It is an initiative that Rain Bird has already
begun to lay the groundwork for over the past few years through
its "Intelligent Use of Water" public education
campaigns which include the release of leading industry white
papers; convening several global industry summits and symposiums
to examine global conservation efforts and strategies; releasing
public service announcements; establishing several non-profit
partnerships; developing and supporting elementary and middle
school curriculums; and participation in the Tournament
of Roses Parade®, an annual worldwide stage to communicate
the need for water conservation.
"Rain Bird recognizes the responsibility that we all
bear in educating others on the severity of global water
shortage problems and the solutions offered through efficient
irrigation technologies and practices," added Johnson. "The
irrigation industry has a duty to continue developing efficient
means of applying water, and as the global leader in this
industry, we are excited to work with the EPA and have the
opportunity to apply our seven decades of irrigation expertise
in support of a program that shares our common objective
of creating awareness of the need to conserve our most precious
natural resource."
ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION
Based in Glendora, CA, Rain Bird Corporation is the leading
manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services.
Since its beginnings in 1933, Rain Bird has offered the industry’s
broadest range of irrigation products for farms, golf courses,
sports arenas, commercial developments and homes in more
than 130 countries around the world. Rain Bird has been awarded
more than 130 patents, including the first in 1935 for the
impact sprinkler. Rain Bird and The Intelligent Use of Water™ is
about using water wisely. Its commitment extends beyond products
to education, training and services for the industry and
the community. Rain Bird maintains state-of-the-art manufacturing
assembly facilities in the United States, France, Sweden
and Mexico.
Contacts:
William Ostedt
The Pollack PR Marketing Group
310-556-4443 wostedt@ppmgcorp.com
