EPA Water Sense WaterSense® 2008 Partners of the Year What Is WaterSerise? WaterSerise is a partnership program spon- sored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water. WaterSense has more than 1,000 promotional, manu- facturer, retailer and distributor, and irrigation partners working together to promote water efficiency across the country. This year, in WaterSense's first annual awards program, EPA will recognize partners in each category who have: Advanced the WaterSense mission; Increased awareness about WaterSense in a mea- surable way; and Demonstrated overall excellence in the water- efficiency arena. Many organizations and individuals have helped EPA advance the public's knowledge of and access to water-efficient products and services. To recognize the most forward-thinking and dedicated organizations and individuals, EPA named the following 2008 WaterSense Partners of the Year: Partners of the Year Promotional Partner Saving Water Partnership Seattle and Participating Local Water Utilities In 2000, Seattle Public Utilities and 17 other local utilities formed the Saving Water Partnership to pro- mote efficient water use in Seattle and King County, Washington. In 2007, the Saving Water Partnership incorporated WaterSense labeled products and outreach into its local water-efficiency campaign Save With Every Flush! WaterSense & FlushStar Toilets * WaterSense <£j Superior Performance Reliable Savings www.savingwater.org through public service announcements, out- reach to plumbers, and public events. To demonstrate the flushing power of WaterSense labeled toilets, the Saving Water Partnership staged "The Great Flush-Off," where representatives from the Partnership and EPA flushed ping pong balls and potatoes. These efforts resulted in increased cus- tomer traffic and inquiries about WaterSense labeled toilets at participating retailers, as well as increased replacement of old, water-guzzling toilets through the Saving Water Partnership's multi-family residence toilet replacement program. Manufacturer Partner KOHLER Plumbing manufacturer Kohler has been making ef- ficient plumbing fixtures since the late 1980s. Today, Kohler is still on the cutting edge of water-efficient technology, having earned the WaterSense label for numerous models of high-efficiency toilets. Sir kij Conservation. Innovation. October 2008 (866) WTR-SENS (987-7367) • www.epa.gov/watersense • watersense@epa.gov &E PA ------- Kohler has greatly contributed to building the Wa- terSense "buzz"through its active promotion of Wa- terSense labeled products on the trade show circuit, on its Web site, and through noteworthy publicity events, including the Charrnin Holiday Restrooms in New York City's Times Square. In partnership with Procter & Gamble, Kohler provided 20 WaterSense labeled toilets in luxurious portable restrooms strategi- cally placed for shoppers in one of Manhattan's busiest areas during the 2007 holiday season. As a result, an estimated half-million visitors in Times Square experi- enced firsthand the high-performing, water-efficient WaterSense labeled toilets. Retailer/Distributor Partner 0 FERGUSON Ferguson is one of the country's largest wholesale distributors of plumbing supplies, which means its potential for promoting water efficiency nationwide is enormous. In 2007, Ferguson decided partnering with WaterSense was a natural step, as it had already devel- oped water-efficient plumbing fixtures for its private label PROFLO product line. That same year, Ferguson went on to sell thousands of WaterSense labeled toilets to contractors, plumbers, builders, and a rising number of homeowners and remodelers. - To help drive consumer traffic toward water-efficient fix- tures, the company uses point of purchase displays and has made an effort to work with municipalities to stay abreast of rebate programs. With remarkable speed, Fer- guson has educated its staff of 22,000 associates in 1,400 service centers located in all 50 states about the benefits of water efficiency and WaterSense labeled products. Both Ferguson's customers and the nation's water re- sources benefit from this water-efficiency know-how. Irrigation Partner Timothy Malooly Timothy Malooly has worked as a practitioner in the irrigation indus- try for 26 years and is president of two Minnesota-based irrigation firms: Irriga- tion Consultants & Control, Inc., an irriga- tion design, consult- ing and technology company, and Irrigation By Design, Inc., an irrigation installation and service company. These companies have been responsible for design and/or installation of water-efficient irrigation systems for a variety of projects, including the first residential project to receive Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, Russia's Grizzly Coast exhibit at the Minnesota Zoological Garden, and master-planned community projects such as the Spirit of Brandtjen Farm in Lakeville, Minnesota. Malooly holds three different WaterSense labeled certifications offered by the Irrigation Association and hires and promotes professionals who obtain certification. Malooly speaks about water-efficient irrigation practices, applied technologies, and the im- portance of EPA WaterSense partnership at functions across the country. For More Information To learn more about WaterSense and the Partner of the Year awards program, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. EPA WaterSense PARTNER ------- |