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Water Conservation and Environmental Experts Provide Insight Into the Global Water Crisis and Outdoor Water Conservation at Rain Bird's Third Intelligent Use of Water(TM) Summit

Posted on: Thursday, 31 August 2006, 21:00 CDT

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading environmental and water conservation experts convened today in Tucson, Arizona, to examine conservation initiatives and strategies relating to landscape irrigation at the third Intelligent Use of Water Summit, hosted by Rain Bird Corporation, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. Held this morning at the University of Arizona's main campus in Tucson, the six-member symposium focused on the relationship between water conservation and landscape water use, water conservation policies and legislation, and potential programs and initiatives to bring greater awareness to the need for water conservation.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060831/LATH108 )

In addition to calling for civic and business leaders to collaborate on the development and implementation of water conservation policies, the panel stressed the importance of assigning a value to water.

"It is evident that conservation programs fraught with complexity, thereby requiring elaborate monitoring programs, may prove to achieve neither cost-effectiveness nor meaningful water savings," commented forum moderator Robert Glennon, Professor, University of Arizona's Rogers College of Law and author of Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters. "Appropriate water rates offer an opportunity to augment various conservation programs as a way of encouraging water conservation."

Established in 2005 as a forum to further define the relationship between water conservation and landscape water use, Rain Bird's third Intelligent Use of Water Summit comes on the heels of a recent U.N. report predicting an eminent and devastating global water shortage by the year 2025. Today's Summit focused on providing insight and perspective to various global water conservation policies and legislation, programs and initiatives and trends toward greater awareness of the need for water conservation.

"With global water experts predicting that the conflicts of the future will be fought over water, it is essential that world leaders, environmental experts and the general public be aware of the need to conserve water," said Rain Bird Corporate Marketing Director, Dave Johnson. "It is up to companies like Rain Bird to make sure that the focus on water conservation extends beyond products and services and into actions that motivate corporations and the public-at-large to support initiatives that encourage water conservation."

"The Environmental Protection Agency views landscape irrigation as a part of the solution, rather than part of the problem," added panelist Joanna Kind, Environmental Scientist and main consultant for the EPA's WaterSense program. "The EPA's WaterSense program seeks to build a national brand for water conservation and ultimately strengthen the value of conserving water."

The two-hour event was followed by an open session in which over 100 audience members were able to direct questions to the panel members.

Today's panel featured members with water conservation expertise as it relates to academia, research, media, government, landscape architecture and design. The panelists were: John Fought ASGCA, President of John Fought Design in Scottsdale, AZ; Joanna Kind, Environmental Scientist, Eastern Research Group, Inc. and EPA Consultant; Kerry Schwartz - Associate Specialist for Arizona Cooperative Extension and Director of Arizona Project WET (Water Education for Teachers); Ronald Stoltz, Professor and Director, University of Arizona School of Landscape Architecture; and John Trotti Editor, Water Efficiency Magazine. In addition to lending their expertise as panelists at today's summit, each panelist submitted a written brief on today's topics of discussion that is available for download in PDF format at http://www.rainbird.com/.

Rain Bird's next Intelligent Use of Water Summit is scheduled for December 31, 2006 in Pasadena, Calif.

ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION

Based in Glendora, Calif., 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 http://www.rainbird.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060831/LATH108AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Rain Bird Corporation

CONTACT: Stefan Pollack, spollack@ppmgcorp.com, or William Ostedt,mobile, +1-818-207-4058, wostedt@ppmgcorp.com, both of The Pollack PRMarketing Group, +1-310-556-4443, for Rain Bird Corporation

Web site: http://www.rainbird.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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