What Is Smart Irrigation Month All About?
The idea of Smart Irrigation Month began back in 2005 and has been gaining traction ever since. As of today, more than 27 states have been petitioned to proclaim July as Smart Irrigation Month, and more than 28 different companies have participated in the Smart Irrigation ....
Social-Media Tips for the Service Crowd
Entrepreneur’s Team Digital answers the question: “Do you have different recommendations for service industries when determining what type of social media to use?”....
Pollution Control Agency's stormwater rules roil Minnesota cities
Cities must reduce or maintain runoff on streets and yards as part of an MPCA plan to limit pollutants going into streams and lakes.....
Service today, success tomorrow
Superior service pays off. It leads to increased revenue, increased pricing power, word-of-mouth advertising and avoiding unhappy clients badmouthing your reputation. ....
Smart Controllers for the Residential Market
Now is the time to talk to your clients, whether they are home developers or homeowners, about making the move to smart control.....
How Will Cities Secure Their Water Future?
More than half of the world’s cities are already experiencing water shortages on a recurring basis – based on findings from a study that I published, along with 13 of my colleagues, this week in the Water Policy journal. These water-stressed cities are finding ....
Springtime Sprinkler Tune-Up Tips
Springtime is just around the corner, and landscape companies are quickly heading to the field to start the busy season. However, gardens, lawns and flowerbeds are not the only aspects of the lawn that need to be treated. Sprinkler systems are a crucial part of any yard an....
Real-world Watering: Why low precipitation rates aren't always the answer
It’s no secret that many property owners tend to overwater their landscapes. Some overwatering is due to a lack of knowledge about proper watering practices; some results from simple carelessness. Experts estimate that 50 percent of all water used outdoors goes to wa....
Batteries Included
How today’s battery-operated irrigation controllers are saving the day at sites with and without access to AC power.....
Minnesota draining its supplies of water
Minnesotans have always prided themselves on their more than 10,000 lakes, great rivers and the deep underground reservoirs that supply three-fourths of the state’s residents with naturally clean drinking water. But many regions in the state have reached the point whe....
Irrigating Drip by Drip
Why drip? Two words: water conservation. “Conservation is the key thing that comes to mind when people think of drip irrigation,” said Troche. “We’ve seen research that shows that low-flow saves 30 to 70 percent more water, when compared to sprinkle....
Irrigation Pricing Pointers
Make a profit on each and every residential irrigation system you install.....
Eye on Regulations
Potential new regulations apply to a wide range of activities, many of which would either directly or indirectly affect the Green Industry. Examples include:
EPA stormwater revision to tighten controls on stormwater discharges from developed sites; this could act....
Sub-surface Drip Irrigation
Garcia said that higher water costs have caused many of his customers to consider sub-surface drip irrigation for the first time. “Nowadays, people only seem to spend money when they know they will receive a return on their investment,” Garcia explained. &ldquo....
Irrigation Scheduling
When properly designed, irrigation scheduling based on soil matric potential can match irrigation with plant needs and result in substantial water savings.....
Green Infrastructure Makes Sen$e in the Twin Cities
Twin Cities residents are accustomed to green space. Through a number of innovative projects, they are realizing how cost effective green infrastructure can be for protecting their environment and managing stormwater.....
Water Management: Handling Drought
The onset of the drought during the 2000s triggered the Australian nursery industry to undertake a process of innovation driven by the need for securing their future water supply. Government pressure and declining local water catchments (mains supply) meant that alternativ....
Updates to Backflow Prevention Accreditation
The Minnesota Plumbing Board recently adopted new rules for applicants for Minnesota Backflow Prevention Tester certification.....
8 Beliefs That Make You More Resilient
Most people live lives of quiet desperation because they focus on things that they cannot control: outside events, stuff that happened in the past and what other people are thinking.....
Can gray water keep home landscapes green?
With water resources throughout Texas becoming scarcer, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research horticulturist is working with others to determine the feasibility of using gray water to irrigate home landscapes.....
Northern Green Expo 2013: Water Management & Irrigation Seminar Highlights
Water Management and Irrigation Systems Seminar Highlights
To view the entire schedule-at-a-glance and seminar descriptions for the sessions below, visit the new interactive schedule online at www.NorthernGreenExpo.org .
Low Volume Ir....
Holiday pitfalls for employers: Gift cards and bonuses
There are many pitfalls for employers in the wage and hour arena. In this article, the author addresses two holiday issues important for employers to understand: holiday bonuses and gift cards.....
The Costs and Benefits of Green Roofs
The first gallon costs (i.e. cost for first 3.785 liters of water) for extensive green roofs (defined as having a growing medium depth 6 inches/15 cm or less) range from $28-$35. Converserly, it's estimated that cisterns cost about $2 to $5 per first gallon treated, and urb....
Drainage Can Make Dollars Flow
Once upon a time, landscape professionals just took care of landscapes. Issues with water were left to others. Then, as time went on, we expanded our range of services to include hardscapes, outdoor lighting, pond construction and installation, and most of all, irrigation. ....
Ahead of the curve
At the time the company was founded, the idea of rain harvesting was brand new in the States, though it had been done in places like Australia for decades. In 1999, The RainHarvest Company put in its first residential system, garnering the company a lot of press and even s....
Reusing rainwater gains momentum in construction
Water is often regarded as infinite, or at least abundant. As this year’s droughts have shown, it’s anything but. Gazing at a future in which water probably won’t be as cheap and abundant is the impetus for a new movement in design and construction: reusi....
How to keep employees you can't afford to lose
“Most managers never ask, 'What can we do to keep you?' until it's too late." says Beverly Kaye. The reason for that is that they're afraid the answer will be "more money" or "a promotion." Let's say someone does reply with one of those. "....
8 Homes With Living Roofs
Once a relic of earlier civilizations, living rooftops are blooming once more, albeit with modern technologies like irrigation and drainage systems—eco-friendly alternatives to materials like asphalt or tile.....
City to use effluent water for irrigation
The Lawrence, Kansas, Parks and Recreation Department has trucked more than 1 million gallons of potable water to saplings, grass and flowers in medians, roundabouts and the like throughout the city this summer.....
Biofilms: What You Need to Know
Read the latest Research for the Real World article, brought to you by the MNLA Foundation: http://www.mnla.biz/article.asp?paper=4&article=337....
Only a few ‘smart’ irrigation controllers were able to deal with drought
Only a few “smart” irrigation controllers perform well during a drought, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts. Dr. Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson tested nine commercial smart controllers during a 152-day period at College Station sites, from Apr....
Costing Out an Irrigation System
The bid is all-important, especially when you know that other irrigation professionals are also going to be bidding, and they make as good a professional impression as you do. Bid too high, and you may not get the job. Bid too low and you won’t see much profit—....
Contractor-Developed App Helps Reduce Water Usage
Sprinkler Times uses historical weather data to create a monthly watering schedule customized to a given landscape.....
Think Like an Irrigation Consultant
We asked three highly respected irrigation consultants how irrigation installers—and those thinking of becoming installers—can think like a consultant. Also, why thinking like a consultant can grow your business.....
Smart Irrigation Month: Smart Ideas
Become part of the Smart Irrigation Month campaign and position your company as a leader in water-saving practices with customers, business partners and peers. No matter your company type, market focus or size, it’s easy to be smart — in July and year-round.....
Using Graywater in Landscape Irrigation
Read the latest Research for the Real World article, brought to you by the MNLA Foundation.....
Certified Irrigation Contractor Program Earns National Accreditation
The Irrigation Association is joining an elite group of organizations that have received and maintained accreditation by the National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA).....
SWAT: Call for Public Comments on First Draft Protocol
The Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) promotions working group will be receiving public comments on the first draft of the testing protocol for sprinkler head check valves. The protocol focuses on performance requirements and test methods for sprinkler head check....
Common Residential Maintenance Issues
Read the latest Research for the Real World article, brought to you by the MNLA Foundation:
Common Residential Maintenance Issues ....
Prevailing Wage Survey Ends June 1, 2012
The Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry’s wage survey to determine the state’s prevailing wages is currently underway. Surveys will be accepted through June 1, 2012. Please submit wage surveys for public and/or private construction work performed betwee....
Recycling Our Most Precious Resource
Just like land, the long-term cost of water is rising. In Ohio, for example, the cost of water increased by 289 percent during a recent 20-year period, and that is not a misprint. Small wonder then that we in the landscape business are hyper-sensitive about water.....
Understanding Backflow
Three different locations. Three separate public health incidents. One common cause: contaminated backflow. Unfortunately, these incidents are not uncommon. Commercial and residential irrigation sites are a frequent source of water contamination due to irrigation system ba....
The Hidden Costs of Water
Have you ever considered the relationships between water consumption, energy use, and carbon emissions? Although water use, and an ever increasing focus on the efficient use of water, is important to the green industry, the focus is typically on the water used and most don....
Zebra Mussels Bigger Nuisance than Ever
Zebra mussels are clogging lawn-sprinkler systems for lakeshore homes that draw water directly from Lake Minnetonka, and there's concern that larger pipes in the lake used to fight fires also may be blocked.....
New mandatory permit and training for Lake Service Providers
If you install and remove equipment (for pay) upon Waters of the State, you now are required by law to attend in-person Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) training and obtain the permit prior to working in waters of the state .
This summer, the Minnesota Department of N....
Denver’s water programs lead to savings of $700,000, millions of gallons
Thanks to the citizen approved Better Denver Bond Program and a partnership with Denver Water, Denver Parks and Recreation saved over 273,497,000 gallons and $700,000 in water costs in 2011.....
Texas City Embraces Xeriscaping
Midland, Texas is transforming parks using xeriscaping to conserve water as it prepares for another dry spring and summer. ''We're hoping some of these initiatives will open the eyes to our citizens of what can be done other than just green turf,'' said Tina Jauz, director....
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