Environmental and Water Management Leaders Meet to Examine the Future
of Earth’s Water Supply at Rain Bird’s
Ninth Intelligent Use of Water™ Summit
in Partnership with Arizona State University’s
Global Institute of Sustainability
Symposium Calls for a Balanced Solution to Address the Challenges
Faced by Citizens, Corporations and Countries as It Relates to a
Sustainable Water Supply
TEMPE, Ariz. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) September 3, 2008 --
Leading environmental and water management experts convened today in
Tempe, Arizona, to examine initiatives and strategies towards greater
sustainability and preservation of Earth’s
water supply as part of Rain Bird’s
ninth Intelligent Use of Water Summit. Held this morning at Arizona
State University’s (ASU) Global Institute
of Sustainability, in partnership with Rain Bird Corporation, the
leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services,
the two-hour symposium provided a unique opportunity for thought leaders
to engage in an open-forum discussion about global water-management
programs, policies, initiatives, trends, and strategies relating to
water availability issues in the American southwest and beyond.
Addressing the significant challenges facing citizens, corporations and
countries in finding a balanced solution to current and future water
scarcity issues, the two-hour forum was moderated by John D’Anna,
senior editor for The Arizona Republic, and featured a
panel made up of experts in water management, policy, infrastructure and
sustainability.
Each panelist stressed the need for civic and business leaders to
collaborate on the development and implementation of water conservation
policies, and the importance of implementing policies, legislation and
programs aimed at modifying public behavior.
“Perception of water use is quite different
from the facts,” said panelist Doug Bennett,
Water Conservation Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority. “This
has to be a collaborative effort among the public and private sector.”
The panel also addressed the challenge of meeting the water needs of a
growing society, an issue that is of foremost importance for ASU’s
Global Institute of Sustainability, commented Charles Redman, director
of the School of Sustainability.
“Rapid urbanization and a diminished water
supply has made central Arizona the ‘canary
in the coal mine’ when it comes to
water-scarcity issues,” said Redman. “It
is an issue that is fraught with complexity and the solution needs to be
one that properly balances the limited usable fresh water supply with
the needs of a growing society.”
“Clearly, we need to implement policies that
will guide the future growth of society in relation to the available
water supply,” added panelist Jim Holway,
Professor of practice in Civil and Environmental Engineering at ASU’s
School of Sustainability.
When asked about the need to implement realistic pricing scenarios for
water use, panelist Richard Little, Director, The Keston Institute for
Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy, University of Southern
California added, “Water consumption
monitoring programs ultimately achieve neither cost-effectiveness nor
meaningful water savings, while appropriate water pricing offers an
opportunity to augment various conservation programs as a way of
encouraging water conservation. Until we can bolster the link between
the value of water and the price paid for consumption, it will be very
difficult to drive significant change in consumer behavior as it relates
to using water more efficiently.”
As the nation’s first and only School of
Sustainability, ASU’s Global Institute of
Sustainability advances research, education and business practices for
an urbanizing world through transdisciplinary degree programs that
advance practical solutions to environmental, economic and social
challenges of our day.
“It is through partnerships with like-minded
people and organizations, such as ASU’s
School of Sustainability, we aim to extend our focus on water
conservation beyond products and services and into actions that motivate
corporations and the public-at-large to support initiatives that
encourage water conservation and global sustainability,”
said Rain Bird Corporate Marketing Director, Dave Johnson. “Forums
such as these, that provide a platform for some of the world’s
leading authorities to discuss their views, ideas and insights are
necessary for developing a better understanding of the type of changes
we need to make before effective policy and programs can be implemented.”
Panelists for Rain Bird’s ninth Intelligent
Use of Water Summit were Doug Bennett, Water Conservation
Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority; Charles L. Redman,
Director, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University; Jim
Holway, Professor of practice in Civil and Environmental
Engineering, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University; and
Richard G. Little, Director, The Keston Institute for Public
Finance and Infrastructure Policy, University of Southern California.
A detailed recap of each panelist’s
presentation is available for download in PDF format at www.rainbird.com.
Established in 2004 as a forum to further define the relationship
between water conservation and landscape water use, The Intelligent
Use of Water Summit series examines the state of Earth’s
most precious resource in the face of environmental uncertainty.
Previous summit locations included Pasadena, Calif., Tucson, Ariz.,
Madrid, Spain, and Aix-en-Provence, France.
In addition to biannual Intelligent Use of Water Summits, Rain
Bird devotes significant resources to its Intelligent Use of Water
public education campaigns, which include: The Intelligent Use of Water
Award; a series of white papers; public service announcements;
membership on the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the steering
committee advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) on its WaterSense product labeling program; The Intelligent
Use of Water Film Competition; partnerships with nonprofit
organizations; development and support of elementary and middle school
curriculums; and participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade®,
an annual worldwide stage to communicate the need for water conservation.
ABOUT ASU’S GLOBAL INSTITUTE OF
SUSTAINABILITY
ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability is
the hub of the university’s sustainability
initiatives. The Institute advances research, education and business
practices for an urbanizing world. Its School of Sustainability, the
first of its kind in the US, offers transdisciplinary degree programs
that advance practical solutions to environmental, economic, and social
challenges. For more information visit the Global Institute of
Sustainability at http://sustainability.asu.edu
or the School of Sustainability at http://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu
ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION
Based in Azusa, 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. www.rainbird.com
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/water/sustainability/prweb1286104.htm
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