Rain Bird Names Winners of the Intelligent Use of Water Awards Program

Rain Bird announced today the winners of its 2010-2011 Intelligent Use of Water Awards program, as determined by online voting over a four month period by visitors to the competition website, www.IUOWAwards.com. Over 275,000 total votes were cast for 85 different water conservation projects that will support sustainability and green spaces When voting officially closed on March 15th, and following a verification of votes, 10 winners claimed over $50,000 in funds: four $1,500 winners, three $5,000 winners, and three $10,000 winners were named today in celebration of 2011 World Water Day.

Participants of the Intelligent Use of Water Awards program were asked to enter their project on www.IUOWAwards.com in order to vie for enough support from the public to be awarded the grant. The social media driven program was designed to support environmentally sustainable projects that promote green spaces with the efficient use of water. Voters were invited to anonymously cast votes on their favorite projects on a daily basis until voting closed on March 15th, 2011.

The 2010-2011 Intelligent Use of Water Awards winners are as follows:

$1,500 Winners

* Forestry Nursery, Nkambe, Cameroon, Africa
* Water Harvesting Facility, University of Montevallo, Alabama
* Green Spaces Pollution Prevention, Fallbrook Public Utility District, Fallbrook, California
* Composting Toilets, Easton, Pennsylvania

$5,000 Winners

* Community Garden and Open Classroom, EARTHS Elementary School, Thousand Oaks, California
* Rain Garden, Reiman Gardens, Ames, Iowa
* Rain Garden, Friends of Lower Muskingum River, Marletta, Ohio

$10,000 Winners

* Water Education at Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island Groundwater Gaurdians, Grand Island, Nebraska
* Sanitation and Reusable Water to Ugandan Schools, Drop in the Bucket, Uganda, Africa
* Irrigation System, Amazing Heart Farm, Orrtanna, Pennyslvania

More information about the winners can be found at www.IUOWAwards.com.

“The Intelligent Use of Water Awards program really broadened the reach of how Rain Bird can effectively impact those who are improving their local communities with water conservation and the preservation of green spaces,” said Dave Johnson, Rain Bird’s director of corporate marketing. “It is exciting to know that projects close to home and also water conservation efforts across the globe can benefit and maintain the important work they do for their local communities.”

Now in its fourth year, the annual Intelligent Use of Water Awards program recognizes individuals and organizations whose innovation, leadership, ingenuity and dedication to the management and protection of Earth’s most precious natural resource through improved landscape water-efficiency raises the standard for outdoor water conservation. Since 2007, both individuals and organizations have been honored for their completed projects, the 2010-11 Intelligent Use of Water Awards program aimed at encouraging and funding future water conservation projects, worldwide.

In developing the program, Rain Bird assembled a team of partners that share a common goal of helping individuals and organizations make an impact in their community through the Intelligent Use of Water. Partnering in support of the Intelligent Use of Water Awards program were The Alliance for Water Efficiency, The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIG), Golfdom magazine, Growing A Greener World, Landscape Management magazine, The National Gardening Association, Pebble Beach Resorts, Project WET, Smart Approved WaterMark, The Gardener Guy, and The Groundwater Foundation.

For more information on the Intelligent Use of Water Awards, please visit www.iuowawards.com. Become a fan of Rain Bird on Facebook at facebook.com/RainBirdCorp, and follow Rain Bird on Twitter, @RainBirdCorp.