The Toro Company Awarded 2015 WaterSense Partner of the Year (Oct 9)

October 9, 2015 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently honored The Toro Company with a 2015 WaterSense Partner of the Year award. Toro was recognized at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas on October 8, 2015, for significant contributions in product innovations to improve water efficiency and for its efforts in promoting the WaterSense® program in 2014.

As the first-ever large irrigation product manufacturer to receive the award, Toro was selected for its development of innovative weather-based controllers – many of which are WaterSense-certified for efficiency. The company also was recognized for its team of sales and marketing experts that have dedicated themselves to educating customers on the benefits of smart irrigation practices and technologies.

“Toro is dedicated to water-saving innovation that meets our customers’ needs and promotes the efficient use of water,” said Phil Burkart, vice president of The Toro Company’s Irrigation and Lighting Businesses. “We are proud to have our efforts toward water smart irrigation and outreach recognized by such an important national agency.”

By creating, communicating and educating consumers about WaterSense labeled products and programs, WaterSense partners helped consumers save 346 billion gallons of water in 2014 alone – more than the amount of water used by all households in Texas for a year. Additionally, the WaterSense program has helped reduce the amount of energy needed to heat, pump and treat water by 146 billion kilowatt hours, which is enough energy to supply a year’s worth of power to more than 13.3 million homes. More than 1,700 utilities, manufacturers, retailers, builders and organizations partner with the EPA in its WaterSense program.

“We are so appreciative of, and continually impressed by, our WaterSense partners’ dedication to making water efficiency a priority,” said Ellen Gilinsky, EPA Office of Water Senior Policy Advisor. “By touching lives with water-efficient products, programs, and practices on a daily basis, they’re helping improve community resilience to extreme weather conditions such as drought and providing a foundation for water conservation that will help save water for future generations.”

In addition to developing and manufacturing industry-leading irrigation technologies, Toro’s Irrigation Business has fostered partnerships with water agencies, regional Irrigation Association chapters and distributors for the purposes of educating, training and improving water efficiency. Toro manufactures water-efficient irrigation products for homeowners, commercial properties, sports fields, golf courses and agriculture. For more information about WaterSense, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

About EPA WaterSense Program
WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. Since the program began in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save 1.1 trillion gallons of water and $21.7 billion in water and energy bills.

About The Toro Company
The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC) is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf, snow and ground engaging equipment, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. With sales of $2.2 billion in fiscal 2014, Toro’s global presence extends to more than 90 countries. Through constant innovation and caring relationships built on trust and integrity, Toro and its family of brands have built a legacy of excellence by helping customers care for golf courses, landscapes, sports fields, public green spaces, commercial and residential properties and agricultural fields. For more information, visit www.toro.com.