In a tough economy, one way to stay ahead of the competition is to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, research, and practices in the industry for which you work. For the landscaping business, this is especially true. As the housing market remains stalled, new landscape installations and maintenance accounts are often hard to come by, and competition for customers is fierce. Therefore, programs that provide continuing education and training—especially at an affordable price—are all the more important and relevant for businesses today.

Enter Smartscape: A training program for landscape professionals
Sponsored by the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (a Water – Use It Wisely partner) and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Maricopa County, Smartscape is a green jobs training program providing 20 hours of instruction on the proper irrigation and care for water-efficient landscapes in the Sonoran Desert.

Over the eight Smartscape sessions, instructors from the University of Arizona, municipal water departments, and the landscape industry present the latest research-based information regarding sustainable landscaping practices.

“We find the Smartscape program provides the updated training our employees need to keep our customers informed, as well as keeping us leaps and bounds ahead of the competition,” states Jill Gilbert, Customer Relations Manager for AZ Royal Landscaping and Design.

Smartscape professionals promote sustainable practices
Instruction on sustainable landscaping practices can help companies cut back on clients’ water use, where up to 70% of a residential water bill is devoted to outdoor uses such as landscapes and pools. By helping reduce outdoor water consumption, Smartscape graduates help homeowners save where it counts—in their wallet.

In addition, Smartscape attendees are trained on the fundamentals of designing, installing, and maintaining low-water-use landscapes compatible with our desert environment. Using landscape plants that are adapted to the climate and soils of the Sonoran Desert can make for a lower maintenance yard, which saves clients valuable time and energy.

“Smartscape is a comprehensive program, packed with useful information, taught by an all-star team of Valley landscape professionals, in a format anyone can understand, and built around our typical work schedule,” says Bryan Wallace, Vice President of Operations at Victor’s Landscaping Inc. and a Smartscape Certified Professional.

Online directory connects graduates to customers
To help Smartscape professionals market their training, graduates have the option to be included in the Smartscape Certified Professional Online Directory, found at http://www.amwua.org/ss_directory.html. The Online Directory allows homeowners to find a Smartscape Certified Professional in their area. As more homeowners want to save money and time in their yard, businesses and individuals who market their Smartscape training have another “leg up” on the competition.

Next class starts this month
The next Smartscape course will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:30-6:00 P.M., January 23- February 15, 2012. All classes will be held at the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Maricopa County, 4341 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85040. The registration fee for the entire series is $75.00. Please contact Haley Paul at smartscape@cals.arizona.edu or (602) 827-8200 x395 if you are a landscape professional interested in taking the course or sending your employees to the course. Also visit the Smartscape website to download and print a registration flyer: http://extension.arizona.edu/maricopa/smartscape-program.

Find Smartscape on Facebookand Twitter too!

From time to time, WUIW features guest bloggers who write about water conservation and education. Haley Paul is our guest blogger this week. Smartscape is co-sponsored by AMWUA, a WUIW partner.

Hundreds of desert plants are available for just about any function in your landscape. Would you like to attract birds or butterflies to your yard? Desert plants are up for the challenge! Perhaps you are looking for year-round color, or how about a living fence or a cool, shady retreat? And desert plants not only save water, a precious Arizona resource, they have special characteristics that help them thrive in our tough desert conditions including heat, alkaline soils and even winter frost.

The Water – Use It Wisely site is filled with plant details including plant selection ideas, plant care and watering details. And if you have a water-thirsty landscape, we’ll tell you how to remove grass and install a water-saving, colorful, thriving Xeriscape instead. After all, there are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you. Water. Use It Wisely.

For more information, watch her interview on “Your Life A to Z” on local Channel 3:

Here is his interview on “Your Life A to Z” on local Channel 3 where you can learn more:

Stay tuned for the next segment of Water – Use It Wisely on TV!

Watch her interview on “Your Life A to Z” on local Channel 3 here:

Stay tuned for the next segment of Water – Use It Wisely on TV!

In a desert climate your compost can petrify instead to putrefy if you don’t follow some simple steps. Learn to make your own compost at Harper’s Garden Fair on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Master Gardeners will be on site to provide composting information as well as details on the City of Mesa’s Backyard Composting Program that provides compost containers (made from recycled trash bins) for a $5.00 refundable deposit. Compost improves the water holding abilities of your garden soils or can be used as mulch around your landscape plants to reduce plant water needs by as much as 30%.

Harper’s Nursery is located at 1830 E. McKellips Road in Mesa, Arizona. The Garden Fair will include fall garden talks and vendors including Gro-Well who will be demonstrating their Square Foot Gardening kits. Visit www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability or call 480-644-4400 for more information.

The City of Mesa is one of fifteen Water – Use It Wisely regional partners, many of whom offer water-wise workshops. Check out all of the partner programs on the Water – Use It Wisely Calendar on our home page. Fall classes are just gearing up and here’s a sample of the exciting programs available just in September:

September 15
“Scentsational” Gardening, Peoria, AZ

September 17
Chandler “Smart” Landscaping, Chandler, AZ
Composting in the Desert, Mesa, AZ

September 20
Water Wise Edible Gardening, Chandler, AZ

September 24
Xeriscape: Desert Fusion Garden Lecture and Walking Tour, Peoria, AZ
Irrigation Class, Glendale, AZ

September 29
Desert Gardening with Perennials, Peoria, AZ

You can also check out all of our landscape plants and Xeriscape links, including rebates available on our Water – Use It Wisely local resources page.

Smartscape prepares students with the essential skills to plan, create, and care for low-water-use landscapes and plants. Taught by experts in the green industry, Smartscape delivers 20 hours of high-quality education on the best irrigation and horticultural practices for the desert southwest. For just $60, students receive a Smartscape manual with valuable materials, instruction from experts in green industry, and snacks and refreshments. Landscape companies send their crew members to Smartscape to receive training at an affordable price. “I will always send my employees to this class,” one Smartscape graduate noted.

Upon completion of the course, graduates receive two Smartscape logo decals, a lapel pin, a certificate of completion, and a chance to market themselves as a Smartscape professional by listing their contact information in the Smartscape online directory. This directory is a great resource for homeowners who are looking to hire knowledgeable and trained landscape professionals.

Registration for the Fall 2011 Smartscape series is now open. Download and print the registration form or contact Haley Paul, Smartscape Program Coordinator, at hepaul@cals.arizona.edu or (602) 827-8200 x395 with any questions.

The City of Mesa’s free “Living Green” workshop series continues Saturday, June 11, from 1:30 – 4 p.m. with Green Gurus: Experts with Great Green Ideas. The program will take place at Mesa Main Library, 64 E. First St. Learn about green building, energy and water conservation, green household products, solar, Xeriscape landscaping and more. Panelists include Stacy Wilde, Sustainability Consultant, Phil Allsopp, Chairman at the Phoenix Green Chamber of Commerce, Mick Dalrymple, ASU project manager for the Energize Phoenix program, and Donna DiFrancesco, Horticulturist and Conservation Specialist at the City of Mesa.

The City of Mesa presents the monthly workshop series featuring earth-friendly advice for your home and garden. The aim of the series is to inform community members about why and how to increase the sustainability of our community, and is part of a larger effort by the City to develop and implement innovative programs to address environmental issues and concerns.

To learn more about this program or other Living Green workshops, visit our site or call (480) 644-4400 for more information.

Mesa is one of fifteen Water – Use It Wisely regional partners, many of whom offer water-wise workshops. Check out all of the partner programs at the Water – Use It Wisely calendar on our home page.

Fix a Leak Week, March 14-20, is meant to encourage water conservation by repairing common types of leaks found in the home include leaking toilet flappers, dripping faucets, shower heads, irrigation systems and other leaking valves. Water leaks can add up to as many as 10,000 gallons of water wasted each year in your home. That is enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.

To lead by example, the City of Mesa has an active leak detection program that uses radio technology for listening to leaks called permaloggers. Approximately 400 permaloggers are in place throughout the water distribution system to listen for leaks in pipelines. The use of these loggers gives the City flexibility to repair a leak during normal business hours in a more controlled environment rather than at night or on weekends during an emergency situation. Leak detection and other system audits help to prevent and detect leaks and ensure that water is being delivered at optimal efficiency.

“Fixing leaks is easy to do, low cost and can save homeowners as much as ten percent or more on their water bills,” Mesa Conservation Specialist Donna DiFrancesco said. “And, because of our desert conditions, fixing leaks can help conserve our water supply for generations to come.”

Mesa water customer, Jacob Lozano checks out what’s inside the free Fix a Leak Week kit.

The City is offering free Fix a Leak Week kits that includes dye tabs to check for toilet leaks; a drip cup to determine how many gallons of water are wasted each day, month and year from a simple dripping faucet; and a measuring device to determine the number of gallons used by your showerhead. Customers can pick up a kit at one of the following locations:

• Mesa Main Library, 64 E. 1st St.
• Red Mountain Branch Library, 635 N. Power Road
• Dobson Ranch Branch Library, 2425 S. Dobson Road
• Municipal Building, 55 N. Center St.
• East Mesa Service Center, 6935 E. Decatur St.

As part of Fix a Leak Week, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA), whose members include the municipalities of Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe (all are also Water –Use It Wisely partners) will host the inaugural “We’re for Water 4-Mile Race” at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 19 at Rio Vista Community Park in Peoria. Registration is just $25 and includes a snack, t-shirt and reusable water bottle. The event also will feature music, food and hands-on demonstrations for leak repair.

To register or to learn more about Fix a Leak Week visit www.fixaleakweekaz.com.