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It’s a Party for the Planet! On Saturday, April 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. be sure to celebrate Earth Day, conservation and nature at the Phoenix Zoo.

Water – Use It Wisely will be joining in on the fun once again with our fun-in-the-sun duck float trivia contest. Children young and old can test their water know-how, then take home one of our “oh-so-cute” ducks to float in the pool or bathtub to help remind them to use water wisely every day of the year – not just on Earth Day.

Visit us at the Harmony Farm section of the Zoo. Don’t worry; we have a lot of cool stuff for the “big” kids, too. See you there!

Hey Arizonans! Do you reside in the City of Peoria? Did you know that you can take advantage of such things as rebates on High-Efficiency Toilets, Irrigation Controllers, Hot Water Recirculators and Xeriscape landscaping? Talk about savings for you and for the environment!

Watch this interview by Andy Lombardo, one of our Regional Water Partners from the City of Peoria, to learn more about those rebates and other things you can do to conserve water inside and outside of the home.

Did you know Water Awareness Month is coming up? For the month of April, stay tuned to this interactive calendar at waterawarenessmonth.com for ways to save water and plenty of links and resources!

Our very own Donna DiFrancesco, Conservation Specialist from the City of Mesa, was featured in April’s Phoenix Home and Garden magazine giving some information about what people can do for Water Awareness Month! Check it out!

Dave Mohan is ready to fix some leaks with his prizes that also included a Lowe’s gift card.

Ten year old Dave Mohan from Phoenix shows off his winning prizes including a pipe wrench and a medal at Saturday’s Fix a Leak Week. He won 2^nd place in his age group. Dave attributes his winning to good training, healthy eating and the lucky temporary tattoo he received at the Water – Use It Wisely booth prior to the race (OK, we might have added that last part).

Water – Use It Wisely passed out goodie bags to all participants who attended the race and family festival at the March 10th event.

If you missed the race, there’s still plenty of time to celebrate Fix a Leak Week which officially runs from March 12 – 18. This special week challenges homeowners and businesses to take steps to identify and repair leaks that waste water and money.

Then again, who needs a special week? It’s important to fix leaks anytime you discover one… which reminds me of Water Saving Device #89, YOUR EARS! Listen for dripping faucets and running toilets. Fixing a leak can save 300 gallons a month or more.

Be sure to learn about our other 100+ ways to conserve water.

Water – Use It Wisely partners were pleased to see a Jan. 1, 2012 opinion piece in The Arizona Republic that included a challenge to look at our Arizona assets and figure out how to maximize them for the New Year. The list includes our “water supplies” and our “striking desert plants” amongst many of our other great Arizona resources. We couldn’t agree more! Check out our Water Saving Tip #61. Did you know that each low-water-use plant can save you up to 550 gallons a year?

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.

Here’s a great water saving tip: adjust your irrigation timer when the seasons change. Connie Speelman, from the Town of Queen Creek, one of our Arizona Regional Campaign Partners, explains to us that with cooler weather and lower evaporation rates, dialing your timer back is a good idea.

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

Join us for another interview on “Your Life A to Z” on Arizona’s local Channel 3 to learn more about the Paradise Valley Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. Jake Lenderking and Sally Ceccerelli-Wolf from our Regional Partner, Arizona American Water, tell us about how a demonstration garden can help someone who is planting in their yard choose low water-use plants to beautify their landscaping. The demonstration garden has all sorts of different native plants that will grow and blossom with the seasons, and people can come take a look and get an idea of what their yard will look like if they chose a specific plant.

Furthermore, since up to 70% of your water use is outdoors, choosing a xeriscape landscape for your yard can help you conserve water and save on your utility bills.

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

Fall planting season is here! Leeann Spahos, from the City of Peoria (one of our Arizona Regional Partners), discusses the advantages of planting in the fall season and the types of low water-use plants that you can add to your landscaping easily and that will offer lots of attractive color to your yard.

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!

Did you know that up to 70% of your water use is outdoors?

Water – Use It Wisely is being featured on Arizona’s local Channel 3′s Your Life A to Z with some easy and practical ways to save water. Arizona Regional Campaign Water Partner, the City of Mesa, sent their Conservation Specialist, Donna DiFrancesco, to be interviewed by Lisa Haffner on this special segment on outdoor water use.

Check out the video on our YouTube Channel here:

For more information about landscape care and to see our landscape guides, please click here.

Next week’s segment: Take The Home Water Challenge and Find Those Sneaky Leaks. Stay tuned!

This Fall, Water – Use It Wisely is being featured on Arizona’s local Channel 3′s Your Life A to Z with some easy and practical ways to save water. Last Wednesday (09/28) our Arizona Regional Campaign Water Partner, the City of Scottsdale, sent their Water Conservation Specialist, Elisa Klein, to be interviewed by Lisa Haffner. They discussed the water and cost saving advantages of not overseeding your lawn in preparation for the cooler months.

Check out the video on our YouTube Channel here:

For more information about overseeding, read our blog post on the topic here.

Next week’s segment: Reduce Your Outdoor Water Use. Stay tuned!