Archive for “Environment and Sustainability” Category

News & Events

Green Parenting: 11 Ways to Teach Your Kids to Protect the Earth and Each Other

January 15, 2019

Reading and math are important, but there are equally important skills that kids aren’t taught in school. As parents, it is up to us to model healthy lifestyles for our kids, and we can do so with green parenting practices. By showing our kids that their family strives to make eco-friendly decisions with what we buy and eat, we can …

Read More

Why We’re for Water: Take the Pledge Today

January 1, 2019

“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” — Jacques Cousteau Arguably, water is cheap. In the United States, on average, tap water costs less than $3 for 1,000 gallons — or mere fractions of a penny per gallon. Compare that to the cost of bottled water at the store, or filling up at your local …

Read More

Home Check-Ups for Winter Water Savings!

December 21, 2018

Winter is one of the easiest times to save water and money. Here are our top tips to save water indoors and out during cooler months: Perform Outdoor Checks Your irrigation system provides a lifeline to the plants in your landscape; remember to include it in your regular maintenance routine. To water your landscape efficiently, your irrigation system must be …

Read More

Mulch Much? Take Your Plants from Stressed to Best-Dressed

December 11, 2018

Are your plants feeling underdressed? Maybe you take the best care of your garden; digging deeply, using good soil, adding nutrients, and providing ample water. But have you left your plants topless? For several reasons, a good top dressing of mulch is the final layer your plants need to truly thrive. In nature, it is common to see fallen leaves …

Read More

Journey Through the Pipes – What Happens to Wastewater?

December 4, 2018

When we think of wastewater, we usually think of sewage. However, it is also comprised of any used domestic water produced from showers, disposals, washers, and sinks. Furthermore, wastewater can include any used water and water-carried solids from a community that flows to a treatment plant, such as stormwater, surface water, and industrial water. Fact: 99 percent of wastewater is …

Read More

Celebrate AZ Water: Turning the Bend at River Bend — Successful Restoration on the Agua Fria River

November 27, 2018

Welcome to a steamy July morning on the Agua Fria River near Cordes Junction, Arizona. Humid, heavy air hangs above young willows laid flat by recent heavy flows. We slop through thick, mocha colored mud to the mechanical whir of cicadas, and screams of nesting Zone-tailed Hawks. While searching for the threatened Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (hereafter cuckoo), we encounter the …

Read More

Plant of the Month: Flowering Trees

November 13, 2018

Have you ever experienced the agony of sitting in a car that has been baking in an asphalt parking lot? If so, you understand the main value of trees in the desert; they provide much-needed SHADE! Trees benefit our environment in so many ways. They moderate our climate, provide wildlife habitat, improve air quality, and help conserve water by storing water and reducing storm run-off. Trees create microclimates that allow other plants, animals, …

Read More

WAYS TO KEEP YOUR IRRIGATION SYSTEM EFFICIENT. WE ASKED OUR WATER GURU!

November 6, 2018

So, you’re thinking about installing a new irrigation system or updating the one you already have. There are several steps you can take to create the most efficient system possible, which ultimately will save water, save time, and keep your plants looking beautiful. Water – Use It Wisely asked Warren Gorowitz, Vice President of Sustainability from Ewing Irrigation & Landscape …

Read More

APPRECIATING WATER BY SAVING IT IN SIMPLE WAYS

October 26, 2018

Just because you’ve heard that the Earth is made up of 71 percent water, it does not mean that you can go ahead and waste it. We all need to appreciate it. If you have not realized how lucky you are that you’re living in a country where fresh water seems to be unlimited, then how about some demonstration? In …

Read More

The Edible Gardening Series: Did Thy Garden Runneth Over (With Rain)?

All good things must come to an end, and so too must our four-part series on water-wise edible gardening. (Sad face.) To catch up on where we’ve been so far: we’ve gone over the basics, introduced you to some lesser-known desert delicacies, and let you in on the secret awesomeness of saving and sharing seeds. To wrap it all up, …

Read More

Did You Know Reducing Your Energy Use Conserves Water?

October 23, 2018

Water is one of the most important utilities in our lives, which is why ensuring our ability to use it is so important. Unfortunately, we often end up wasting more than just water when we leave the tap running for too long. In fact, more than a quarter of all the energy we use revolves around heating and using water, …

Read More
energy-use-in-your-home-infographic

The Edible Gardening Series: Save The Seeds!

October 19, 2018

Welcome to the third installment of our early fall series on water-wise edible gardening. So far, we’ve talked about The Basics of Water-Wise Edible Gardening and introduced you to harvesting edibles from the landscape in our blog Putting The Desert In Dessert. Now it’s time to talk about seed saving and sharing. Survival of the fittest is the basic tenet …

Read More