Archive for “Environment and Sustainability” Category

LAWN CARE TIPS ON A WATER BUDGET

August 18, 2015

You know by now that up to 70% of your water use is outdoors. Strict water conditions are tough on everyone, especially our lawns. Although we do our best to be responsible and conservation-minded when it comes to lawn care, there are some measures you may not know about to keep your lawn healthy when water shortages hit. Raise the mower blades. Raise …

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IT STARTS WITH A FLUSH

July 8, 2015

Living in the desert, water conservation is always a hot topic. At home we can take steps to reduce our use by taking shorter showers, collecting rain water for our gardens or any one of 100+ Ways to Conserve. But how can we have a greater impact on reducing the amount of ground water we use? Well – it starts …

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HOW YOU CAN HELP PREVENT POLLUTED RUNOFF

July 1, 2015

Blustery winds, torrential downpour, and high humidity. Welcome to the desert southwest! All right, perhaps that is an exaggeration. Those are conditions present only for a few summer weeks in the desert southwest. During this time, the Greater Phoenix area can receive half of its annual rainfall in just a few short weeks. While drenching our plants and washing the …

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HOW TO CONSERVE WATER AND ENERGY IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM

June 1, 2015

Small changes can make a big impact in terms of overall water consumption — and that’s especially true in the laundry room. When it comes to the way you do regular laundry, taking a few simple measures can save significant water and energy. So what are some of the best ways to conserve water in the laundry room? How can …

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HOW TO SAVE WATER WITH 416 ACRES OF GRASS

May 26, 2015

If you want to find out how to save water and keep a little grass in the backyard, how about asking a city with more than 400 acres of Bermuda to care for? The City of Scottsdale maintains 42 parks that include about 416 acres of grass. Six of the city’s largest parks are strung along Indian Bend Wash, an …

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Photo Courtesy of AMWUA

ALL ABOARD THE GREENEST TRACKS IN ARIZONA

May 19, 2015

The Grand Canyon Railway is a little of everything – a trip through time, an engineering marvel and an authentic way to experience nature’s most breathtaking site. It’s also the most environmentally-friendly tourist railway in the country. The GCR operates locomotives that have been in use since the early 20th century and has re- invented them as lean, green, whistle-blowing …

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5 Reasons to Put Your Landscape on a Diet

May 15, 2015

Swimsuit season is all but here, but there’s still time to put your plants on a diet. Plants use sunlight, CO2, and water* to make food, a process called photosynthesis. As plants make food for themselves, they also make our homes more pleasant for us by releasing oxygen and water into the air through pores in the leaves called stomata. *Plants …

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CELEBRATE AZ WATER WITH US AT WATSON LAKE!

May 11, 2015

S. James shared this photo where water and granite meet!  Watson Lake, located outside of Prescott, AZ was created as a man-made lake and reservoir in the early 1900s when the Arizona Land and Irrigation Company built a dam on Granite Creek. The reservoir was purchased by the city of Prescott in 1997 to not only preserve it as a …

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PUT DOWN THE HOSE & BACK AWAY SLOWLY FROM THE LAWN

May 6, 2015

It is 6:15 a.m., and I am standing in my front yard with a cup of coffee in one hand and a garden hose in the other. The sun is just up. It’s cool still, though the day promises 90 degrees, and quiet. I turn the hose on the two squares of grass, divided by a red-brick walkway. My landscaping …

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Watering the Yard

WHAT MAKES WATERSENSE?

May 5, 2015

Do you know about ENERGY STAR products? Of course, you do… created in 1992, the blue label with its signature star has been helping consumers identify devices that use 20-30% less energy than federal standards (you may also see the label in the lower right corner of the yellow EnergyGuide label that you find on appliances showing the annual cost …

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WaterSenseLabel

PLANT OF THE MONTH: PALO VERDE

April 20, 2015

Palo Verdes are native to the arroyos and foothills of the southwestern deserts and Mexico. Their unique green to blue-green bark and branches carry on photosynthesis, even when their small leaves are not present. This is a great strategy by the plant to conserve water during dry seasons. In the spring, these trees are covered with masses of bright yellow …

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Hybrid Palo Verde

CELEBRATE AZ WATER WITH US AT VENTANA CANYON

April 14, 2015

T. Sansom shared a photo where water and saguaros meet!  Ventana Canyon is located in the lower range of the stunning Catalina Mountains in the Tucson area. Snowmelt from the Catalina’s or summer rains feed into creeks, pools, waterfalls, and even a delightful destination called the Maiden Pools. Although the creeks are dry much of the year, much of the snowmelt …

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