Rain Bird, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services, announced today that its 11th Intelligent Use of Water Summit will be held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2010. The Intelligent Use of Water Summit: State of the Union will focus on providing greater insight into the water conservation policies and legislation, programs, initiatives and trends that ultimately steer city and state-wide efforts to reduce outdoor water waste.
Scheduled for Thursday, April 15, 2010, in the Baird Auditorium at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the Summit panel will feature a cross section of city and state municipalities and water agencies that excel in implementing effective landscape water efficiency and conservation programs. Panelists at the upcoming Summit will be:
* Paul Goble, City of Indian Wells, (Indian Wells, CA)
* Karen Guz, San Antonio Water Conservation Dept. (San Antonio, TX)
* Elizabeth Hurst, Inland Empire Utilities Agency (Chino, CA)
* Karla Wilson, EcoWorks Unlimited, on behalf of Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources and Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (St. Louis, MO)
* Alice Keyes, Conserve Georgia (Atlanta, GA)
* Doug Bennett, Southern Nevada Water Authority (Las Vegas, NV)
As panelists, each will have the opportunity to showcase their water conservation case study and share their successful strategies and initiatives on outdoor water conservation to an audience of landscape and water professionals as well as government representatives, NGOs, key water industry representatives and the media. Leading the environmentally focused symposium will be veteran journalist, Susan McGinnis.
Regarded as one of Washington D.C.’s leading energy and environmental journalists, Susan McGinnis serves as managing editor and news anchor for Clean Skies News, an online news network devoted to providing in depth news, information, discussion, and commentary as it relates to energy and the environment. Before joining Clean Skies, McGinnis served as anchor of the CBS Morning News and as a business-news contributor to The Early Show on CBS.
Established in 2004 as a forum to further define the relationship between water conservation and landscape water use, The Intelligent Use of Water Summit series presents a view of the current and future state of water resources through the eyes of water conservation and environmental experts.
Previous summit locations have included Pasadena, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., Tempe, Ariz., Madrid, Spain, Aix-en-Provence, France, and most recently, Melbourne, Australia, in March of 2009.
“Reduced water availability presents a significant challenge for city and state municipalities as they need to implement conservation programs that, despite being necessary, are not always welcomed with open arms by the audiences they serve,” said Rain Bird Corporate Marketing Director Dave Johnson. “The representatives on the Intelligent Use of Water Summit: State of The Union panel have demonstrated success in implementing creative programs that have achieved increased water efficiency through education and innovation.”
The Intelligent Use of Water Summit: State of The Union will be held at the Smithsonian’s Baird Auditorium on April 15th, 2010 and is open to the public at no charge. RSVP at iuow@rainbird.com.