More than 1,000 WaterSense partners helped Americans save 9.3
billion gallons of water in 2008. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency named five of them as the 2009 WaterSense Partners of the
Year.
"Our partners have demonstrated how collaboration and commitment
to water efficiency can result in major savings for Americans," said
Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water.
"By working together to promote WaterSense labeled products and
other water-efficient behaviors, they are helping Americans save
tremendously on water, energy and money on their utility bills."
The following utilities, manufacturer, retailer and individual
were recognized for their extraordinary efforts promoting WaterSense
in 2008:
- Promotional Partners of the Year: Cobb County Water System,
Marietta, Ga. (large utility)
- James City Service Authority, Williamsburg, Va. (small
utility)
- Manufacturer Partner of the Year: Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis.
- Retailer Partner of the Year: Lowe's Companies, Inc.,
Mooresville, N.C.
- Irrigation Partner of the Year: Brian Vinchesi, Pepperell,
Mass.
Following are just a few ways these partners have worked to save
water for future generations:
- Cobb County Water System worked with Kohler, Lowe's and
other WaterSense partners to promote the state of Georgia's
first sales tax holiday on WaterSense labeled products.
- Kohler earned the WaterSense label on 40 percent of its
faucets and 25 percent of its toilets. They used mobile
restrooms to showcase these products at events nationwide.
- Lowe's, one of the largest home improvement retailers in
North America, trained more than 200,000 employees to promote
WaterSense to customers at 1,650 stores and has demonstrated
that increasing the percentage of WaterSense labeled products
they sell is a top priority.
- James City Service Authority helped consumers in coastal
Virginia save water and money through collaboration with local
citizen coalitions to encourage local plumbers and retailers to
provide discounts on the sale and installation of WaterSense
labeled toilets in addition to offering rebates on WaterSense
labeled products.
- Certified irrigation professional Brian Vinchesi champions
water-efficient landscapes as a WaterSense irrigation partner
and president of Irrigation Consulting, Inc.
More information on WaterSense Partner of the Year award winners:
http://www.epa.gov/watersense
SOURCE: EPA