Rain Bird Awards Program To Grant Over $50,000 To Outdoor Water Conservation Projects
Past Winners In 2009, The Intelligent Use of Water Award went to Naples Botanical Garden, Inc. in Naples, Florida, for their commitment to sustainable green building practices in the design of their gardens.
The Intelligent Use Of Water Awards Program Invites Public To Submit And Vote For Their Favorite Water Conservation Projects At www.iuowawards.com
Rain Bird announced on November 5 the launch of The Intelligent Use of Water Awards program, an interactive grant program that will award more than $50,000 to water conservation and environmental sustainability projects that promote green spaces.
Open to nonprofits, homeowners, schools, landscapers, facility managers, community organizations, students, retailers, weekend gardeners or anyone with a water conservation project that supports sustainability and green spaces, The Intelligent Use of Water Awards program invites the public to submit projects in need of funding at www.iuowawards.com.
Participants log on to iuowawards.com, choose a funding category ($1,500, $5,000, or $10,000), describe the project, upload photos and/or embed YouTube videos, and then convince friends, family and others to vote for the project through online social networks using the site's built in sharing functions. Submitters can also utilize the Facebook application to automatically update their Facebook status with a reminder to vote for their project each week.
Once a project is submitted it is made available for public voting, meaning anyone can anonymously cast their vote for their favorite project. All projects can be anonymously voted on by visitors (one vote a day per project, per individual user), and the projects with the most votes in each funding category will be awarded a combined $51,000 in grants to be used towards the completion of their winning project. Winners will be announced on World Water Day – March 22, 2011.
Established in 2008, the annual Intelligent Use of Water Awards program recognizes individuals and organizations whose innovation, leadership, ingenuity and dedication to the management and protection of Earth's most precious natural resource through improved landscape water-efficiency raises the standard for outdoor water conservation. After three years of honoring individuals and organizations for their completed projects, the 2010 Intelligent Use of Water Awards program aims to encourage and fund future water conservation projects.
"We are very excited about this year's program as we have created a platform in which the general public will be able to decide on which projects receive the funding," said Dave Johnson, Rain Bird's director of corporate marketing. "The interactive approach to this year's program will serve a broader range of projects that seek to intelligently manage water and preserve green spaces."
In developing the program, Rain Bird has assembled a team of partners that share the common goal of helping individuals and organizations make an impact in their community through the Intelligent Use of Water. Partnering in support of the Intelligent Use of Water Awards program are The Alliance for Water Efficiency, The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIG), Golfdom magazine, Growing A Greener World, Landscape Management magazine, The National Gardening Association, Pebble Beach Resorts, Project WET, Smart Approved WaterMark, The Gardener Guy, and The Groundwater Foundation.
For more information on The Intelligent Use of Water Awards, please visit www.iuowawards.com. Become a fan of Rain Bird on Facebook at facebook.com/RainBirdCorp, and follow Rain Bird on Twitter, @RainBirdCorp.
