Smarter Business: Greening Advisor

Watering landscaping in the evening

When landscapes are watered during the day, much of that water evaporates before plants can soak it up. By watering in the evenings or overnight, your company can reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation, saving both water and money. Many utilities and local governments offer incentives for water conservation measures such as this. Contact your utility and government to learn more about programs available to you. For a detailed guide on water use efficiency, see New Mexico’s Water Conservation Guide for Commercial, Institutional and Industrial Users.

Sample landscaping contract language

Efficient Irrigation Saves Money

The Harvard Business School campus has installed a computerized irrigation system that monitors ambient rainfall and weather, at a total cost of less than $250,000. The system senses the irrigation needs of zones all around the campus and keeps moisture levels in perfect balance throughout the year. The system saves almost 5 million gallons of water every year, or about $50,000. Case Study

The Shoreline School District in Seattle, in cooperation with Seattle Public Utilities, implemented in 2002 a number of water conservation efforts focused on increasing the efficiency of the district’s irrigation operations at 16 sites just north of Seattle. Improvements included rain sensors and a more analytic approach to determining irrigation schedules. After an initial capital cost of $175,000, the district now saves more than $50,000 per year. Case Study

Additional Resources

• EPA: What’s Green Landscaping About?
• EPA: WaterSense: Efficiency Made Easy
• EPA: Using Water Efficiently: Ideas for Commercial Businesses
• EPA: Water efficiency programs by state
• EPA: Greenscapes