Naples Botanical Garden Wins Leadership Award; Four State/Local Municipalities and Water Agencies Receive the State of the Union Award in Recognition of Their Outstanding Achievements in Landscape Water Conservation AZUSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rain Bird, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services, has announced that Naples Botanical Garden is the winner of the 2009 Intelligent Use of Water™ Leadership Award, recognizing the organization’s leadership in the management of Earth’s most precious natural resource. The garden, located in Naples, Florida received $10,000 from Rain Bird and was featured in a short film highlighting the organization’s unique approach to water conservation at a special event held at the 2009 WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas. “Naples Botanical Garden is a prime example of what community organizations, especially our public gardens, can do to combat the mismanagement of water and encourage the creative processes and systems for conserving water,” said Dave Johnson, Rain Bird’s director of corporate marketing. “Naples Botanical Garden is vibrant proof, not only to residents of Florida, but also to home and business owners nationwide, that responsible and efficient water use can yield healthy and beautiful landscapes.” In an area with a problematic history of pollution and fertilizer runoff in communal waterways, Naples Botanical Garden is committed to the integration of sustainable green building practices into the design of their gardens. Having adopted the water use goals for LEED Gold Certification, the garden is a leader in freshwater conservation and management and incorporates numerous water conserving features into its design. Parking lot bio-swales capture rainwater that filters through the ground, carrying water to the giant entry feature bio-swale, the Rain Garden. A “River of Grass” garden feature serves as a natural filtration system before the water is slowly released to the preserve area. The primary irrigation system for the garden implements soil moisture detectors that direct water as needed through drip emitters. The system has allowed the garden to reduce water use by 50 percent. Naples Botanical Garden was one of five finalists for the 2009 award that included Quail Botanical Gardens (Encinitas, CA), Hui o Ko'olaupoko (Kailua, HI), Queens Botanical Garden (Queens, NY) and the Council on the Environment of New York City (New York, NY). Each finalist was selected by an independent panel of judges based on a set of pre-determined criteria that included demonstrated water savings, landscape preservation, innovation and overall impact on the community. ABOUT RAIN BIRD CORPORATION Based in Azusa, Calif., Rain Bird Corporation is the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services. Since its beginnings in 1933, Rain Bird has offered the industry's broadest range of irrigation products for farms, golf courses, sports arenas, commercial developments and homes in more than 130 countries around the world. Rain Bird has been awarded more than 130 patents, including the first in 1935 for the impact sprinkler. Rain Bird and The Intelligent Use of Water is about using water wisely. Its commitment extends beyond products to education, training and services for the industry and the community. Rain Bird maintains state-of-the-art manufacturing assembly facilities in the United States, France, Sweden and Mexico. www.rainbird.com
