The IA promotes July as Smart Irrigation month in an effort to increase awareness of the value of water, and to grow the demand for water-saving products, practices and services.

First launched in 2005 to increase public awareness of the importance of water-use efficiency during summer's peak demand, Smart Irrigation Month continues to gain support from irrigation companies, water providers and other industry stakeholders.

Thus far, a record number of states and municipalities have issued official proclamations recognizing July 2013 as Smart Irrigation Month, adding credibility to the need for water management. Among them are Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Virginia. At the municipal level, Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla. and Denver and Greeley, Colo. have also issued proclamations.

Irrigation firms have played a critical role too, by working at the grassroots level to gain support from their state and local governments and launching individual campaigns to promote Smart Irrigation Month to their customers and business partners.

Industry efforts to promote Smart Irrigation Month range from displaying bumper stickers on company vehicles to fully integrated marketing campaigns promoting the use of smart irrigation products. Industry member activities in 2013 include:

• Representatives from Automatic Irrigation Supply Co. (Fishers, Ind.), CPS Distributors, Inc. (Westminster, Colo.) and MPR Supply Co. (St. Louis, Mo.) were instrumental in gaining their respective states' endorsement.
• Ewing Irrigation Products (Phoenix, Ariz.), a past winner of the Smart Marketing Contest, is offering free sales tools, weekly "Blue Monday" specials and other resources, as well as holding an irrigation photo contest.
• Heads Up Landscape Contractors (Albuquerque, N.M.) is helping customers create low-water landscapes that thrive in the local climate, use smart controllers to comply with area watering restrictions and identify rebates to upgrade irrigation systems.
• Hunter Industries, Inc. (San Marcos, Calif.) is sponsoring a contest for irrigation professionals to win a free trip to the 2013 Irrigation Show. The contest web site also provides a forum to share photos conservation-focused projects and discuss smart irrigation.
• McCrometer Inc. (Hemet, Calif.) is conducting an awareness campaign that includes educational activities to engage the younger generation, weekly e-mails with water saving tips, informational flyers and box stuffers, supported by the company's web site and social media.

For more information about the IA or smart irrigation, please visit irrigation.org.

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