Water conservation is easy to support. Few people would argue that we should not waste one of our most important natural resources. The challenge begins when we move beyond such a simple statement and start asking the much harder question: How?
Every community, industry, homeowner, business, farmer, water provider, and policymaker may agree on the importance of conserving water, but finding solutions that are practical, effective, affordable, and sustainable is much more challenging. There is rarely a single answer. What works in one community may not work in another. A solution that appears simple on paper may create unintended consequences in the real world.
Most in the landscape industry have been party to conversations about outdoor water use - and those conversations have often carried a heavy bend toward the idea that irrigation water is wasted water. Sound about right? Hopefully, many of those conversations have been educational. At times, however, they might have been adversarial.
The truth is that simply saying “use less water” is easy. Developing responsible, workable solutions requires much more. It requires research, innovation, communication, and a willingness to understand the needs and perspectives of others. We must look beyond assumptions and recognize that healthy landscapes, environmental stewardship, economic realities, and responsible water use do not have to be competing priorities.
The Georgia Urban Ag Council has been there and done that…quite often on behalf of landscape service providers and product suppliers to advocate for the realities of outdoor water conservation. Education and outreach with water providers, state agencies, and lawmakers are very important, and UAC proudly works to demonstrate that our industry can be - and is - a responsible and compassionate steward of our state’s water resources. Significant progress has been made, but the work continues.
Honoring those that have led the way
Through the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) and its conservation-focused Georgia Water Wise Council, UAC has been able to expand these conversations and build greater recognition of the progress being made in water conservation. In fact, at the GAWP Annual Conference this summer, UAC input helped recognize Georgia State Representative Lynn Smith with the Phil Karr Award for her service to water conservation.
It was a great honor to witness longtime House Natural Resources and Environment Chairwoman Lynn Smith be recognized for her many contributions to statewide water conservation and water policy. Her leadership in helping craft the Georgia Water Stewardship Act of 2010, along with her work on other important water laws during 30 years of service in the Georgia General Assembly, made this recognition especially fitting. UAC has proudly worked with Chairwoman Smith throughout her remarkable career. She has more than earned this special acknowledgment.
In addition, UAC Executive Director Mary Kay Woodworth helped lead an educational session alongside Georgia Environmental Protection Division Water Resources Director Veronica Craw. Both shared a strong commitment to educating people about the direct and indirect impacts of water shortages and the importance of drought mitigation. The presentations effectively showed both sides of the water awareness coin.
The response from attendees was outstanding as engagement during the sessions - and the conversations that continued afterward - were encouraging and productive. The attention and enthusiasm of presenters and GAWP members on such an important topic demonstrates the importance of being present and participating in the search for solutions.
It has not always been this way
Nearly 20 years ago, UAC and other business-focused organizations were often vilified and even chastised during debates over drought management and outdoor water use. At the time, the conversation could easily become centered on what needed to be restricted rather than how we could collectively find better ways to conserve.
Today, bridges are being built, and mutual respect has created lines of communication that once seemed impossible. That may be one of the most important changes of all. Water conservation is no longer simply a debate about who is using water. Increasingly, it is a conversation about how we can all use it more wisely.
UAC has invested time and outreach to help create the shared experiences and cooperation that now exist with GAWP, the Georgia Water Wise Council, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
Moving forward
UAC’s own Executive Director, Mary Kay Woodworth, will continue building on that engagement as the new Chair of the Georgia Water Wise Council and as a board member of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals. Mary Kay is a respected statewide leader for UAC members and throughout the landscape, turfgrass, and horticulture industries. Her passion for conservation, innovation, and service is a tremendous asset.
The future of water conservation
The reality is that conserving water will always be easier to talk about than it is to accomplish. The hard work is determining how to use less water while still maintaining the communities, landscapes, businesses, agriculture, and quality of life that depend on it.
New solutions require better technology. Better plants. Smarter irrigation. Additional research. Sound policy. And perhaps most importantly, requiring people with different perspectives to sit at the same table and work toward solutions together.
Water conservation is a team effort, and there will never be a single solution that works everywhere or every time. The challenges will continue, which means our ideas and approaches must continue to evolve as well.
Conserving water is easy to support. Finding the right ways to do it is the real challenge.
That is why the conversation matters. That is why cooperation matters. And that is why the work continues. The landscape industry must be committed to these efforts.
Let’s get to work.
