Cobb County, James City Are Partners of the Year
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency singled out 5 from more than 1,000 of its efficiency partners as 2009 WaterSense Partners of the Year.
The following utilities, manufacturer, retailer and individual were recognized for their efforts in promoting WaterSense last year:
- Promotional Partners: Cobb County Water System, Marietta, Ga. (large utility) and James City Service Authority, Williamsburg, Va. (small utility)
- Manufacturer Partner: Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis.
- Retailer Partner: Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Mooresville, N.C.
- Irrigation Partner: Brian Vinchesi, Pepperell, Mass.
To earn this recognition, these partners engaged in several activities. Cobb County Water System worked with Kohler, Lowe’s and other WaterSense partners to promote the state of Georgia’s first sales tax holiday on WaterSense labeled products. Kohler earned the label on 40 percent of its faucets and 25 percent of its toilets. They used mobile restrooms to showcase these products at events nationwide. Lowe’s trained more than 200,000 employees to promote the label to customers at 1,650 stores and demonstrated that selling more labeled product is a top priority. James City Service Authority in coastal Virginia collaborated with local citizen coalitions to encourage local plumbers and retailers to provide discounts on the sale and installation of labeled toilets in addition to offering rebates on products. Certified irrigation professional Brian Vinchesi champions water-efficient landscapes as an irrigation partner and president of Irrigation Consulting, Inc.
“Our partners have demonstrated how collaboration and commitment to water efficiency can result in major savings for Americans,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. In 2008, all of the organization's partners helped Americans save 9.3 billion gallons of water.