###For Immediate Release###

Contact: Lindsay Ignatowski
520-396-3266; lindsay@watershedmg.org

“Tucson, Arizona, is quickly distinguishing itself as one of the leading cities in promoting water conservation, specifically water harvesting practices. With only twelve inches of rainfall per year, residents are learning to make the most of their scarce water supply. In the forefront of this movement, grassroots groups, non-profit organizations, businesses, and the city government are promoting water harvesting through educational programs, city policies, demonstration sites, technology innovations, and green job training.

Tucson-based Watershed Management Group offers the only course in the nation that provides a comprehensive, hands-on training program to green professionals seeking education in design and implementation of water harvesting systems. Emphasizing integrated and sustainable design, WMG’s Water Harvesting Certification program teaches architects, landscapers, planners, entrepreneurs, educators, and community organizers how to retrofit residential and commercial sites with greywater systems, water harvesting earthworks, appropriate plants, and cisterns.

This intensive course blends both informational lectures and hands-on workshop practice, with over 30 hours of field experience to apply the theories covered in class. Graduates of the course become Certified Water Harvesting practitioners, a formal acknowledgement of their mastery of the essential core concepts of water harvesting, and a testament to their ability to perform this work in a professional capacity. Course graduate Luis Perales, teacher, said, “Working and learning alongside field experts, community advocates, and course participants helped to create a sense of competence in my ability to create, teach, and implement water harvesting projects.”

This year, Watershed Management Group has seen interest in its Water Harvesting Certification course cross the boundaries of the arid southwest and national borders. Recent participants come from such diverse areas as the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Mexico, and even Cananda to take part in this one-of-a-kind training opportunity. In the last two years, WMG has certified 47 Water Harvesting practitioners from seven states and three countries.

WMG is now accepting applications for 2010 Fall Water Harvesting Certification program, a nine-day intensive course to be held in Tucson, AZ, from Nov. 12 to Nov. 21, 2010. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until Oct. 11, with early registration applications due by Sept. 20. Applications, course schedules, and full program details are available on WMG’s website at www.watershedmg.org/certification. For more information, please contact Lindsay Ignatowski at lindsay@waterhsedmg.org or 520-396-3266.

Watershed Management Group is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that develops community-based solutions to ensure the long-term prosperity of people and health of the environment. We provide people with the knowledge, skills, and resources for sustainable livelihoods.”

“Is your neighborhood interested in:
-calming traffic
-reducing flooding and water pollution
-shading, cooling and beautifying the neighborhood by growing stormwater-fed
trees and shrubs?

Watershed Management Group (WMG) and Trees for Tucson (TFT) are offering a
series of free presentations to neighborhood groups on community uses of
green infrastructure. Green infrastructure refers to constructed features
that use living, natural systems to provide environmental services such as
cleaning and infiltrating stormwater; shading, cooling and beautifying
neighborhood streets; and providing wildlife habitat.

WMG has partnered with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation to
create design standards for neighborhood green infrastructure features
including water harvesting basins in:
-traffic-calming chicanes
-medians
-traffic circles
-street width reductions
-street-side rights-of-way

Several Tucson neighborhoods have successfully installed such features, and
WMG and TFT seek to share information on these practices including:
-benefits of green infrastructure
-information on the new design standards
-information about how neighborhoods can implement green infrastructure
approaches
-learn how WMG and TFT work with neighborhoods to implement water
harvesting, tree planting, and other green infrastructure solutions.”
(info from a recent email from WMG)

The presentations are offered FREE from July-September 2010. If
your neighborhood group, association, or coalition is interested in hosting a
presentation during these months, please contact James MacAdam, WMG Project
Manager, at 520-396-3266, james@watershedmg.org.

For more information on Watershed Management Group, visit watershedmg.org.
For more information on Trees for Tucson, visit
http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/tcb/tft/.
The mission of Watershed Management Group (WMG) is to “develop community-based solutions to ensure the long-term prosperity of people and health of the environment. We provide people with the knowledge, skills, and resources for sustainable livelihoods.”

COMING UP:

Passive Rainwater Harvesting Earthworks Workshop
Date: Saturday, July 24th, 7am-11am
Location: Near River Road, East of Campbell

Workshop instructors: Lincoln Perino and Nick Irvine
Description: Two WMG instructors will be on-site to help guide and teach participants how to implement passive water harvesting techniques with native plants. The site has both hill slope and roadside components to it, so there is also a diversity in design and technique.
Limit 12 participants. RSVP to co-op@watershedmg.org by Thursday July 22.