At Stay Green Inc., we are avid advocates of sustainable business practices — so much so that last year we concentrated our environmentally minded philosophies into a new service line, called Sustainability Practices. In the landscaping business, one of the key components of sustainable operation is achieving the most efficient use of water possible.

The latest snowpack report from the California Department of Water Resources serves as a reminder that using water efficiently isn’t just a nice thing to do — it’s a need.

“The fact that we just had a dry winter right after an unusually wet season last year shows that we must be prepared for all types of weather,” DWR Director Mark Cowin said in a statement announcing the snowpack readings. “Reservoir storage will mitigate the impact of dry conditions on water supply this summer, but we have to plan for the possibility of a consecutive dry year in 2013, both by practicing conservation, continuing to develop alternative local water supplies, and working toward improved water storage and conveyance.”

In other words, Mother Nature can be fickle — and we have to plan, on an ongoing basis, to use our resources efficiently, even when we have the occasional wet year, as we did in 2011. After all, we know the dry years will follow.

Here at Stay Green, we do our part by maximizing every drop of water our clients use, and we also serve as advocates to promote overall efficient water use in our communities.

Stay Green’s sustainable water use practices include the use of high-tech irrigation controllers. They seem magical, in a way: The controllers are programmed to sense weather conditions, including precipitation, temperature and humidity, and they automatically adjust watering schedules accordingly. This ensures that the client’s landscape receives the water that plants, turf and shrubs need to thrive, without overwatering or wasting our precious water supplies.

Our team’s expertise also comes into play. Stay Green’s experts create efficiently designed landscapes, taking into account factors such as plant location, plant selection, soil and terrain. We also make sure our clients’ irrigation systems are in tip-top shape — utilizing high-tech water-efficient nozzles and making sure there are no pesky leaks.

All of this of course helps the client reduce the water bill, which makes good business sense. And it makes good environmental sense, too, because when it comes to the water resources we all share here in California, one thing is certain:

This wasn’t our last dry year.

If you’re interested in reading more about the latest snowpack readings and reservoir levels, here are some links from the DWR:

Electronic snowpack readings

Electronic reservoir level readings