Today’s daily does of depressing water news comes from Businessweek, which gives us an overview of the world’s access (or lack of access) to water.

BW, by way of the International Water Management Institute, reports that:

Over one-fifth of the world’s population goes thirsty due to economic water scarcity, in which pollution, inadequate infrastructure and poverty conspire to keep them dry – even as their basins overflow.

Lucky for you, we’ve got Martha Golea on the case. She’s one of our columnists and has written extensively about ways contractors can give the gift of water.

Here’s our weekly round-up of cool stories from the web. Enjoy!

• Bottle gardens.
• Preserving landscaping’s past.
• Flower-powered clock.
• When trees die, people die.
• ValleyCrest replants all the trees it cut down to make way for the shuttle.
• Above: A robot uses a Stihl chainsaw to carve nesting stools out of a log.

Here’s our weekly digest of articles, images and generally cool stuff from the web. Enjoy, and have a great weekend.

• Build your sales pipeline.
• Using sound to build a garden.
• Native plant bingo with CLCA.
• How to irrigate a slope.
• Bummer: Why trees can’t grow taller than 300 feet.
• Employee addiction.
• They’ve got a bit of universe conflation here, but this is pretty good.
• Above: GIFs of plant leaves withering.

I had a great talk today with Richard Restuccia, director of water management solutions at ValleyCrest Co., and a contributor to Lawn & Landscape magazine.

We talked about California’s water conversation in Landscaping Act of 2006, which took effect in 2010.

So why, you may ask, are we discussing state-specific legislation that was enacted two years ago? Well, apart from the fact that I think Richard is just really smart and I just enjoy talking with him, California’s AB 1881 is an example of how legislation seen my many as a threat to the industry could really be an opportunity for contractors. And, as water supplies become more scarce and intense drought becomes more normal, these kinds of regulations are going to spread from California to the rest of the country.

You’ll be able to hear our conversation later this week on the Lawn Care Radio Network.

If you can’t wait, you can read more of Richard here, and ValleyCrest Takes On.

Here’s our weekly digest of fun and interesting stuff from the world of the web. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

• Property managers have the happiest jobs in America. (via @austinoutdoor)
• Related: Surprising (to some) six-figure jobs.
• ValleyCrest channels L. Frank Baum in Los Angeles.
• Housing reports are too sunny. (via @jasoncupp)
• How to store hand-held equipment.
• How Americans are distributed around Starbucks.
• Above: Rick Brandenberg: Turf, bugs and rock and roll at NCSU.

Regardless of your service mix, water has an impact on your business. And, in a world of weirder weather, increasingly tight supplies and even tighter regulations, water is one of the most important resources for anyone in the green industry.

So, to help our readers stay on top of the issue, we’ve brought on the very talented Richard Restuccia, Martha Golea and Alan Harris – all contributors to the must-read ValleyCrest Takes On. Based in San Diego, Phoenix and Atlanta, respectively, our three latest contributors will address the most important and pressing issues pertaining to water for the average landscape contractor.

I’m excited to work with these three writers, and proud to bring them to the L&L readers. Stay tuned for your October issue (hitting newsstands soon!) for Richard’s inaugural piece on the future of water, and what landscape contractors need to do now to make sure they’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to increasing regulations. In November, Alan will discuss the seven reasons people hate irrigation systems.

But, if you can’t wait for the mail, you have a few chances to see us in real life.

This week, the team is on the road at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas, where they’re discussing best practices on social media. If you can’t make it out west, we’ll all be at the IA Show in Orlando in early November and you can catch us there.

Special in from Richard Restuccia today is his review of “Watershed,” the latest documentary of water in the American west. Narrated by Robert Redford, the film tells the story of the Colorado River and what the future holds for the most important water resource west of the Mississippi.

Saturday was the film’s Southwest U.S Premier; the sold out event packed The Water Conservation Garden amphitheater at Cuyamaca College. Watershed is one of the best films I have seen about water and definitely hits its goal of making water interesting to consumers. …

This is not only a must-see water management winner, but a great human interest story, too. So if you get a chance to see the movie, I wouldn’t miss it. You don’t have to be a water conservationist to enjoy it.

You can read the full review at ValleyCrest Takes On.

If it’s Monday, chances are we could all use a dose of water conservation and Jane Austen.

Well, you’re in luck, thanks to Kelly Duke, vice president of pre-construction services at ValleyCrest, who just spent his honeymoon in Northern England.

As a proper member of the landed gentry, Mr. Darcy did not need to worry about irrigation.  Even if the Lake District did not receive its average of over 80 inches of rain per annum, he could still rely on an abundant staff to manage his estate’s landscaping.

Now back at home in my Southern California digs, I am reminded that water is a fickle, if not a fleeting resource, and that I need to play an active role in its conservation.

Check out Kelly’s digest of smart water technology, and how it can be integrated into irrigation systems, here.

We’ve been a bit lax the past couple of weeks, so here’s an extra-long weekly round-up for your weekend reading pleasure. Stay cool out there!

• Can’t catch rainwater? Try these tips. (via @waterguru2)
• Succulents!
• Why you should hire introverts.
• Chris Heiler has a few suggestions on how to get free PR.
• Advertisers and consumers are getting tired of QR codes. Related.
• How to use elephants to control weeds.
• Learn how to talk to tree guys.
• Brad Johnson on planting weeds for healthy turf.
• Also: Brad’s book is in stores now.
• ASLA releases a guide to designing sustainable sites.
• Above: Why trees are important.

Here’s our weekly digest of cool stuff we found online. Enjoy!

• New invasive plant database for the Midwest.
• Get a taste of Giverny in NYC.
• A new perspective on worker injuries. (via @ValleyCrest)
• Plants that smell you.
• Phoenix housing market rises like a … well.
• Above: Denver-based Swingle Lawn & Tree Care does a great job of producing how-to videos for its customers.