About The Plant Institute Inc.
The Plant Institute Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 92-3514746) based in Taylorsville, Utah. We are dedicated to advancing sustainable landscape stewardship through scientific research, education, and applied innovation.
Our programs and activities.
The Plant Institute Inc. carries out its charitable mission through four core program areas. All of our work is directed at reducing landscape water consumption while improving plant health and community environmental resilience.
Applied landscape water research
We research how canopy structure, irrigation scheduling, and soil condition drive landscape water demand in arid and semi-arid climates. Our reduction-target ranges are built from public data sources including Utah DWR, USGS, USBR, NASA, the US Forest Service, USU Extension, and peer-reviewed canopy and irrigation-efficiency literature. We publish the inputs to every claim we make.
See our research and public sources →Public education and certification
We teach the canopy management, irrigation optimization, and plant physiology methodology behind landscape water reduction. Our homeowner track serves residents who want to apply the methodology themselves. Our professional track serves landscape contractors, arborists, and irrigation professionals who want to deliver it to a research-backed standard.
Learn about JLB Certification →Free water savings forecasts
We provide a free written landscape water reduction forecast to any Utah homeowner, HOA, or property that requests one. We overlay satellite canopy mapping on the property and return a written reduction estimate at no cost and no obligation. This is our primary direct-service program to the public.
Request a free forecast →City and utility pilot programs
We partner with Utah cities, water districts, and utilities to design and run landscape water reduction pilots at the neighborhood and corridor scale, including parcel selection methodology, meter-data handling, and grantor reporting.
See municipal programs →The problem we exist to address.
of residential water in arid-region homes is used outdoors
Landscape irrigation, not indoor use, is the single largest residential water demand in most Western U.S. utilities. It is also the most addressable.
Colorado River Basin storage
Sustained drought across the Western United States has placed unprecedented pressure on regional water supply, making landscape water reduction a public priority rather than a private preference.
Watershed under pressure
Reduced inflow to the Great Salt Lake carries air quality, ecological, and economic consequences for the entire Wasatch Front. Landscape water is a meaningful, citizen-level lever.
Our beneficiaries.
Our programs are open to the public and directed at the following communities across Utah.
Public-record information.
The Plant Institute Inc. is governed by a board of directors and operates under Utah nonprofit corporation law. Full officer information is published on our Leadership page.
501(c)(3) Public Charity
The Plant Institute Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
92-3514746
Our Employer Identification Number, for matching gifts, donor-advised fund grants, employer giving programs, and grant applications.
Taylorsville, Utah
2247 W 6200 S
Taylorsville, UT 84129
United States
Utah
Incorporated as a Utah nonprofit corporation under Utah Code Title 16, Chapter 6a (Utah Revised Nonprofit Corporation Act).
Board of Directors
Benjamin Behunin, President. Blake Lewis, Secretary. Pauline Behunin, Treasurer. See the full Leadership page →
Work with us, or support the work.
Our free landscape water savings forecast is open to any Utah property owner. Contributions to The Plant Institute Inc. are tax-deductible and fund our field research, certification curriculum, and meter-level verification work.