Press, interviews, and updates from The Plant Institute Inc.
The Plant Institute Inc. is an active commentator on water policy, the Great Salt Lake, urban forestry, and landscape water reduction. This page hosts our published articles, media interviews, and program announcements as they go live, plus press contact and our monthly Utah Water Report newsletter.
Water, canopy, and conservation in plain language.
Articles, interviews, and updates.
As The Plant Institute Inc. publishes articles and gives interviews, they appear here. Subscribe to the monthly Water Report below to be notified when new pieces release.
Great Salt Lake, drought status, urban canopy, and Utah irrigation policy.
The Plant Institute Inc. actively researches and comments on water conservation across Utah. Journalists working on stories in these areas can reach us directly at info@plantinstitute.org for interviews, fact-checks, and citation-backed background. New Institute-authored articles and interview features are indexed on this page as they are published or aired.
One short email a month with the numbers that matter.
Each edition summarizes the previous month's drought status, Great Salt Lake elevation, notable conservation policy news, and any new Plant Institute publication or interview. Subscribe below.
Journalists on deadline: email info@plantinstitute.org for a same-day response where possible.
What we write about.
Our publishing focuses on the topics where Utah homeowners, HOAs, city staff, and journalists most often need a research-backed answer.
Great Salt Lake
Inflow status, watershed pressure, conservation policy, citizen-level levers.
Drought conditions
Seasonal status from Utah DWR and USGS, what it means for residential rate tiers.
Irrigation efficiency
Sprinkler optimization, smart-controller programming, ET scheduling, rebate availability.
Canopy science
Tree water use, structural pruning, urban forestry, the cost of mass canopy loss.
Urban heat
Surface temperatures, microclimate, the heat island effect, why landscape choices set local temperature.
Xeriscape myths
Why removal-first conversion underdelivers, and what alternatives outperform it on water and heat.
Working on a story?
Plant Institute Inc. researchers are available for interviews on Utah water conservation, the Great Salt Lake, canopy management, urban heat, irrigation efficiency, and municipal pilot programs. Public-source citations are provided alongside every quote.
info@plantinstitute.org
For interview requests, fact-check confirmation, and background material. We respond within one business day.
1 business day
We respond to legitimate press inquiries within one business day. Same-day for breaking-news context where possible.
Citations on request
We provide public-source citations for every figure quoted and will not give a number we can't source. See our public sources →
Why a nonprofit does this work.
The Plant Institute Inc. is a Utah nonprofit corporation and an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 92-3514746) based in Taylorsville. Our charitable mission is to reduce urban landscape water demand, improve plant health, and increase environmental resilience by connecting research with practical, field-tested solutions. We publish our methodology openly, provide water savings forecasts at no cost, and reinvest program revenue into research and free public education.
