Objectives: Examine US consumer pet‐related and veterinary service expenditures and factors influencing US households’ use of veterinary services.Methods: Descriptive analysis on pet‐related and veterinary service expenditures and regression analysis on pet owners’ use of veterinary services, using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure from 2006 to 2018, with the sample size of 257,836 households, of which 73,593 had pet expenses.Results: From 1980 to 2018, the proportion of households with pet‐related and veterinary service expenditures increased. Since 2010, the percentage of pet‐owning households using veterinary services has increased substantially. Household characteristics were examined and significantly affected the probability of both pet and veterinary expenditures. Non‐White and Hispanic groups had increased pet ownership, but the likelihood of veterinary service use has not surpassed White and non‐Hispanic pet owners.Conclusions: Understanding the effects of household sociodemographics, particularly race and ethnicity, on using veterinary services provides insights for optimizing strategic planning for the pet industry and veterinarians. Reviewing the implications helps adjust and fine‐tune strategies and influence the sustainability of the veterinary service sector by attracting different racial and ethnic groups. Future research might focus on other social and cultural factors influencing the utilization of veterinary care. The veterinary service sector can then effectively address pet care disparities, bridge existing gaps and improve economic viability.

Smart irrigation systems are relatively new technologies that optimize irrigation schedules in residential landscapes, thus leading to reduced irrigation water use and potential contamination. To promote the use of such technologies, the landscape services industry has introduced innovative features such as the integration of local weather data into irrigation controller systems or mobile phone control and alert notifications that help to facilitate usability and prevent over-irrigation. Very few studies have addressed homeowners’ preferences for outdoor irrigation technologies. This study investigates homeowners’ preferences for smart irrigation systems for residential landscapes. We utilized online survey data to examine how homeowners’ knowledge and perceptions influence their preferences for specific features such as automatic failure alert and notifications, mobile control, integration with weather-based and soil-moisture sensor-based irrigation, home automation, and touchscreen displays. Results estimated by the rank-ordered logit model revealed that knowledge and perceptions of smart irrigation controllers are significantly correlated with homeowners’ preferences for water efficiency features. The results offer practical implications for policymakers and the residential irrigation industry as they develop and promote smart irrigation technologies to conserve water resources.

The influence of traditional residential landscapes on humans and the environment has provoked a discussion on maintaining landscapes in a sustainable way and conserving water resources. Traditional American landscapes require water-intensive management. Previous research has discussed potential negative impacts on the environment from prevalent improper landscaping maintenance techniques. To mitigate long-term consequences, sustainable landscape management programs aim at protecting the environment from harmful inputs and conserving water. Among alternative practices, converting fully turfgrass lawns to sustainable landscapes is recommended. The Florida Friendly Landscaping (FFL^TM) initiative is one such program designed to minimize negative impacts while maintaining and improving landscapes’ aesthetic characteristics. Although technological advancements in lawn care services have rapidly developed in the past few decades (e.g., smart irrigation systems), the level of homeowners’ knowledge and perceptions regarding sustainable practices are still at the forefront of potential factors that influence the widespread adoption of sustainable lawn management. Relatively few studies have investigated how homeowners’ knowledge and perceptions of sustainable landscapes affect adoption decisions. This study adapted Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior as a framework to examine how individuals’ knowledge and perceptions of sustainable landscapes influence their adoption intention, and to predict their pro-environmental behavior. We found that homeowners’ knowledge about lawns and landscapes (more knowledgeable) is positively correlated with their sustainable landscape adoption intention. Additionally, homeowners’ perceptions of landscape conservation practices (more agreeable with sustainable landscape practices) are positively correlated with sustainable landscape adoption intentions. The implications for policymakers and water conservation programs are discussed.