Cities Nationwide To Compete To See Who Can Be Most ‘Water Wise'

Drought resiliency and energy savings through water conservation will be focus of fourth annual national awareness campaign

With at least 36 states facing water shortages this year, mayors across the country will be asking residents to make a commitment to conserve water and cut pollution by taking part in a national contest aimed at drastically slashing water and energy use across the nation —and in return residents can win a new Toyota Prius Plug-In, water saving fixtures, and hundreds of other prizes.

In addition to helping the environment, the mayors earn bragging rights about winning the Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, a non-profit competition, April 1-30, to see which leaders can best inspire their residents to make a series of informative, easy-to-use online pledges to reduce water and energy usage.

“Whether its drought conditions in the West or the high costs of energy related to water use in the East, saving water has become one of the most talked about issues facing the nation today,” said Wyland, artist and president of the Wyland Foundation. “This gives city leaders a way to supplement their awareness efforts in a friendly, spirited way.”

Presented nationally by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA’s Office of Water, National League of Cities, U.S. Forest Service, The Toro Company, Wondergrove Kids, Bytelaunch, and WaterSmart Software, mayors nationwide are encouraged to challenge their residents to conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollution on behalf of their city at www.mywaterpledge.com throughout the mont h of April. Last year, residents from over 3,600 cities in all 50 U.S. states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by 1.4 billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 36 million pounds, prevent more than 179,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering our watersheds, a reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 billion pounds. Participants have included mayors from Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Diego, San Francisco, Long Beach, Calif., and Miami.

To participate, residents enter the name of their city at mywaterpledge.com, and then make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of their city. Cities compete in the following population categories: (5,00-29,999 residents, 30,000-99,999 residents, 100,000-299,999 residents, 300,000-599,999 residents, and 600,000+ residents). Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category are deemed the winner. Residents from those cities are entered to win an array of environmentally positive prizes. Residents also discover resources in their area to take their commitment of conservation even further, from regional water and energy resource issues to cost-saving tips at home.

About the Wyland Foundation
Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is actively engaged in teaching millions of students around the county about our ocean, rivers, lakes streams, and wetlands. The foundation's latest project, FOCUS (Forests, Oceans, Climate – and us) brings together the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, and numerous non-profits to teach young people about the future of our water supplies, climate, and global health. For more information, visit www.wylandfoundation.org.