Area Residents Make 13,599 Pledges to Cut Water Use By 62.1 Million Gallons As Part of 7th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, Presented by Toyota
The city of Dallas, Texas, was named one of five national winners in the 7th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation by pledging to reduce their water use by 62.1 million gallons of water over the next year. The annual month-long public awareness campaign to promote drought resiliency and water quality ended on April 30 with mayors from 35 states vying to see whose city could be the nation’s most “water wise.”
In addition to Dallas, the cities with the highest percentage of residents making pledges during the campaign included Gallup, New Mexico; Westminster, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Tucson, Arizona. Overall, residents around the nation, from Anchorage to the Florida Keys, made 618,444 pledges to change behaviors ranging from fixing home leaks to reducing harmful runoff into local rivers and streams.
The challenge, presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA, National League of Cities, The Toro Company, Earth Friendly Products – maker of ECOS, and Conserva Irrigation, addresses the growing importance of educating consumers about the many ways they use water.
Mayor Mike Rawlings adds, “The City of Dallas is a water conservation leader. That’s why it makes sense for us to continue our commitment to the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. We stand on the shoulders of giants, whose planning secured water for us today. We must also do so for future generations.”
Residents from winning cities will now be entered into a drawing for thousands of dollars in water-saving or eco-friendly prizes, including $5,000 toward their annual home utility bill, “Greening Your Home” cleaning kits from Earth Friendly Products (ECOS), and home irrigation equipment from The Toro Company. A $500 home improvement store shopping spree will also be chosen from among the entire pool of U.S. participants. Additionally, participating residents were asked to nominate a deserving charity in their community to receive a 2018 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
In addition to reducing water, challenge participants in 50 states pledged to reduce the use of 8 million single-use plastic water bottles and eliminate 177,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds. By altering daily lifestyle choices, pledges also resulted in potentially 79.9 million fewer pounds in landfills. Potential savings of 22.2 million gallons of oil, 12.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, 191.9 million kilowatt hours of electricity, and $38.4 million in consumer cost savings rounded out the final pledge results.
To find more ways to conserve water, visit savedallaswater.com, like Save Dallas Water on Facebook and follow @savedallaswater on Twitter.