West Palm Beach Residents Invited To Pledge To Conserve Water

West Palm Beach FL

22 March, 2021

7:36 PM

Description

From City of West Palm Beach: March 22, 2021 West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James is joining mayors across the country for the 10th Anniversary of the National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation by asking residents to make a long-term commitment to manage water resources more wisely. In return, residents can win $3,000 toward their home utility payments, water saving fixtures, and hundreds of other prizes. Plus, one lucky charity from a winning city will receive a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to serve the community. The annual challenge, April 1- 30, is a non-profit national community service campaign that encourages leaders to inspire their residents to make a series of simple pledges at mywaterpledge.com to use water more efficiently, reduce pollution, and save energy. The program was started ten years ago by a handful of mayors who were looking for alternative ways to engage their residents more deeply about the coming water challenges in the United States. "We are working to enhance the viability of West Palm Beach as a model of a healthy, environmentally progressive, resilient and ecologically sustainable community," said West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James. "Water conservation is a key part of that. I encourage everyone to take the pledge! Last year, residents from over 2,000 cities in all 50 U.S. states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by over 1 billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 29 million pounds, and prevent hundreds of thousands of pounds of hazardous waste from entering our watersheds. The challenge goes beyond short term issues and looks at the ways our water use will affect the future of our communities — from how we manage our coasts, lakes, and rivers to reducing polluted runoff. To participate, residents can go to mywaterpledge.com and, then, make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of the City of West Palm Beach. Cities compete in the following population categories: 5,000- 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 participate in the challenge in their population category can win prizes. Participants have a chance to win $3,000 toward their home utility bills and hundreds of eco-friendly prizes including Toro Irrigation smart controllers, gift cards for Hobie Surf Shops, and more. In addition, residents can nominate a deserving charity from their city to receive a 2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Students and teachers are encouraged to take part, as well. The National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation is an initiative of the Wyland Foundation. Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world's ocean, waterways, and marine life. The foundation encourages environmental awareness through community events, education programs, and public art projects. The foundation has also created a new digital tool called MyVolunteer Water Project, in support of the program, that gives residents a unique way to do hands-on home, community, and workplace projects year-round in support of their city's sustainability efforts. The more projects residents do throughout the year, the better chance a city wins the National Mayor's Challenge in April. The 10th Anniversary National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense, The Toro Company, National League of Cities, and Hobie Surf and Petal. This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.