City of Tucson won first place for city population category of 300,000 to 599,999 (as it did in 2013). Since then Tucson has placed second under Aurora, Colorado, but it’s nice to see Tucson back on top.
“The annual month-long public awareness campaign to promote drought resiliency and water quality ended on April 30th with mayors from 35 states vying to see whose city could be the nation’s most “water-wise.” The cities with the highest percentage of residents making pledges during the campaign were Gallup, New Mexico; Westminster, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Tucson, Arizona ; and Dallas, Texas. 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 campaign is presented nationally by the Wyland Foundation Toyota, with supported from the Toro Company, US EPA, National League of Cities, ECOS, and Conserva Irrigation.
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 all 50 states pledged to reduce the use of 8 million single-use plastic water bottles and eliminate 177,000 pounds of hazardous waster from entering watersheds. By altering daily lifestyle choices, pledges also resulted in potentially 79.9 million fewer pounds in landfill. 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.”
Winners listed here on Wyland Foundation website:
https://www.mywaterpledge.com/master-top-ten/
Congratulations to the City of Tucson and its winning participants. This annual challenge is held every April.