391,325 Pledge to Curb Water Usage in Annual Mayor’s Challenge
Cochran School Assistant Principal Linda Olivarez (left to right), DISD Assistant Superintendent Desiree Aria, Mayor Mike Rawlings, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, Cochran School Principal Demarcus L. Goree Watkins, Toyota’s Kevin Butt and Region 6 EPA administrator Ron Curry break ground on the outdoor classroom and gardens, students at Cochran Elementary School in Dallas celebrate with international environmental artist Wyland as part of the kick-off to the 4th Annual National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation on Thursday, April 9, 2015
This year, Toyota was one of the primary sponsors of the Wyland Foundation’s 2015 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, which resulted in 391,325 individual pledges to reduce water usage in a time where so many areas of the United States are impacted by drought.
Between April 1st and 30th, citizens from more than 3,900 cities in the US made nearly 400,000 pledges to reduce water usage in all facts of life. The cities with the highest participation in the campaign were San Diego, California; Aurora, Colorado; Torrance, California; Poway, California; and Hermosa Beach, California. The prevalence of commitments from Cali comes as little surprise given the state’s ongoing water shortage.
Residents who made pledges for the winning cities will be entered to win a number of prizes this month, including the grand prize of a brand-new Toyota Prius v.
“Toyota is committed to using its knowledge, resources, and time to support programs that promote the efficient use of natural resources,” said Kevin Butt, Regional Environmental Director for Toyota. “We’ve been proud to watch the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation grow in just a few short years from a grass-roots initiative with a handful of mayors to one of the largest water conservation awareness programs in the nation.”
The pledges equal out to water savings of roughly 1.5 billion gallons, which is nearly enough to fill 2,300 Olympic swimming pools. The pledges also add up to 4.6 million fewer plastic water bottles used and 47 million fewer pounds of waste in landfills.
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