Wyland Foundation Finds 5 Most Waterwise Cities Across The U.S.

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — The Wyland Foundation has reached out to residents from across the United States in the 2019 Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation. Entrants took the pledge during April by pledging to save over 3 billion gallons of water over the next year.

The month-long campaign to promote water quality and drought resiliency ended on April 30 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 included:

• Rexburg, Idaho (Population Category 5,000-29,999)
• Palm Coast, Florida (Population Category 30,000-99,999)
• Athens, Georgia (Population Category 100,000-299,999)
• Tucson, Arizona (Population Category 300,000-599,999)
• Columbus, Ohio (Population Category 600,000 and over)

Overall, residents around the nation, from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Winterport, Maine, made 740,143 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, Ecosystems, LLC, and Conserva Irrigation, addresses the growing importance of educating consumers about the many ways they use water. The challenge kicked off earlier in April in Cleveland, Ohio, in coordination with the 50-Year Anniversary commemoration of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire, one of the events in recent history leading to better stewardship of U.S. water resources.

Residents from winning cities will now be entered into a drawing for thousands of dollars in water-saving or eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward their annual home utility bill, "Greening Your Home" cleaning kits from Earth Friendly Products (ECOS), home irrigation equipment from The Toro Company, and a water fixture makeover for a local school from Ecosystems LLC.

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 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

In addition to reducing overall water waste, challenge participants in 50 states pledged to reduce the use of 8.6 million single-use plastic water bottles and eliminate 179,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds. By altering daily lifestyle choices, pledges also resulted in potentially 80 million fewer pounds in landfills. Potential savings of 22.6 million gallons of oil, 12.9 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, 196 million kilowatt hours of electricity, and $39.6 million in consumer cost savings rounded out the final pledge results.

For more information, visit: www.wylandfoundation.org