Ruth Carney, Mayor of Hot Springs, joins mayors across the country in asking residents to commit to conserving water and cutting pollution by taking part in a national contest aimed at drastically slashing water and energy use across the nation -- and in return residents can win a new Toyota Prius Plug-In, water-saving fixtures, and hundreds of other prizes.
The Wyland Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1 – 30, is a non-profit national community service campaign to see which leaders can best inspire residents to make a series of informative, through easy-to-use, online pledges to reduce water and energy use.
“Hot Springs is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty,” said Mayor Carney. “By taking part in this friendly competition with cities across the nation, Hot Springs can show the rest of the country our commitment to conserving water and preserving the environment.”
Carney encourages Hot Springs residents to conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollution on behalf of Hot Springs at www.mywaterpledge.com throughout the month of April. Last year, residents from more than 3,600 cities in all 50 U.S. states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by 1.4 billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 36 million pounds, and prevent more than 179,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds.
According to Mayor Carney, everyone at the city is excited about the challenge. “Last year, Hot Springs won national attention by having downtown Central Avenue named one of the 10 Great Streets in America by the American Planning Association,” said Carney. “In 2015, we want Hot Springs to be recognized as the top environmental leader in America.”
To participate, residents enter online at www.mywaterpledge.com to make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of Hot Springs. Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category are entered into drawings for hundreds of eco-friendly prizes, including home improvement gift cards, home irrigation equipment, and a Grand Prize Toyota Prius V. The challenge also features additional resources for residents to take their commitment even further, from regional water and energy resource issues to cost-saving tips at home.
The 4th Annual Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S. EPA Office of Water, National League of Cities, U.S. Forest Service, The Toro Company, Wondergrove Kids, Bytelaunch, and WaterSmart Software.
About the Wyland Foundation
Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is actively engaged in teaching millions of students around the country about oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands. For information, visit www.wylandfoundation.org .