The City of Wheat Ridge is excited to join the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation for the first time, and I encourage all Wheat Ridge residents to join me in this pledge. Water conservation is a key component of creating a sustainable, healthy future for our residents, and conservation is a goal we can all work towards together to protect this scarce and valuable resource.
I am joined by mayors across the country who are asking residents to make a long-term commitment to reduce pollution and manage water resources more wisely. 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.
The annual nonprofit national community service campaign encourages leaders to inspire their residents, between April 1 and 30, to commit to making small changes at mywaterpledge.com to use water more efficiently, reduce pollution and save energy.
The program was started 10 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 U.S. Last year, residents from over 2,000 cities in all 50 states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by over 1 billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 35 million pounds, and prevent nearly one hundred thousand pounds of hazardous waste from entering our watersheds.
To participate, residents go to mywaterpledge.com, and then make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of the City of Wheat Ridge. Cities compete in population categories, and the cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category have a chance to win eco-friendly prizes including Toro Irrigation Smart Controllers, gift cards for Hobie Surf Shops and more. Participating residents are also encouraged to use a custom-created digital tool called My Volunteer 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 has at winning! I’m taking the challenge, will you?
Contact Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud Starker at bstarker@ci.wheatridge.co.us or 303-235-2800.
Tips On How To Conserve Water
• Eat a little less meat
• Fix leaky faucets
• Conserve toilet water
• Install a low-flow shower head
• Turn off the water while brushing teeth
• Insulate water pipes and heater
• Use reusable water bottles
For more information visit mywaterpledge.com
