Tucson, Arizona Oct 1, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - The city of Tucson was recognized during an outdoor tree planting event Wednesday, Sept. 29, as one of five winning cities in the 10th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation. The event recognized the efforts of Tucson residents who took part in the spring pledge campaign to reduce their ongoing water use by 50 million gallons to promote resiliency against future water shortages.
The challenge, presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA, National League of Cities, The Toro Company, and Hobie Surf Shops, addresses the importance of educating consumers about the many ways they use water.
One of these strategies – planting native trees – provides important benefits for groundwater recharge, reducing pollution runoff, and supporting climate resilience. Through the Tucson Million Trees initiative, Tucson City Mayor Regina Romero has pledged to plant one million trees in the city by 2030.
“This campaign has always been about sharing the different ways people can protect our water resources,” said marine life artist Wyland, who founded the Wyland Foundation in 1993. “In addition to all the other benefits they provide, trees can recharge our groundwater and scrub runoff that would otherwise wash into our streams and waterways.”
In addition to now being entered into a drawing for thousands of dollars in water-saving or eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 toward their annual home utility bill, Tucson residents who made conservation pledges earned the right to nominate a deserving charity in their community to receive the National Grand Prize, a 2021Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE.
Mayor Regina Romero, and Toyota Director of Environmental Sustainability Kevin Butt will share in awarding the grand prize vehicle to Casa De Los Ninos, a Tucson-based non-profit group, which was among the 8,000+ charities nominated nationwide. “Tucsonans understand the importance of conserving water and other natural resources,” said Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. “Our desert city is a national leader when it comes to the stewardship of our precious water resources, including stormwater, rainwater, reclaimed water, and potable water. The Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation is a great way to highlight our commitment to cherish every drop of water, while supporting a local non-profit, Casa de Los Niños, with a brand new Toyota vehicle."
As the dealership providing the car this year, Precision Toyota of Tucson plants five trees for every car they sell.
“Communities all benefit when people focus on sustainability,” said Toyota’s Kevin Butt. “We’re honored to provide a Highlander on behalf of all the Tucson residents who took this year’s water challenge to support the ongoing work of such an important local non-profit.”
In addition to reducing overall water waste, Tucson residents pledged to reduce their use of single-use plastic water bottles by 115,000, eliminate 3.4 million pounds of hazardous waste from entering watersheds. By altering daily lifestyle choices, residents also pledged to put 1.3 million fewer pounds of waste in landfills. Potential reductions of 184 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 3.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, and $622,000 in consumer cost savings rounded out the final pledge results. The campaign provides an ongoing tool for Tucson residents to track their pledges as specific conservation projects throughout the year at wylandfoundation.org/mywaterproject.
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 dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world’s ocean, waterways, and marine life. The foundation encourages environmental awareness through community events, education programs, and public art projects. www.wylandfoundation.org
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold 2.8 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2018.
Media Contact
Wyland Foundation jonathan@bluetonepr.com 6198076349 http://wylandfoundation.org
