Thursday, March 22, 2012

Win a Prius by Saving Water? Contact Your Mayor

 prius How would you like a new Prius? I have to say, I wouldn’t say “No”, if someone wanted to give me a new car, especially if it was one that was more eco-friendly than my current ride. So I was intrigued when I saw the press blurbs about the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.

According to their website, the Wyland Foundation, along with a whole slew of other organizations, are giving away $50,000 in prizes to people who take an online water challenge between March 30 – April 30th, top prize being a Toyota Prius Hybrid. 

But here’s the thing: in order to win, you have to live in the city with the highest number of residents who take the challenge….and this is a NATIONWIDE contest. So the first step to get anywhere near winning the Prius, or any of the other great prizes, is to contact your mayor and ask them to challenge their citizens. The website provides a letter that you can download and use to contact your mayor.

Sure, the chances of winning the Prius are a long shot, but what have you got to loose? Getting people in your city to pledge to conserve water and other valuable resources is a good thing, and a cleaner environment for your city is a great prize, in itself.

More information from the Wyland Foundation website:

Mayors are encouraged to challenge their residents to visit mywaterpledge.com from March 30 to April 30. Visitors to the website enter their zip code and then make a series of online pledges to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution.

Participants in cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge will be eligible to win more than 1,000 prizes, including a Toyota Prius and water-saving home products from Waterpik, Sterling Plumbing, Rainbird, and Lowe's.

“The mayor’s challenge gives communities a way to come together for one very important reason—the future of our planet,” said famed marine artist Wyland. “We see mayors making gentlemen’s bets over who will win college football games. Here’s a way for them to take on an even more important challenge in a friendly, competitive way.”

Raingarden Workshop – March 31st

Raingardens for Homeowners. Saturday, March 31st.  9:30 AM – 12:30 PM. 

Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are attractive landscape features that allow rain water and snow melt to infiltrate into the ground.  A layer of mulch and plants intercept water running off streets, driveways, and rooftops, slowing its flow and removing pollutants before the water reaches local streams, the Occoquan River and the Potomac River, drinking water supplies for the region. 

The workshop will be held at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St.  Arlington, VA.  

To register, please email Aileen Winquist at awinquist@arlingtonva.us     More information:  http://www.novaregion.org/raingardens

Website by Water Words That Work LLC