Mayor Dale Copeland urges residents to pledge to conserve
Bartlesville Mayor Dale Copeland is joining mayors across the country in asking residents to make a long-term commitment to manage water resources more wisely by taking part in the annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation — and in return residents can win $3,000 toward their home utility payments, water saving fixtures and hundreds of other prizes. Plus, one lucky charity from a winning city will receive a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid to serve the community.
The annual challenge takes place April 1- 30 and is a non-profit national community service campaign that encourages leaders to inspire their residents to make a series of simple pledges at mywaterpledge.com to use water more efficiently, reduce pollution, and save energy.
“As the Mayor of the City of Bartlesville, I support the mission of the Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation and will encourage our residents to pledge to conserve water and reduce their impact on the environment,” Copeland said.
The City Council on Monday voted 5-0 in favor of a resolution supporting the challenge and ongoing efforts to conserve water.
Last year, residents from over 3,800 cities in all 50 U.S. states pledged to reduce their annual consumption of freshwater by 3 billion gallons, reduce waste sent to landfills by 79.9 million pounds, and prevent more than 177,000 pounds of hazardous waste from entering our watersheds. The Challenge goes beyond recent drought issues and looks at the ways our water use will affect the future of our communities — from how we grow food to reducing polluted runoff.
“I encourage all residents to take this pledge so we can all do our part in conserving water,” Copeland said.
To participate, residents go to mywaterpledge.com, and then make a series of online pledges to conserve water on behalf of Bartlesville. Cities compete in the following population categories: 5,000- 29,999 residents, 30,000-99,999 residents, 100,000-299,999 residents, 300,000-599,999 residents, and 600,000+ residents. Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category have a chance to win $3,000 toward their home utility bills and hundreds more eco-friendly prizes including Toro Irrigation Smart Controllers, ECOS home cleaning products, and home water fixture retrofits from EcoSystems Inc. In addition, residents can nominate a deserving charity from their city to receive a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Students and teachers are encouraged to take part as well.
“Bartlesville did very well last year,” Copeland said. “We ended the competition ranked the highest in Oklahoma and 22 in the nation in our population category. We also showed a substantial water savings during the period of the challenge.”
The 8th National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation is presented by the Wyland Foundation and Toyota, with support from the U.S EPA WaterSense, The Toro Company, National League of Cities, Conserva Irrigation, EcoSystems Inc., and Earth Friendly Products (makers of ECOS).
Founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland (best known for his series of 100 monumental marine life murals), the Wyland Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving the world’s oceans, waterways and marine life. The foundation encourages environmental awareness through community events, education programs, and public art projects. www.wylandfoundation.org.