MIAMI, (May 3, 2012) – The Wyland Foundation and Toyota today announced the 12 winning cities of the 2012 National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, an online competition held throughout April that encouraged residents in all 50 states to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution.

The winning cities are:

·         Laguna Beach, California

·         Victoria, Minnesota

·         South Shore, Kentucky

·         Charlestown, New Hampshire

·         Manhattan Beach, California

·         Eden Prairie, Minnesota

·         Fort Pierce, Florida

·         Quakertown, Pennsylvania

·         Greeley, Colorado

·         Madison, Wisconsin

·         Charlottesville, Virginia

·         Toms River, New Jersey

 

The Wyland Foundation, founded by renowned environmental artist Wyland, created the Challenge with Toyota in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the primary federal law protecting water resources in the United States. Organizations spearheading the effort also include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, WaterPik, Rain Bird, Lowe’s, STERLING Plumbing, PADI and Project AWARE.

“We had two goals for the National Mayor’s Challenge,” said artist and environmentalist Wyland, who spearheaded the project. “It brings communities together and gets people thinking about simple ways to take their commitment to conservation even further.”

The Challenge divided cities into four regions (West, Midwest, South and Northeast) and categorized them by population according to ZIP Codes (5,000-30,000 residents, 30,001-100,000 residents, 100,000+ residents). Cities with the highest percentage of residents within the city’s ZIP code boundaries who made online pledges at www.mywaterpledge.com to reduce their water use were recognized as the winners. Participants in the winning cities will now be entered into a drawing to win more than $50,000 in prizes, including the Grand Prize of a Toyota Prius c Hybrid, as well as custom-designed sprinkler systems from Rain Bird, Eco-Flow Showerheads from WaterPik, water-saving toilets from STERLING Plumbing, and 1,000 gift cards for Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores.

“Toyota congratulates all of the winners of the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, and we thank the Wyland Foundation for creating a fun and innovative program to show how easy it can be to conserve water,” said Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy and community affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.

“Conserving water is one of the most important actions we can take to protect this irreplaceable resource, and small actions that people take in their homes can add up to make a big difference,” said U.S. EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Nancy Stoner. “EPA was proud to partner with the Wyland Foundation and Toyota on this challenge and congratulates the winning cities, and everyone who participated.”

To celebrate the winners of the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, the Wyland Foundation and Toyota hosted an event on May 3 in Miami Beach where Wyland joined members of the community to paint a 400-square-foot marine life mural celebrating South Florida marine life.  Toyota’s support of the Wyland Foundation is part of the automobile company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. Toyota engages the public through a variety of environmental initiatives as part of the company’s commitment to impactful environmental stewardship. To learn more about how Toyota supports sustainability, please visit www.toyota.com/about/environment.