Laguna Beach secures “Most Waterwise City” title for eighth time

Laguna Beach residents once again showed the nation how important water conservation is to our city by securing the title “Most Waterwise City” for an eighth time in the annual Wyland Mayor’s Challenge for Conservation. The city has been recognized with the distinction in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“Eight feels great!” stated Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen. “From its inception 12 years ago, our residents have embraced the competition and proven that we are leaders when it comes to sustainability and water use efficiency. The challenge reminds us of the importance of being good stewards of our environment and implementing actions that help create a sustainable future.”

Amidst the pressing challenges of climate change, population growth and escalating water pollution, mayors from more than 40 states in the United States rallied their residents to reassess their water consumption habits as part of the 2023 Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, April 1-30. With water quality and shortages emerging as critical national concerns, participants from countless cities responded fervently, pledging to undertake hundreds of thousands of actions to conserve more than 1.8 billion gallons of water in the coming year.

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Photo by Mary Hurlbut

Historic Laguna Beach Water District Building

Cities with the highest percentage of resident pledges during the campaign included perennial small city leader Laguna Beach, Calif., as well as North Port, Fla., Gainesville, Fla., Tucson, Ariz., and the two-time winner, Houston, Texas. In total, residents from across the nation made an astonishing 425,000 individual commitments to modify their behaviors, ranging from fixing home leaks to minimizing harmful runoff into local waterways.

Presented by the Wyland Foundation, with support from the U.S. EPA, National League of Cities, The Toro Company and Zenni Remakes, the nationwide campaign acts as a catalyst, providing inspiration, education and motivation for people of all ages to take decisive actions toward cleaner waters, and a healthier environment. In addition to online pledges, the campaign equips residents with tools to engage in tree plantings, storm drain stenciling projects and neighborhood cleanups, effectively reducing pollution that might otherwise contaminate local water channels.

Participating residents from the winning cities will now be automatically entered to win thousands of dollars in prizes focused on water conservation and eco-friendly initiatives, including $3,000 towards their home utility payments, water-saving fixtures and a wide array of other valuable rewards. One school from each winning city will be awarded 100 pairs of Zenni Remakes™ eyeglasses, specially designed to reduce eye damage caused by prolonged exposure to blue light. Each pair is crafted from recycled plastics equivalent to three discarded single-use plastic water bottles.

In addition to reductions in water waste, participants in all 50 states pledged to diminish their usage of single-use plastic water bottles by an impressive 4.1 million, effectively preventing 113,000 pounds of hazardous waste from infiltrating watersheds. By making conscious choices in their daily lives, residents also pledged to reduce landfill waste by a staggering 49 million pounds. The cumulative impact of these commitments promises potential savings of 6.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, 123 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and $23 million in consumer cost savings. Residents are encouraged after the Mayor’s Water Challenge to follow through and measure the full impact of their commitments at the foundation’s volunteer-based web application, MyVolunteer Water Project.