LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles-based school could cut their water use by 19% a year through water-efficiency upgrades to its campus garden, thanks to a free program that helps schools, homes and businesses identify areas for potential water savings, as well as a partnership that is helping fund the improvements.
Through a collaboration between California’s Save Our Water campaign, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s bewaterwise.com campaign and Angel City Football Club, Metropolitan recently conducted a free water use survey at Los Angeles Unified School District’s 24th Street Elementary. Now the partners are funding needed improvements at the school, through a grant to the Garden School Foundation.
The water survey findings were detailed at a workshop last Monday (Sept. 25) where educators from 10 schools from the Garden School Foundation learned how to improve water efficiency in their gardens.
Bewaterwise.com and Save Our Water are working with Angel City Football Club as part of a partnership to leverage the Los Angeles professional women’s soccer team’s resources to help reach thousands of fans and others throughout the community by sharing how to use water more efficiently inside and outside their homes. The Community Impact program dedicates a portion of the partnership funding to a local community-based organization.
“We are committed to reaching into our diverse communities throughout Southern California to teach them about the value of water and provide them with the resources and information they need to use water more efficiently,” said Metropolitan General Manager Adel Hagekhalil. “These changes that Garden School Foundation is making in the garden at 24th Street Elementary School will have a long-term impact on their water use and we hope that it will inspire students, parents and the public to take action.”
During this week’s workshop, Metropolitan’s staff led a presentation for Garden School Foundation instructors about how to assess an irrigation system, ways they can save water and other water efficiency best practices to improve their garden-based science curriculum. As part of the presentation, Metropolitan presented the findings of its water use survey, which found that the school could save more than 25,000 gallons a year by fixing their existing irrigation system and installing a smart irrigation controller. The water use survey was offered under a free program that evaluates residential and commercial landscapes and identifies strategies to cut water use.
“Angel City and its players have shown leadership in water conservation and sustainability,” Hagekhalil said. “This partnership is a great way to showcase how every drop of water counts toward our future.”
"As educators, we know how pivotal it is to model water wise solutions as well as pass that knowledge and passion on to the next generation of environmental stewards and their communities. We are very excited about this opportunity to work with bewaterwise.com and Save Our Water at our flagship site, 24th Street Elementary, as it will give us the tools to be better, serve better and create a more water wise community," said Garden School Foundation Executive Director Rachel Black.
For more information, visit saveourwater.com and bewaterwise.com.
Note to editors: photos of the event are available here: SOW-MWD-ACFC Garden School Workshop
ABOUT SAVE OUR WATER
Save Our Water is California's statewide water conservation program. Co-managed by the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications and the Department of Water Resources, the program's goal is to make water conservation a California way of life. Save our Water teaches Californians how to use water more efficiently inside and outside their homes and how to transform their yards into water-wise landscapes. Through partnerships with local water agencies and community-based organizations, and social media, earned media, and event sponsorships, Save Our Water is helping people conserve water, rain or shine.
Find all the ways to conserve water at saveourwater.com, or follow @saveourwater on Twitter and Instagram and @SaveOurWaterCA on Facebook. For Spanish, follow @cuidemosnuestraaguaca on Instagram and @CuidemosNuestraAgua on Facebook.
ABOUT METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
ABOUT ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
Angel City Football Club (ACFC), a member of the National Women's Soccer League, has entered its second season at BMO Stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The team is founded by Academy Award-winning actress and activist Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman. Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Angela Hucles Mangano serves as the team’s General Manager. Becki Tweed serves as interim Head Coach.
Learn more about ACFC at www.angelcity.com and follow the team on social media @weareangelcity. Season tickets for the 2023 season are sold out. If interested in single game or group tickets, please visit http://angelcity.com/tickets.
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