Mayor’s Challenge urges water conservation

The National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation asks people to conserve water and cut pollution by participating in this year’s nationwide contest for a Toyota Prius and hundreds of other prizes.

The competition runs through April 30.

Enter at mywaterpledge.com and make online pledges to conserve water on behalf of your city. Cities compete in five categories based on population.

Cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge in their population category win. Participants in those cities are entered in drawings for prizes including home improvement gift cards, home irrigation equipment and the grand prize Prius.

Last year, residents of more than 3,600 U.S. cities pledged to reduce their annual consumption of water, reduce waste sent to landfills, prevent hazardous waste from entering watersheds and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Last year’s challenge awarded more than $50,000 in prizes to nearly 1,000 people, according to the website.

—Rob Vardon