Mesa Celebrates National Water Conservation Win with Kerr Center for Agriscience and Wyland Foundation

Mesa Celebrates National Water Conservation Win with Kerr Center for Agriscience and Wyland Foundation

The City of Mesa celebrated its win in the Wyland Foundation National Mayors' Water Conservation Challenge with an event at Kerr Center for Agriscience, a Mesa Public School focused on agriculture, science and environmental sustainability.

On Wednesday, Sept.10, Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman joined Wyland Foundation President and CEO Steve Creech to recognize Mesa as one of only five winning cities nationwide in this year's challenge.

As part of the celebration, Kerr received 100pairs of Zenni EcoBloomz™ sustainable glasses, which Mayor Freeman and Mr. Creech presented to the fourth-grade students. Wayne Drop, the Water - Use It Wisely mascot, also made a special surprise appearance to greet the students and help hand out the glasses. Mayor Freeman then spent time with the students, reading a book on the water cycle and talking about the importance of conservation in the desert.

"I value every opportunity to speak with students about the importance of water and what they can do to make a difference," said Mayor Freeman. "These conversations are about inspiring the next generation to understand how responsible water stewardship shapes the future of our communities."

Mesa's win also came with a $3,000 prize for one lucky Mesa resident who took the water-saving pledge in April. Winner Faith P. joined the event to accept her award, sharing why pledging was meaningful to her and her family.

Through their collective pledges, Mesa residents committed to conserving more than 22 million gallons of water over the next year by taking small, measurable actions inside and outside their homes.

"The Mayor's Challenge has always been about finding ways to bring entire communities together around an issue that is both deeply important and, too often, invisible in our daily lives - the water we depend on," said Wyland Foundation President Steve Creech. "Cities manage it, families rely on it and yet many don't realize how their everyday choices add up. Our work is to bridge that gap - to connect the expertise of city leaders with the actions of residents, and to make conservation something people can see themselves in."

When mayors stand with their communities to pledge, it isn't just about saving gallons of water. It's about building understanding, creating shared purpose and inspiring people to take ownership of the future of their water. We really feel that when people and cities move together, change doesn't just happen - it lasts.

The Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation, founded by the Wyland Foundation, is the nation's largest water conservation initiative, engaging local governments and their communities to promote smart water use.

About the Wyland Foundation

Founded in 1993 by renowned marine life artist Wyland, theWyland Foundationis a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and preserving the world's oceans, waterways, and marine life through public education. A major focus of the foundation is to inspire people to take action to stop ocean pollution at the source by demonstrating how daily choices, especially around water use, can reduce runoff and restore waterway health from source to sea.

About City of Mesa

Mesa, AZ, isthe 36th largest city in the U.S. and the second-largest in Maricopa County with a population of over 515,000. The city is known for its commitment to sustainable development, diverse community offerings, and vibrant arts and cultural scenes, including the Mesa Arts Center and Arizona Museum of Natural History. Mesa actively pursues innovative infrastructure and environmental projects, such as the Central Mesa Reuse Pipeline, a Food Waste to Energy Initiative, and a range of water conservation initiatives, including incentives for xeriscaping, landscape watering guidelines, and public education campaigns to help residents use water wisely in the desert environment.