LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California wants to thank Southland residents for not just saving water during the drought, but for all they are doing to keep conserving for the future.
In the new media campaign called “H2Love Letters,” some of those who directly benefit from water savings will extend a big thanks through fun messages on billboards, busses, newspapers and even the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel.
“It’s the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. We are adding a water conservation twist to that celebration and making this the Summer of H2Love,” said Susan Sims, Metropolitan’s manager of external affairs. “Who doesn’t like getting a love letter; so, what if your garden could thank you for planting California Friendly plants? Or your leaky faucet could say thanks for getting it fixed? That’s the idea behind the campaign.”
H2Love Letters continues the messaging of Metropolitan’s original H2Love campaign, launched last year with the tagline, “Love Water, Save Water.” The goal of the campaign is to get Southern Californians to rethink how they value water and make a commitment to water conservation as a way of life.
“We face a lot of water supply challenges each year, regardless of the weather,” said Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger. “Our future will see more impacts from a changing climate, increased environmental demands and concerns about reliable water supplies. Metropolitan is committed to overcoming these challenges, but a fundamental pillar of our reliability plan is increased conservation and efficient water use. We want to do everything we can to help Southern Californians conserve.”
The latest conservation campaign will be featured on 450 billboards in six languages across Southern California beginning next week. The $2.8 million campaign also will be delivered through 3,200 radio spots on 75 Southern California stations, ads in print community newspapers, online ads and through Metropolitan’s growing social media network.
Metropolitan also is finding creative ways to directly share the conservation message with the public. In an effort to get people thinking about their water use even while they are looking out at the vast ocean, the H2Love campaign will take over the Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica pier for four consecutive Saturday nights in August and September. The water-saving message will be delivered to thousands of beachgoers starting Aug. 12.
As it did last summer, Metropolitan is once again partnering with Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, which is already promoting conservation through a video featuring goalie Brian Rowe and other in-stadium messaging. Rowe also is helping Metropolitan encourage wise water use at the dedication of a new conservation garden and educational center opening at Debs Regional Park in Los Angeles Aug. 18.
All of the elements of Metropolitan’s latest water-saving campaign will direct audiences to bewaterwise.com, Metropolitan’s online water conservation portal available in English, Spanish and Chinese. There, visitors can find conservation tips, online water-wise gardening classes, and access to Metropolitan’s rebates for an array of water-saving devices such as sprinklers, irrigation devices, washing machines, toilets, rain barrels and more.
“People are telling us they are motivated to keep saving water. We’re here to help with simple, easy conservation tips, rebates and classes,” Sims said.
Sustainable, long-term conservation remains a pillar of Metropolitan’s water supply reliability plan. By 2040, conservation and recycling will account for one-third of its water portfolio under the agency’s Integrated Water Resources Plan, which guides long-term water management policies.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 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.
