Student Art Highlights Water Conservation Calendar
There is probably no more relevant wall calendar for 2009 in Southern California than one loaded with water-saving tips. And 36 students from throughout the Southland have contributed their conservation ideas and artwork for Metropolitan Water District's annual "Water is Life" student art calendar.
The colorful calendar debuted Dec. 3 at a recognition program at Metropolitan headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
Artwork featured in Metropolitan's wall calendar consists of 36 winning entries submitted by students in grades K- 12 from throughout the district's six-county service area. The winners were selected last summer during the agency's annual water conservation poster contest, which drew close to 150 entries submitted to nearly all of Metropolitan's 26 member public agencies.
"A calendar which offers daily reminders of our precarious water supply situation with helpful hints for conserving is both a practical statement about an important message and a beautiful expression of art," said Metropolitan General Manager Jeff Kightlinger.
"The need for conservation is very real and Metropolitan's education program has brought that reality home to Southland students to share with their family and friends," Kightlinger said.
Metropolitan's 2009 "Water is Life" calendar is part of the agency's largest on-going public outreach and advertising campaign aimed at reminding Southland water consumers to be mindful of water waste and to take advantage of regional incentive programs to replace outdated and water-wasting appliances and irrigation systems.
Metropolitan's main sources of imported water are facing unprecedented challenges because of statewide drought, record-dry conditions for eight of the last nine years along the Colorado River, and deteriorating environmental conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a 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 develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage, and other resource management programs.