‘Real People, Real Savings’ Campaign Launched
Armed with survey data showing that Californians recognize the state’s water supply problems, ACWA and the Department of Water Resources today launched a new statewide water conservation campaign featuring real people who have taken steps to reduce their water use.
The “Real People, Real Savings” campaign is part of the Save Our Water program sponsored jointly by ACWA and DWR. Created in April 2009 in response to the state’s ongoing water challenges, the program is designed to encourage Californians to make long-term changes to the way they use water.
ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn and DWR Director Mark Cowin kicked off the “Real People, Real Savings” campaign in a media call today. They also shared the results of a new statewide survey showing that 94% of respondents believe that, even with this year’s wet weather, the state needs to conserve water.
- View a video news release on the campaign launch here.
Conducted on ACWA’s behalf by Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, the survey also showed that 86% of people say that they are willing to make significant changes in their household activities to reduce their water use by 20%.
“We are pleased to learn that a majority of Californians recognize the state’s ongoing water supply problems and are willing to do their part,” Quinn said. “People also understand that behavior around water use needs to change, rain or shine. While we work on other long-term fixes to the state’s water system, conservation is an easy short-term approach to stretch our water supply.”
The survey also found:
- More than four in five voters (81%) see the state’s current water shortage as a significant problem, including one quarter (26%) who labeled it as a “crisis.”
- 71% believe they use more water indoors than outdoors (the opposite is true).
- Exposure to water conservation public education messages strongly coincided with the public’s willingness to cutback.
The survey findings contain good news for water managers, ACWA's Tim Quinn says in this blog entry.
