The City of Malibu rolled out its “One Water” campaign Jan. 11, aimed at getting the entire Malibu community actively involved in saving water and making water conservation a permanent lifestyle rather than a temporary response to the California drought.
“Just because it’s raining, doesn’t mean the drought is over or that we can afford to stop thinking about water conservation,” said Mayor Lou La Monte. “One of the main goals of the One Water campaign is to foster a permanent change in the way we as a community and as individuals view and use water. Water conservation is no longer an emergency response to the drought, but a new mindset. We must have a continuous approach to protecting, preserving and conserving water.”
During the City Council meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at City Hall, the Environmental Sustainability Department staff conducted a presentation to unveil the water conservation campaign they have been working on for several months with consultant Hastings & Co.
The campaign produced four video PSAs, logos and graphics, a new outreach booth, banners showing a Sustainable Gardening Gallery, and a conservation festival that took place in June 2016.
The City Council approved $75,000 in the 2015-2016 fiscal year budget to fund an outreach and awareness campaign to increase Malibu’s rate of water conservation during the historic drought that has punished California for the last six years.
In starting the One Water campaign, the City Council is addressing the need to reduce Malibu’s water use. Malibu has consistently underperformed in reaching state-mandated water conservation goals compared with the state as a whole. In 2016, California reduced its water use by 22.6 percent over the benchmark 2013 level, undershooting its statewide goal of 25 percent. Malibu, however, only reached a 12 percent conservation level (December – November 2016), against its required goal of a 36 percent reduction in water use.
In May, the State Water Board changed its water conservation mandates from a statewide percent reduction in water use and specific percent targets for each water district, to requirements based on ensuring an adequate supply of water. It now requires water suppliers to set their own conservation goals based on ensuring they have a three-year supply of water while assuming three severe drought years.
The One Water video PSAs consist of four humorous sketches with professional actors that capture Malibu’s important relationship with water and how we need to value it more. They each include segments showing real Malibu residents making a pledge to take specific steps to conserve water and to urge their friends and neighbors to do so as well.
A local restaurant manager pledged to be judicious about not serving drinking water unless it is requested and to educate her customers about not wasting drinking water. Kids pledged to take shorter showers and “skip some baths, sometimes.” Residents also pledged to use water-efficient landscape irrigation and plants at home, to save shower water as it heats up, and other measures.
The 90-second PSAs are being broadcast daily on Malibu City TV, will be distributed on the City’s social media channels and on the City’s website, and will be showed at community outreach opportunities.
New logos and other materials were developed for the City’s water outreach and education efforts in the community. They include a new outreach booth as well as eye-catching Sustainable Gardening Gallery display banners for use at public outreach events showing a variety of beautiful, drought-tolerant native and sustainable plants. These plant selections are meant to inspire and encourage a new aesthetic and norm in Malibu. The gallery will be available online as well.
The campaign created a community event, the One Water Festival, in June 2016 at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School. It featured interactive educational booths and demonstrations by numerous partner agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations that focus on water conservation and environmental sustainability.
To see the One Water videos, and other water conservation information, visit the One Water webpage at www.MalibuCity.org/OneWater.
