A Utah city is turning water conservation into a game, and residents could win big, according to Fox 13.
Millcreek is making saving water fun and rewarding. The city has partnered with tech company WetX to launch Water Heroes, an innovative platform that gamifies water conservation efforts.
This exciting initiative uses video game-inspired design principles to track household water usage and incentivize conservation. As residents reduce their water consumption compared to historical data, they earn points that could become gift cards to local businesses, for example.
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"We use game design principles to build out an experience that makes water conservation fun for anybody," Justin Whittaker, WetX senior VP for product development, said.
"... We can track their current water usage versus historical water usage. As the user saves water in the current year, they earn points that they can redeem for chances to win prizes."
The project, funded by a grant from the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, aims to help residents visualize their water usage and find creative ways to conserve.
By making conservation engaging and rewarding, Millcreek residents can save money on their water bills while contributing to crucial water-saving efforts. This is particularly important as Utah grapples with ongoing drought and the shrinking Great Salt Lake.
This program could preserve water resources for the entire region, including the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. WetX is already looking to expand the program to other cities in the area, potentially creating a ripple effect of water conservation throughout the state.
"It's really an experiment," Francis Xavier Lilly, Millcreek's assistant city manager, said. "It might work, it might not. I think it's worth a shot."
The city plans to launch Water Heroes in the coming month and is seeking residents willing to participate, with a particular interest in testing the program's effectiveness within specific neighborhoods.
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