WRD celebrates Earth Day through environmental stewardship

LAKEWOOD, Calif., April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day approaches, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD) is encouraging its over 4 million constituents to join more than one billion people around the globe in celebrating Earth Day 2012. WRD will be participating in three Earth Day events this weekend; Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Earth Day Fair in San Pedro, City of Redondo Beach & SEA Lab Earth Day Celebration in Redondo Beach, and the L.A. Live Earth Day Event.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110121/DC34153LOGO)

WRD participates in these events to elevate the importance of environmental and groundwater issues locally and around the world. Youth are the main target of WRD's outreach and they are encouraged to follow WRD's example of protecting our groundwater resources today and in the future.

"WRD is committed to its responsibility as an environmental steward and is proud to have participated in ten Earth Day community events this year to promote water conservation," stated WRD President Albert Robles. "Furthermore, under WRD's Water Independence Now, or WIN, Program, WRD will eliminate its need for energy-intensive water imported from the environmentally fragile Bay Delta while making this region's groundwater basins self-sufficient and locally sustainable."

WRD is also proud to share the exciting news that three schools within its service area have just been named three of four California finalist nominees for the new federal Green Ribbon Award. The U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) award is intended to recognize those schools taking a comprehensive approach to greening their school. A comprehensive approach incorporates and integrates environmental learning with maximizing positive environmental and health impacts. The award criteria are intended to focus on measurable outcomes wherever possible.

"I am very proud that three of the four California nominees to the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools are from our service area," said WRD Vice President Lillian Kawasaki.

The nominations have been submitted to the federal Department of Education and award winners will be announced on Earth Day Sunday, April 22, 2012. The three schools are: Longfellow Elementary School in Long Beach, Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, and Grand View Elementary School in Manhattan Beach.

"Our future leaders may come from these three nominated schools where they are already demonstrating that we will be in good hands when it comes to future environmental causes," said Director Rob Katherman.  

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California is the regional groundwater management agency that protects and preserves the quantity and quality of groundwater for two of the most utilized urban basins in the State of California. The service area is home to over ten percent of California's population residing in 43 cities in southern Los Angeles County. WRD is governed by a publicly elected Board of Directors which includes Willard H. Murray, Jr., Robert Katherman, Lillian Kawasaki, Sergio Calderon, and Albert Robles.

For more information, please visit WRD at www.wrd.org

SOURCE Water Replenishment District of Southern California