The Water Conservation Leadership Award recognizes an individual, business, group, or other organization that has demonstrated a commitment to protecting our water resources through water conservation. Any resident, business, group, or other organization in Athens-Clarke County is eligible to apply.
Congratulations to all the winners!
The 2025 Leader in Water Conservation Award Winner is Clarke Middle School Science, Energy, and Adventure Team (CMS SEAT). The CMS SEAT Team actively works to learn, promote, and engage in water conservation activities. Each year, they tour the water treatment facilities to truly understand the process. They don’t stop with just learning the process, though; they take what they’ve learned and promote it to others at their school, during STEM nights at other ACC elementary schools, and at community events like Twilight. We can always count on them to support our events by volunteering at the Athens Water Festival and Rivers Alive. We are lucky to have them and their sponsors, Audrey Hughes and Javan Winston, as Team Water Ambassadors. We appreciate their ongoing commitment to water conservation through participation in events, active sharing of our message, and advocacy on our behalf.
The 2024 Leader in Water Conservation Award Winner is Jittery Joe's. Jittery Joe's goes above and beyond in helping elevate the value of water in our community and spread our message of water conservation. We can always rely on their support of events and campaigns like Imagine A Day Without Water, ACC Green Schools, and Athens Rivers Alive. Besides these events, Jittery Joe's works extremely hard to reduce their water footprint at the roaster and stores by sustainably sourcing products, reusing materials, and being mindful of their environmental impact.
The 2023 Water Conservation Leadsherip Award Winner is Cofer's Home and Garden Showplace. We are pleased to partner with Cofer's to promote the H2grOw Native Plant Collection. Their knowledgeable and friendly staff help customers select the native, drought-tolerant plants within the H2grOw guide. They understand that native plants require less water than non-native plants, and they have a deeper root system, which allows them to access water from deeper in the soil. In 2023, over 220 people redeemed coupons at Cofer's to purchase these plants. With that many people installing gardens of native pollinators over 2 million gallons of water was saved.
The 2022 Water Conservation Leadership Award Winner for a Business is Athens Hardware and Normal Hardware. Both Athens Hardware and Normal Hardware have assisted the Water Conservation Office with promotions assisting our customers with wise water use. In the spring, they encourage Athens residents to love their shower, distributing free WaterSense-labeled showerheads provided to them by the Water Conservation Office. In 2021, over 400 showerheads made it into the hands of residents, reducing water use by an estimated 2.4 million gallons annually. They also assisted customers in flipping their flapper - toilet leaks are the biggest leaky culprit in the home, most often due to the faulty flapper. By guiding customers into the proper toilet flapper selection during our promotion, they reduced water loss by an estimated 2.2 million gallons annually.
The 2021 Water Conservation Leadership Award Winner for an Individual is Dr. Brian Schwartz. He oversees a UGA research team in the production of TifTurf, a drought-tolerant bermudagrass. The turfgrass reduces water use by 38% over the most popular varieties. Want to experience the grass? Visit the quad at UGA North Campus and put your toes in it. Thank you, Dr. Schwartz, for your efforts to help us all use water efficiently while maintaining a beautiful lawn.