Water winners

UC Irvine and other organizations recently challenged Orange County students to “imagine life without water” and create multimedia projects promoting water conservation in California.

Winners were announced Wednesday at the Water Innovation Now awards ceremony at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. Winning projects are being displayed through Friday, Dec. 5, at the UNESCO Global Conference on Water, a five-day conference co-sponsored by UCI that has brought together leading water management and climate change experts to discuss innovative ideas and technologies to combat water shortages.

In a statement announcing the contest, Orange County Superintendent of Schools William Habermehl said, “Students will be empowered to share their creative ideas for water conservation with representatives and scientists from around the world, and they will be inspired to form a partnership for global stewardship of the environment.”

Brett Solow, a student at Irvine’s Woodbridge High School, submitted the winning entry. Solow’s video, titled “Water Wisely” shows some of the most common ways in which people misuse water on a daily basis and provides simple ways to cut down on water usage.