LOS ANGELES (Oct. 29, 2022) – To help fight California’s ongoing drought, Angelenos and visitors from around the world learned how drought-tolerant plants and flowers like marigolds not only help pay homage to family, but also serve as a reminder of the beauty in water-wise conservation at the annual Día de Los Muertos Festival today.
“Every single one of us can contribute and play a role in conserving water and that’s why we’re reaching out to as many Californians as we can about how to save water. Día de Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever is the perfect opportunity to highlight marigolds as a beautiful and water-wise flower that is not only a great option for our gardens but great for pollinators like butterflies and bees,” said Margaret Mohr, Deputy Director of Communications at the Department of Water Resources.
Save Our Water’s altar (constructed for the Day of the Dead which includes an ofrenda or offering, often times in honor of a family member who has passed) was showcased at the event to show the perfect combination of sustainability and beauty featuring synthetic marigolds and drought-tolerant fruit for this all-important tradition. Visitors who came to the event also were encouraged to post photos of the ofrenda to their social media accounts while sharing how sustainable practices like planting native flowers can be incorporated into their own lives. By doing so, visitors who posted became eligible to win a $100 gift card that could fund their own water-wise conservation through drought-tolerant landscaping in their front yard.
“As we prepare for a fourth year of drought, we must all continue to do our part to conserve,” added Mohr. “The fall is an important time to highlight how saving water must become a way of life and something that we practice all year long, rain or shine.”
Attendees visited the Save Our Water booth at the storied Hollywood Forever Cemetery for tips on how vibrant, drought-tolerant marigolds on their altars can also be incorporated into water-wise gardens and landscaping. Additionally, festivalgoers who opted in to Save Our Water’s pledge to cut their personal water usage by 15% brought home a drought-tolerant plant. The pledge and educational tips are both part of a larger campaign, funded by the state of California, which showcases sustainable actions Californians can take at home, in their own water conservation efforts.
For more water-saving tips and resources, including California native landscaping ideas, visit SaveOurWater.com.
Contact:
Yurina Melara
818-648-8411
yurina.melara@opr.ca.gov
