Illinois American Water Encourages Customers to be Environmental Stewards through Conservation and Education on Earth Day

Illinois American Water is sharing environmentally-focused educational resources with customers on Earth Day to encourage conservation and environmental leadership. A resource for both adults and youth is Illinois American Water's online learning center which provides in-depth information about how water makes its way to the tap and the importance of protecting precious water sources. The online learning center offers activities, lesson plans and information for all ages.

Beth Matthews, vice president of operations for Illinois American Water said, "At Illinois American Water, educating our youth and communities is just as important as providing safe, reliable service. Our team is passionate about building future environmental leaders. Employees have been instrumental through visiting classrooms, providing educational resources, participating in career fairs and internships, offering tours and more."

A recent feature of the online learning center is American Water's new Splash Lab. The Splash lab makes science simple and fun while offering insight into the groundbreaking science and technology supporting safe, reliable water and wastewater services. In addition to the online resources, Matthews credited employees for their partnerships with local environmental leaders, including the "29-year collaboration with The Sun Foundation in Peoria."

She said, "Many of our employees have volunteered for the Clean Water Celebration to encourage wise water use, conservation and to foster STEAM-related learning. Our team is featured as Clean Water Champions on The Sun Foundation YouTube channel. We encourage our customers to log on to the 2022 Virtual Clean Water Celebration on Monday, from 9:00 am ? 12:00 pm on the Sun Foundation's Facebook page, as this event goes global."

Later this year, Illinois American Water will also offer its annual "Water Keeps Life Flowing" art contest. The contest is open to 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students. Students are asked to draw pictures that focus on reliable, safe water service and write captions about what water service means to them. Winners receive a $100 gift card for their classrooms. The 2021 Youth Art Contest Winners can be found on our Facebook page.

In addition to educational outreach, Illinois American Water implements green technology whenever possible to help protect the environment. Examples include:

• Using solar to decrease energy use.
• Recycling to reduce waste.
• Supporting pharmaceutical disposal programs to prevent the flushing of unwanted medications.
• Offering environmental grants to support local, community initiatives to protect watersheds. Learn more about 2022 grant recipients here.
• Educating customers about wise water use.

Matthews added, "We believe everyone can be a conservation hero with the right tools and information."

Helpful conservation tips which require minimal effort and provide a meaningful impact can be found here.

About Illinois American Water ? Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE:AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,400 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.