Xylem’s “Make Your Mark 30-Day Challenge” Spurs Over 4,000 Employee Volunteer Hours and Raises Community Awareness of Water and Environmental Issues

In celebration of World Water Day on March 22, Xylem launched a month-long volunteer challenge that extended through Earth Day on April 22 for Xylem colleagues across the globe to highlight the importance of water and environmental issues. The “Make Your Mark 30-Day Challenge,” a new initiative of Xylem Watermark, the Company’s corporate citizenship program, inspired more than 1,500 colleagues to participate in more than 130 water-related community activities, including cleaning local water sources, leading classroom water presentations, and building water towers in communities that lack access to clean drinking water.   

“The “Make Your Mark” challenge exemplifies our corporate commitment to raising awareness of global water and environmental issues,” said Colin Sabol, Xylem Senior Vice President, President of Analytics, and Chairman of the Xylem Watermark Committee. “Through actions, large and small, our colleagues around the world can make a collective impact in our communities and help inspire the next generation of water leaders.” 

To kick off the “Make Your Mark 30-Day Challenge,” Xylem Watermark sponsored the construction of six water towers as part of Planet Water Foundation’s Project 24, an ambitious undertaking on World Water Day to build 24 AquaTowers in 24 communities across five countries in just 24 hours. These projects reached a total of 6,000 people, including nearly 3,000 children who attend the participating schools. Twenty-seven Xylem volunteers assisted in the construction of these community-based water systems, which will bring clean water to some of the world's most underserved communities.

Over the course of 30 days, Xylem volunteers logged more than 4,000 hours in water-related activities across Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, Hungary, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including:

• In Kawasaki, Japan, colleagues celebrated World Water Day by participating in a 5K Walk to raise awareness of the challenges people face in securing clean drinking water when access is limited.
• In San Diego, CA, 80 first-graders learned about the importance of clean water and the process of water filtration with Xylem’s Analytics team.
• In Sundbyberg, Sweden, local families and children learned about disaster relief and water in emergency response through hands-on learning activities.
• In Singapore, Xylem colleagues from its Visenti business took to kayaks to clean 25 kilograms of litter from the Kallang and Geylang Rivers in their first ever Watermark event.
• In Raleigh, NC, Xylem’s Sensus business celebrated Earth Day by volunteering with long-time partner Earth Share NC and sponsoring the organization’s annual Corporate Challenge event.
• 180 Xylem colleagues from around the globe joined partner Mercy Corps to learn more about disaster relief and risk reduction and Xylem’s support of emergency response efforts.

Xylem Watermark Champions who helped plan these events expressed excitement about giving back to their communities. “This was our second year working with Milwaukee Riverkeeper, and it was a great experience. We were able to remove over 20 bags filled with waste along the Hank Aaron Trail, and it was an eye-opening experience that reminded our group of volunteers about the importance of caring for our local communities,” said Derek Neupauer, Technical Buyer, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. 

Participants in the “Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge” also valued the opportunity to see the impact of their efforts first hand. “Volunteering with Community Family Centers was a really gratifying experience. We had the opportunity to learn about the great work of the organization and see our efforts directly impact over 500 families,” said Hernando Ramirez, Engineering Project Documentation Coordinator, in Houston, TX.

To learn more about Xylem Watermark and the Xylem Watermark “Make Your Mark 30 Day Challenge,” visit www.xylemwatermark.com.