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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

'Lawn Dude' billboards encourage conservation across Southern California

Examples of previous Lawn Dude billboards.
Examples of previous Lawn Dude billboards.
(
Southern California Water Committee
)

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An anthropomorphized lawn character, Lawn Dude, has been appearing on billboards in Southern California to encourage water conservation, and it's been announced he'll be sticking around through August.

The effort is sponsored by water nonprofit the Southern California Water Committee (SCWC).

"The Lawn Dude campaign has been a valuable way for the Southern California Water Committee to grab the public's attention when it comes to outdoor water conservation, going beyond the limitations typically placed on what public agencies and water districts can say,"  Charles Wilson, chair of the SCWC Board of Trustees, said in a press release.

The billboards' colorful slogans include "Manscape your landscape" and "The Gov put me on a diet." They're describing cutting back on watering your grass with the colorful hashtag #LayOffTheSauce. The character also appeared on billboards last year.

Lawn Dude tweet

"I'm fresh off a water cleanse and have never looked better, thanks to that H2O diet Governor Brown put me on," SCWC attributed to Lawn Dude in a press release. "I know people thought I might be all dried up, but I'm back and ready to kick some grass." (KPCC reminds you that Lawn Dude is not an actual person.)

Wilson thanked the Clear Channel Outdoor billboard company for donating billboard space allowing Lawn Dude to stay on billboards.

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"We are in the drought of the century – not your mother's or even your grandmother's drought. Lawn Dude is doing a great service in getting attention on the best place to save water now in case the drought lasts beyond this year or the next," Felicia Marcus, chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, said in the release.

"Lawn Dude does a wonderful job of using humor to captivate Californians about an otherwise 'dry' subject," Layne Lawson, director of public affairs for Clear Channel Outdoor, said in the release. "It's important we remind the public that the drought is far from over and now is the time to conserve."

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