Stroud Water Research Center is pleased to share that its Cut the Salt campaign is a winner in the 5th Annual Anthem Awards, which received more than 2,000 submissions from 42 countries worldwide.
The Anthem Awards, created by the team behind The Webby Awards, honor purpose-driven work that makes a positive social impact. Judged by leaders from the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, these awards celebrate excellence in advocacy, sustainability, education, and more.
Raising Awareness, Inspiring Communities
Funded by a private donor, the Cut the Salt campaign stood out for raising awareness about the impact of road salt on freshwater ecosystems and inspiring communities to take small but powerful actions to protect clean water.
In January, more than 300 volunteers and about 30 organizations in Pennsylvania and Delaware gathered chloride data from streams for Winter Salt Week. Another 400 people from eighteen states and five countries requested free Freshwater Test Kits to sample streams on their own. They reported their data to the Stroud Center, which shared the results on a public map, revealing that more than 70% of sites exceeded one or more chloride thresholds.
Volunteers showed up again in even greater force during the Fall Salt Snapshot in October to document the lingering impact of road salt pollution long after winter salting has ended. More than 700 community scientists from about 90 participating organizations sampled more than 1,200 stream sites. Results are now available on the public map.
Thanks to Those Who Answered the Call
The Stroud Center’s small but mighty marketing and communications team, together with Fig Industries, created the integrated communications, marketing, and public relations campaign. Its success, however, required the skills and contributions of many, including Stroud Center scientists, data analysts, outreach specialists, and a regional network of enthusiastic partner organizations and community scientists who answered the call to “cut the salt.”
This recognition is a testament to the creativity and collaboration of everyone at the Stroud Center who helps bring its science and outreach to life, which would not be possible without a supportive community of partners, volunteers, and donors.
