When the City of Sonoma, CA was facing a severe water shortage they took on a number of programs which encouraged residents to use less water. Despite all their efforts, it became clear that to create a truly effective conservation policy the city would have to reduce the amount of water used for lawns and landscaping.

Through a partnership with the Sonoma County Water Agency, the city created a program which provided up to $1,000 to residents changing their landscaping from grass to drought-resistant plants. While not popular at first, with the help of the Master Gardeners Club and local volunteers, demonstration lawns were created around the city to encourage residents. Due to their many successful partnerships the program cost the city little but saved nearly 58,000 gallons of water in the past two years.