The Environmental Education Initiative (EEI), a unique program sponsored by the city of Dallas that's saved billions of gallons of water from going down the drain, recently received a $2.25 million grant renewal through 2024 from the city.

Led by UNT College of Science associate professor Ruthanne "Rudi" Thompson, the program enables Thompson and her team to examine water usage data on thousands of homes with Dallas zip codes -- allowing her to study and correlate the effects of education on changing behavior. Thompson works with teachers throughout Dallas to teach students in Pre-K through 5th grade about conservation through hands-on activities such as building mini aquifers in cups, creating water filtration devices and singing songs about the urban water cycle. Over a 10-year period, the program has potentially saved the city of Dallas more than $31 million.