Residents in Milwaukee, Whitewater, Waukesha and Grafton have a new opportunity to earn rewards at local stores when they conserve water, thanks to the work of Dr. McGee Young, associate professor of political science and faculty entrepreneur fellow at the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship at Marquette University. Young created an online dashboard program called H2Oscore that allows residents to review their water use and see how they stack up against their neighbors.

“The water crisis spurred us to action,” says Young. “It’s in our DNA at Marquette to think about problem solving, and we worked collaboratively with local organizations to bring this idea to fruition.” For the past two years, Young has worked with about 75 students to understand how to improve the connection that residents have with their water supply. “We learned that we could provide a product of value to the community and generate resources so that not only could it survive, but it could grow and help other communities meet their water conservation goals.”

H2Oscore is among the first companies in the country to provide residents with nearly real-time analytics for their water usage. The program will expand next to the Madison area.

For more information, call 414-759-2599 or visit H2Oscore.com.