Innovation Means Conservation

Finding Easy Ways To Save Water by Barbara Schmidt

(ARA) - I've done the unthinkable. I've stopped running our tap water while I brush my teeth. This may sound like a small contribution to water conservation, but I save more than five gallons of water every time I brush my teeth, just by turning off the running water.

At three times a day, seven days a week, that adds up to more than 5,000 gallons a year, and equals more than one month of water for the average person in the United States -- a big savings for a small change in daily routine.

We can make many other small changes when it comes to water conservation, especially in the bathroom. Daily habits we begin today will keep water in supply for generations if we follow a few simple guidelines.

Choose Wisely
Numerous companies, from hybrid car manufacturers to bathroom fixture manufacturers, have joined the environmental effort, giving us smarter choices for everyday products. The bathroom is among the best places in the house to put water conservation into action.

Did you know that if you have a toilet from 1994 or before, it can use as much as seven gallons for a single flush? That's a lot compared to today's 1.6-gallon per flush (gfp) toilets -- the maximum allowable flush volume by law. Older toilets can also waste water through leaks, which are often undetectable. Worn rubber flappers degrade and warp and can leak up to 200 gallons of water a day. You can check for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank. If the coloring has trickled into the bowl over the course of 15 minutes, you've got a leak. (If you try this test, don't leave the food coloring in the tank more than 15 minutes or it could permanently stain your fixture.)

A relatively inexpensive way to conserve is to purchase a new low-consumption toilet. The American Standard FloWise toilet was the first gravity-fed toilet to reduce water consumption by more than 20 percent from 1.6-gallons to a 1.28-gallon flow rate. Many people are afraid to let go of their old water-guzzling toilets because they think the newer low-flow models don't work. But the FloWise can deliver high-efficiency performance because it uses American Standard's proprietary Champion 4 flushing technology, which forces the water into the bowl three times faster than a standard toilet. The FloWise gets a lot of power out of less water.

Now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is helping consumers choose the right products by marking them with the new WaterSense label. WaterSense works much like the ENERGY STAR program for appliances. By prominently designating products and services that conserve water and perform as intended, the labeling program makes it easy for consumers to identify and select high-performance water-efficient products for their homes.

American Standard's FloWise toilet carries the WaterSense label. FloWise uses 1.28 gpf, so it qualifies as a "high-efficiency toilet," or an HET. To earn the WaterSense label, a toilet must use only 1.28 gpf. American Standard is a partner in the EPA's program to promote water efficiency and market efficient products, programs and practices.

Make Easy Changes
According to an EPA expert on water conservation, if there's one change homeowners can do, it is to get rid of every rain head in their showers because it is the single greatest water waster in American bathrooms today.

The good news is that fixture manufacturers are offering new showerhead technology to solve the problem without compromising on performance. Replacing showerheads is also a simple and quick change. The new American Standard FloWise showerheads, for example, have a small turbine-like mechanism that spins the water stream through the head, creating an energizing spray just like the standard 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) showerheads.

The best part is that these new showerheads use only 1.5 gpm -- that's 40 percent less than the current code requirements for showerheads without sacrificing performance.

Get Smart
As consumers, we can educate ourselves. Anyone can check the Internet and local Department of Natural Resources for specific information about how to conserve water. The EPA also helps consumers locate their local watershed information and provides water conservation tips.

We need to teach ourselves, and our children, new habits to help conserve water daily. Remember when recycling seemed hard to do? I've rebuilt cabinets for separating recyclables and learned to turn off lights in every room as I leave. Now, I'll have to learn more new habits to keep our family's water consumption in check.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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EDITOR'S NOTE:

Barbara Schmidt, bstyle, inc., is a nationally recognized interior designer and author whose work is published in numerous publications and featured on many television shows.