Scott Smart Flush™ Helps Save Water and Money

Follow the simple directions on the bag and you could be on your way to saving 2000 gallons of water a year with Scott Smart Flush^™.  Smart Flush^™ is a bag that sits in the water tank of the toilet and reduces each flush by 1 liter. 

Currently available in 8 and 12 pack rolls of Scott Naturals.

This is a simple and for now free way to save water and money - and be GREEN.


Via:  Scott  LINK

San Diego Saves Water

San Diego is currently in a Level 2 - Drought Alert Condition.· San Diego imports over 80% of its water so when water supplies get tight water conservation and reuse is critical. Two new plants provide for 45 million gallons / day of water from waste ...


" ... has built ... plants [to] treat wastewater to a level that is approved for irrigation, manufacturing and other non-drinking, or non-potable purposes. ... Recycled water gives San Diego a dependable, year-round, locally controlled water resource."


Via: The City of San Diego LINK

Nickelodeon's Big Green Help

Nick.com gets kids into the green movement.  

Their Big Green Help site has games, quizs and offers 5 themes for being green --- "Stop the Flow, Recycle and Precycle, Grow the Green, Curb the Car and Save the Big Blue".  There are lots of fun ways to learn.

During commercial breaks the Nick.com stars encourage kids to get green and help save the planet !!

Via: Nick.com - Big Green Help  LINK

Waterless Urinals

Many office buildings are looking to save energy and water ... one easy way to do this is with waterless urinals.  In addition to saving the cost of the additional plumbing (no water line needed - sewer line is needed) there is the recurring water savings.

" ... Waterless Co. ... the most simple and most cost effective system on the world market. ... No-Flush™ urinals work completely without water or flush valves. .... easy to install, improves restroom sanitation and eliminates odors."

" ... estimated that up to 20% of the available drinking water in the world is flushed down the drain, wastefully. ... leakage of water delivery lines may add an additional 8% ... "

" ... Waterless urinal saves on average 20,000 to 45,000 gallons of water a year. ... estimated that there are approximately 8 million urinals installed in the US alone with approximately 100 million people using these fixtures. Assuming an average 2 gallon flush, the potable water use of urinals alone, in this country per year, is approximately 160 billion gallons!..."

On your local level this could mean: A typical office building rest room with three urinals and 120 men equals a yearly water use of 237,600 gallons of potable water flushed down the drain. This assumes three uses per person per day and only 220 working days.




Via: Waterless LINK

Dilbert's Ultimate House (DUH) is Green

Dilbert's creater, Scott Adams, is building Dilbert's Ultimate House (DUH for short). This ahs some interesting GREEN features. In addition to eliminating wasted space like a large foyer or rarely used dining room there are the usual energy efficient design elements and appliances.

"... building the greenest home in the area ... for its size ... definition of green isn't about giving up what you want so much as finding the greenest way to do it ... energy-saving features include ... Solar panels ... Clay roof with lighter colors for best reflective properties ... Thermal barrier in roof ... Windows minimized and shaded on the hot West side ... Efficient lighting ... Energy Star appliances ..."

" ... goal was to get our use of AC use down to a few days per summer ... my current office ... I have to run the AC full-blast for about 9 months a year."

" ... back yard will be artificial turf. Water is a big issue in California. ..."

Via: Dilbert's Blog LINK

EPA Watersense Quiz - Test your Water Knowledge

How much do you know about the water you use? Be it for drinking, washing, watering the lawn; or whatever? What are the biggest wasters ... where is it easy to save .. which easy choices can you make?

Test you Water IQ by playing the EPA Watersense Quiz (requires Adobe Flash - avail on the Linked web page)

" ... know everything there is to know about water? ... Test Your WaterSense! ... EPA's new interactive online quiz! ... Use the information you've learned ... and test your knowledge of water-using behaviors and common water-saving opportunities.

Some of the questions; paraphrased:
Which uses less water ... shower or bath?
How much water can you save daily turning off the water while brushing your teeth ...
How much of the water used to water lawns is wasted ... 10, 15, 25 or 50%?
How much of the water on the earth is available for people's everyday use ... 50, 28, 12 or 1%

Take the quiz and see just how much you really know ... about water.

Saving water is good for the planet and good for your wallet!



Via: EPA WaterSense Quiz LINK

EPA WaterSense

Like most ways to save (energy, money, water, etc.) there are some simple things you can do that are either free or virtually free. See below for TIPS to save water.

Others require a little spending ... and when ready to upgrade water appliances check for the EPA WaterSense label. It can help " ... identify high-efficiency products and programs for certified irrigation professionals."

TIPS


Here are some interesting facts ... click the link at the bottom of the page for ways to "cehck for and solve" these wasteful practices.

" ... Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year. ... leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day. ... full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. ... typical single-family suburban household uses at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering. ... "



Via: EPA WaterSense LINK

Save Water Brushing Teeth

I saw an interesting "factoid" on a 10 pack of Colgate-Palmolive toothbrushes ... that by turning off the water while brushing you can save up to 4 gallons of water.

Shift Your Habit has some interesting water facts ... " Families that regularly let the water run while brushing ... could conserve as much as 7,500 gallons of water annually and save roughly $15 per year in water costs."

US-wide that would amount to " ... an estimated 146 billion gallons of water per year—enough to fill more than 220,000 Olympic swimming pools."

" ... typical bathroom faucet flows at a maximum rate of 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Surveys suggest that up to 40 percent of American adults don’t turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth."

Turn off the faucet while brushing and save some water ....


Via: Shift Your Habit LINK