Let’s face it, “going green” is a way of life. Everyone is responsible for conserving energy, recycling wherever we can, and conserving water, especially in drought California. As I walk through our neighborhood, nothing frustrates me more than seeing bottles and cans in a trash can or on the street rather than a recycling bin. Do we really need to come to the end of our rope before seeing the writing on the wall? Californians are facing serious drought conditions and other climate issues that will continue into the next generation.
California Has Forty Million People That Use 80 to 100 Gallons Of Water A Day
California has forty million people – that’s twenty million more than we had just fifty years ago. According to the United States Geological Survey, every person will consume 80 to 100 gallons of water daily, which doesn’t take into account the energy consumed. Although the Public Policy Institute of California states that water usage has dropped from 231 gallons per day (GPD) in 1990 per person to 180 GPD in 2015. Whether it’s 80 gallons or 180 gallons, it’s an incredible amount of water we use for personal use.
Go Green With Your Plumbing System and Cut Back On Water Usage
The solution is simple: the average individual needs to make a conscious effort to do their part to use less water and energy daily. But, at the same time, we have seen laws passed for the amount of water used to flush a toilet and take a shower. Moreover, the public needs to be informed on how to save water even better and inform them of the long-term effects it could have on Mother Earth if we don’t. This is not a scare tactic! It’s about providing facts to the community. Without a dought, we have come a long way with sustainable landscaping, low-flow toilets, and faucets in most public institutions. In my neighborhood, we use recycled water for landscaping. However, with the population of California, everyone must do their part. We can never let our guard down again.
You Can Thank Your Plumbing For Providing Fresh water And Natural Gas To Your Home
Ok, so how do we go green with your plumbing system? Remember, your plumbing system isn’t just a conduit for providing fresh water to your home. It also removes wastewater, provides natural gas to your appliances, and gives us hot water for daily living. You can thank your plumbing system every time you wash your clothes, turn on your gas dryer, take a hot shower, shave, wash dishes, and much more–––the list is endless. Going green with our plumbing system is at the center of water conservation.
About 50% of Your Overall Water Usage Comes From Your Bathroom
The majority of people would be shocked to find that showers can account for up to 30% of normal home water usage, and that estimate is conservative. About 50% of the overall water used in the home is from the bathroom. This data prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to launch the WaterSense program, which promotes low-flow showerheads and other water-saving appliances. This program aids consumers in making informed choices when purchasing faucets and fixtures. The typical US home would save 2,900 gallons of water annually by installing one low-flow showerhead. That much savings with just one shower head! Now multiply that number by the total amount of bathrooms in your home. The savings is staggering.
Save water! SAVE Money! Go Low-Flow Showerheads and Faucets
Ordinary showerheads sprayed 5 to 8 gallons of water every minute until 1992. Even if you take a short shower, it still consumes a significant amount of water in under four minutes. Fortunately, the maximum flow rate for showerheads nowadays is 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). Although, low-flow versions save a ton of water and money by dispensing no more than two gallons each minute. To explore how much water your shower head uses, you can put a one-gallon pail within reach of the shower head. Then turn on your water to test your present shower head. If your bucket fills in 15 seconds, the flow rate is around four gpm. However, if it fills within ten seconds, it equals six gpm. In contrast, a low-flow showerhead would fill your bucket in approximately 24 seconds.
Go Green With Your Plumbing System Install Low-Flow Toilets
Now it’s time to go green with your toilets. Congress approved legislation in 1992 mandating that all toilets offered for sale in the country adhere to a new water-saving requirement of 1.6 gallons each flush (GPF). By 1992, a number of urban areas and seventeen states had already implemented water conservation plans that included high-efficiency toilet regulations in response to the rising need to conserve our water supply resources. The problem was toilet makers were going from 3.5 GPF to 1.6 GPF. In some cases, if the toilet was before 1982, it could have used 5 to 7 GPF. The toilet designs didn’t fair with much of the public. The complaint was they needed to flush twice for solid waste. Fast forward to the 21st Century, and those same makers have reached a new level in toilet design. The new generation in toilet design allows for even less than 1.6 GPF.
The Law that Most Californians has Never Heard
Check this out! Maybe you overlooked this new law in the flood of water-saving regulations that followed Governor Jerry Brown’s unprecedented statewide mandated water reduction actions in April 2015. The California State Energy Commission has established new low-flow efficiency requirements that will be applied to all faucets, urinals, and toilets sold in California starting in January 2016.
The new regulations, which are the strictest in the nation, forbid toilets from using more than 1.28 gallons every flush. 1.6 gallons is the federal minimum for each flush. The flow rate of residential bathroom faucets is limited to 1.2 gallons per minute (GPM). Urinal flushes are limited to 0.125 gallons, while kitchen faucets are limited to 1.8 GPM. Every plumbing fixture sold in California must comply with these requirements starting the next year (2016).
Go Green Wih A Whole House Water Filtration System
Install a whole-house water filtration system. It’s another way of going green with our plumbing system. Let me first preface that by saying not every homeowner can run out and buy a whole house water filtration system. It may not be in the budget. If you cannot afford it, okay. However, Big B’s Plumbing provides excellent financing options, such as zero interest for one year and longer-term financing as well.
Why is a whole house water system so important? Because it’s part of a bigger plan to eliminate plastic bottles. Plastic bottles wreak havoc on our environment.
let’s tally the reasons why they are bad for the environment:
- Disposable water bottles require fossil fuels throughout their life cycle, increasing pollution and contributing to global warming.
- More than seventeen million barrels of oil are needed to make enough single-use plastic water bottles to satisfy America’s yearly appetite for plastic bottles.
- The Container Recycling Institute estimates that 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in American landfills, representing an 86% waste or litter rate.
- Every year, 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide get released into the atmosphere during the water bottling process.
- Every year, 1.1 million marine animals perish as a result of the garbage from disposable water bottles that wash into the ocean.
- Creating disposable water bottles accounts for 90% of the price of a bottle of water, and the harm they have already caused is staggering.
These are only a few of the reasons why we should cut out bottled water altogether. Besides all the reasons above, you can enjoy other benefits such as softer skin and hair. Also, aside from a whole-house-water filtration system, there are other options. For example, a sophisticated water cooler that employs a high-efficient reverse osmosis filtering system to remove all the contaminants as a full house reverse osmosis system would do.
Other Options Will Fit Your Budget, The “RO Bottleless Water Cooler”
However, it is just for drinking water. Aside from home, it’s suitable for various sorts of public places, including offices, break rooms, and warehouses. The users of the water cooler can choose from hot, cold, or room-temperature water. The heated water spout has a child safety lock so everyone can use it without concern. Whether you install it in your business or home, you can experience fresh filtered water from every pour. They’re about the size of a standard cooler and cost between three and five hundred dollars. To find the right cooler for you, type in the keyphrase “RO Bottleless Water Cooler” and go green with your plumbing system!
