Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
toilets; rainwater collection systems; wastewater treatment systems;
and hot water recirculation systems.
Morrow adds that factoring in basic green approaches doesn't
have to cost big bucks. It can add as little as 1.5 to 2 percent to
the cost of a house, according to a study by the NAHB Research
Center.
The International Green Construction Code is another industry
effort that addresses water, including site development and land use,
water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution
systems and the recovery of used (gray) water, in addition to other
green issues. It's a sustainability initiative from the International Code
Council, American Institute of Architects, and ASTM International
(formerly the American Society of Testing and Materials). 5
Toilet Talk
One of the biggest water guzzlers in a home is the bathroom. But
plenty of water savings are possible, and they've gone high-tech.
The drop-the-brick-in-the-toilet-tank-to-use-less-water approach is
long gone.
Americans waste nearly 640 billion gallons of water per year fl ush-
ing old, ineffi cient toilets. That's the equivalent of 15 days' worth of
fl ow over Niagara Falls, according to data from EPA's WaterSense
water savings program. By replacing older, ineffi cient toilets with
WaterSense-labeled low-water-use models, a family of four could
reduce water used for fl ushing by more than 60 percent and, depend-
ing on local water and sewer costs, save close to $100 annually.
On Super Bowl Sunday, if every viewer watching the big game
fl ushed at halftime, it would require about 300 million gallons in
near sync. On the other hand, if those viewers used water-saving
toilets with EPA's WaterSense label, fl ushers would use about one-
third less water.*
*U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “WaterSense: Statistics and Facts,” http://epa.gov/
watersense/news/facts.htm; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The WaterSense Current ,
no. 9 (Winter 2009), http://epa.gov/watersense/news/current/winter2009.htm#answer.
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