Greenversations

About the author: Steve Burton* the SW territory contact for Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.’s Private Label Program. Ferguson is the EPA’s 2008 WaterSense Retailer/Distributor Partner of the Year.

We have a two-person household in an average-size home in Oro Valley, Arizona. In November 2008 we discovered the guest bathroom had a slow internal leak caused by an aging fill valve inside the toilet tank. The only reason we thought to look for a leak was the spike in our water bill that month.

We found a slow leak inside the toilet tank in our hall bathroom. The noise was faint. If the fan was on or if you were not directly in the bathroom, you could not tell there was a noise coming from the toilet tank.

The impact this one slow leak had on our water usage/bill during November 2008 is below.

• Sept 2008 $41.97
• Oct 2008 $51.33
• Nov 2008 $148.30
• Dec 2008 $58.66
• Jan 2008 $33.64

This drove home how important it is to check/maintain water fixtures in our home to conserve water and save money. For about $15, we were able to fix a leak that was costing us $100 a month!

* EPA does not endorse any contractor, commercial service, or enterprise.

About the author: Stephanie Thornton is the Partner Outreach Coordinator for EPA’s WaterSense program. Stephanie has been with the Agency for almost seven years.

We all want to do what we can to be more water efficient around the house – we wash only full loads of dishes and laundry, turn off the water while brushing our teeth, and look for WaterSense® labeled products when replacing a toilet or faucet. But one of the biggest water wasters often goes unnoticed: common household leaks.

That’s why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created Fix a Leak Week, which runs March 16 through 20. Leaks can account for, on average, up to 11,000 gallons of water wasted in house each year. That’s enough to fill your backyard swimming pool! The most common leaks are toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves, all of which are easily corrected. Fixing them can save you up to 10% on your water bills.

Nearly all fixture leaks can also be corrected by replacing older models with new, WaterSense labeled products. You’ll stop the leak and give yourself a high-quality, water efficient toilet or faucet that you can feel good about.

One of the easiest ways to figure out if you have a leak is to check your water meter before leaving the house for a two hour period in which no water is being used. When you return home, check the meter again – if it has changed, you have a leak.

For more easy leak detection tips and solutions, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak/. While you’re there, take the Fix a Leak Week Pledge to make your home leak-free!

About the author: Steve Burton* the SW territory contact for Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.’s Private Label Program. Ferguson is the EPA’s 2008 WaterSense Retailer/Distributor Partner of the Year.

We have a two-person household in an average-size home in Oro Valley, Arizona. In November 2008 we discovered the guest bathroom had a slow internal leak caused by an aging fill valve inside the toilet tank. The only reason we thought to look for a leak was the spike in our water bill that month.

We found a slow leak inside the toilet tank in our hall bathroom. The noise was faint. If the fan was on or if you were not directly in the bathroom, you could not tell there was a noise coming from the toilet tank.

The impact this one slow leak had on our water usage/ bill during November 2008 is below.

• Sept 2008 $41.97
• Oct 2008 $51.33
• Nov 2008 $148.30
• Dec 2008 $58.66
• Jan 2008 $33.64

This drove home how important it is to check/ maintain water fixtures in our home to conserve water and save money. For about $15, we were able to fix a leak that was costing us $100 a month!

EPA does not

A lot has been portrayed lately in the media-with a sense of urgency-regarding a possible future food crisis and water shortage due to the increasing demands of emerging economies. The world’s water consumption rose sixfold between 1900 and 1995 - more than double the rate of population growth - and keeps on growing as farming, industry and domestic demand all increase, specially in said economies such as India and China. Yet, every species living in the planet needs water for sustenance and it can’t be consumed by some and on the shortfall for others. Farming, which accounts for 70% of the world’s water consumption, is also essential to the life of all humans.

On the other hand, climate change has brought excessive rainfall to some areas and droughts in others affecting farming practices and the food supply chain. While many people have grown aware of the climate change issue, efficient use of water in our home to industrial and agricultural practices still needs to be taken into account. I recently read an article in The Economist that blamed the problem of a future water shortage on bio-fuels and while it correctly pointed out our that one third of the world’s population could be affected by the scarcity of water by 2025 it offered no real solutions to the issue at hand.

Climate change aside, we have to understand that every day activities also affect our fresh-water supplies. This is not a distant problem, but rather one for which every single citizen is responsible. Erosion from incorrect land use provides excess sedimentation which in turn diminishes our reservoirs accumulation capacity while introducing pollutants that affect not only water quality but ecosystems as well. According to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service soil runoff can impact, directly or indirectly, water quality and water usage. Surface and stormwater runoff from urban activities also impact our rivers and lakes by delivering pollutants into them.

In my six years at EPA I have participated in countless beach, lake and river cleanups. The amount of trash and sediment from illegal dumping that goes into our water bodies might surprise anyone who has not seen it. Large toys, stoves, tires, construction materials and even cars, just to name a few, all have been retrieved from our reservoirs, creeks and rivers. Education is the key to prevent a water shortage in the future. After all water is finite and we all need it.

Sobre la autor: Brenda Reyes Tomassini se unió a la EPA en el 2002. Labora como especialista de relaciones públicas en la oficina de EPA en San Juan, Puerto Rico donde también maneja asuntos comunitarios para la División de Protección Ambiental del Caribe.

Informes presentados recientemente por los medios de comunicación advierten con sentido de urgencia acerca de una potencial crisis por escasez de alimentos ligada a una escasez de agua debido a las demandas cada vez mayores de las economías en desarrollo. El consumo de agua en el mundo aumentó exponencialmente-entre 1900 y 1995-más del doble del crecimiento poblacional y sigue en aumento debido a la creciente demanda que tiene para usos industriales, comerciales y agrarios en las economías antes mencionadas como India y China. Todas las especies en el planeta necesitan agua para vivir y no podemos segmentar su uso. La agricultura, que consume el 70% del agua a nivel mundial, es también esencial para nuestras vidas.

Adicionalmente, el cambio climático ha traído exceso de lluvia en algunas regiones y sequías en otras, lo que ha afectado la agricultura y la cadena de alimentos. Aunque muchas personas conocen sobre el cambio climático, el uso ineficiente del agua en nuestras casas, industria y agricultura también ha impactado adversamente nuestros abastos de agua. Recientemente leí un artículo en la revista The Economist en el que se culpaba a los bio combustibles por las posibles carencias de agua en el mundo. Aunque ciertamente planteaba que un tercio de la población mundial sufrirá por escasez de agua en el 2025, este artículo no ofrecía soluciones reales al problema.

Dejando el cambio climático a un lado, tenemos que comprender que son nuestras actividades diarias las que afectan nuestros abastos de agua dulce. Este no es un problema distante o ajeno, más bien uno sobre el cual cada ciudadano es responsable. Por ejemplo, la erosión ocasionada por el mal uso de la tierra puede causar sedimentación, lo que a su vez reduce la capacidad acumulativa de nuestras reservas. Esto también arrastra contaminantes que afectan no sólo la calidad de nuestras aguas sino también nuestros ecosistemas. De acuerdo al Servicio de Conservación de los Recursos Naturales de los Estados Unidos  las escorrentías impactan, directa o indirectamente la calidad de nuestras aguas y su uso. Los contaminantes de las escorrentías urbanas también impactan adversamente nuestros ríos y lagos.

En mis seis años en la EPA he participado de muchas actividades de recogido de basura en playas, lagos y ríos. La gran cantidad de basura y sedimento que llegan de forma ilegal a nuestros cuerpos de agua no debe sorprender a nadie. Juguetes grandes, estufas, llanta, materiales de construcción e inclusive autos, por nombrar algunos, han sido sacados de nuestras reservas, quebradas y ríos. La educación es la solución para prevenir una escasez de agua en el futuro, real o potencial. Todos podemos hacer algo para proteger este valioso recurso. Después de todo el agua es limitada y todos la necesitamos para vivir.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and chairs EPA’s Multilingual Communications Task Force. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

Lea la versión en español a continuación de esta entrada en inglés.
Some links exit EPA or have Spanish content.

We’ve been living in our “new” house for nearly 14 years. With the normal wear and tear of daily living, we’ve made our share of repairs, plus we’ve purposely made some changes for energy and water saving purposes.

Several years ago, we bought all new major appliances with the Energy Star label. In our effort to reduce our carbon footprint, we took the pledge and changed all the lights to Energy Star light bulbs. (In the kitchen alone—we have 12!) That didn’t seem to be enough to cut the energy bill, so last summer, we changed all the windows at home to high performance Energy Star windows. The draftiness had been sealed. We did experience greater temperature stability in the home, yet those energy savings were not yet there. Forget about the rising electric bill costs, that was a whole other issue. So after some procrastination, we finally purchased a new air-conditioning/heating system with the Energy Star label AND the Energy Star programmable thermostat. Combined with our previous updates, that really made the difference! We are finally feeling at home and in our energy bills the long promised and awaiting benefits. Our energy consumption has dropped about 40 percent.

Having addressed the electric bill, we had to tackle another area—leaking toilets. Yes, I know it’s not an appealing subject, but, we have five toilets at home and three were leaking quite often. According to our stats, “a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day”—you do the math. That’s a LOT of water wasted.

I learned about the WaterSense program through EPA and found out that the new toilets with the high-efficiency WaterSense label were finally available in the Maryland area where we live. We studied various options. We considered the dual flush toilets that we’ve seen in Europe and more recently in EPA’s Potomac Yard green building, but we finally opted for single flush toilets that use 1.28 gallons per flush and we couldn’t be happier. They do the job and we’ve put a stop to those leaky toilets, finally.

So, with the repairs in the home and greenscaping techniques in the garden, we’re trying to assume our green responsibilities starting at home

Haciendo reparaciones verdes

Sobre la autor: Lina M. F. Younes ha trabajado en la EPA desde el 2002 y está a cargo del Grupo de Trabajo sobre Comunicaciones Multilingües. Como periodista, dirigió la oficina en Washington de dos periódicos puertorriqueños y ha laborado en varias agencias gubernamentales.

Hemos estado viviendo en nuestra casa “nueva” por casi 14 años. Con el ir y venir del diario vivir, hemos tenido que hacer algunas reparaciones y nos hemos propuesto a hacer algunos cambios a fin de lograr ahorros de energía y agua.

Después de unos años, compramos todos nuestros principales enseres electrodomésticos con la etiqueta de Energy Star. En nuestro esfuerzo por reducir nuestra huella de carbono, asumimos la promesa—– y cambiamos todas las bombillas (o focos) a bombillas de la etiqueta Energy Star. ¡En la cocina nada más tengo 12!) Eso no fue suficiente para reducir la cuenta de electricidad y el verano pasado cambiamos todas las ventanas en la casa a ventanas de alto rendimiento Energy Star. Logramos reducir escapes de aire alrededor de las ventanas. También mejoramos grandemente la estabilidad en la temperatura en la casa, pero los anticipados ahorros todavía no habían sido realizados. (Dejemos aparte las cuentas de electricidad en alza, ese es un tema aparte.) Después de posponer la decisión, compramos finalmente un nuevo sistema de aire acondicionado y calefacción de Energy Star Y el termostato programable de Energy Star. ¡Combinado con las mejoras que habíamos hecho con anterioridad, por fin vimos la diferencia! Finalmente estamos sintiendo en la casa y en nuestras facturas de energía los beneficios prometidos y tan anticipados. Nuestro consumo energético ha bajado en un 40 por ciento.

Después de abordar el tema de la cuenta eléctrica, entonces abordamos otra reparación importante—los inodoros que estaban perdiendo agua. Sí, sé que no es un tema atrayente, pero, con cinco inodoros en la casa, y tres que estaban perdiendo agua frecuentemente, se imaginan. Según nuestros datos, “un inodoro con fugas puede desperdiciar 200 galones de agua al día, saque las cuentas. Esa es MUCHA agua desperdiciada.

Me enteré del programa WaterSense — mediante la EPA y encontré que los nuevos inodoros de la etiqueta de alto rendimiento WaterSense por fin estaban disponibles en el área de Maryland donde vivimos. Estudiamos varias opciones. Consideramos los inodoros de cadena dual que habíamos visto en Europa y recientemente en el edificio verde de EPA de Potomac Yard, pero finalmente optamos por un inodoro sencillo que utiliza 1.28 galones por tirada y estamos muy satisfechos. Están realizando su labor y por fin terminamos con los escapes de agua en los inodoros.

Por lo tanto, con las reparaciones y las técnicas de jardinería verde en el jardín estamos tratando de asumir nuestras responsabilidades hacia el medio ambiente empezando en nuestro hogar.

About the author: Larry Teller joined EPA’s Philadelphia office in its early months and has worked in environmental assessment, state and congressional liaison, enforcement, and communications. His 28 years with the U.S. Air Force, most as a reservist, give him a different look at government service.

I’d hoped my first contribution to this valuable space would speak to a cosmic issue, offering one person’s humble thoughts on how–on the job at an EPA regional office, and away–we can honor our sacred obligation to repair the world. Then, while leaving the train on Friday, I bumped into a co-worker. Our 10-minute walk somehow turned into a friendly contest to invent practical ways to save energy and water.

We came up with two ideas and, being veteran EPAers, devoted most of our words wondering why people more entrepreneurial than us hadn’t already developed and commercialized our utterly obvious breakthroughs.

The first was at our feet: the escalator from the train platform. Why, we wondered, does it continuously run all day long when, except for the morning and afternoon rush hours, it’s used intermittently? Why not have a sensor that starts it up when someone approaches? Energy Star friends, you’ve done wonders for fridges and are now needed at escalators.

Having solved escalator energy waste, and it being National Drinking Water Week, Fred and I devoted our remaining minutes to home sinks. Thinking of two daily tasks-washing dishes and shaving-it seemed sensible that there’s usually no need for the water to run for several minutes when it’s needed part-time. Thinking of doctor and dentist scrub sinks, can there be a safe foot pedal or other way to turn the water on and off while hands are occupied?

Although our last minute together covered possible technical challenges-reliability of switches, wear and tear on escalator gears, tripping over foot pedals, home maintenance-we decided that the R&D gang is up to the task.

Fred and I are willing to share the profits that will surely come our way. My question, readers, is whether our ten-minute commuter brainstorm under the streets of Philadelphia (it was raining) was worthwhile.