Last Saturday, Water – Use It Wisely mascot, Wayne Drop, and Charlie “The Recycling Chimp” visited the City Hall at the Mall event at the Superstition Springs Mall in Mesa, Arizona.
Together they make a great pair because the more we recycle, the more water is conserved! Did you know that recycling one ton of paper can save 7,000 gallons of water?! Manufacturing a product from recycled materials takes a lot less water than the water needed for the same product made from raw materials.
Make Wayne Drop and Charlie happy by choosing to recycle and using water wisely!

The Average Arizonan uses 136 gallons of water per day

Q: I have a concern about high water usage.  We have lots of mature landscaping, but artificial turf (no grass), a fairly large pool, hot tub, 3 full baths; a 1/2 bath.  There are 3 people in our home; I am home a lot during the day.  Is 24,000 gallons of usage for the month of August something to be concerned about?  It seems like an awful lot.  What can we do??

A: Thank you for your interest in saving water and concerns for your household water use.

Let’s look at your daily per person usage. If you used 24,000 gallons, we’ll divide by 3 people = 8,000 gallons per person per month. Let’s divide 8,000 by 31= 258 gallons per person per day. Yep, that’s a lot!

Of course August is a very hot month and I suspect that a lot of the water is being used in the landscape or swimming pool (glad to hear you don’t have grass though).

You can easily be losing 3,400 gallons in your pool alone during August due to evaporation and about 17,000 gallons would be typical water needs in August for a very large landscape of about 10,000 square feet. Add the two together and you already have over 20,000 gallons, so your outdoor use might be why your bill was so high. However, I’m just guessing on your landscape size and I’m not sure if you live in Arizona or another climate. There are always other things to check.

• Look around for leaks
• Listen for running backwash water around water treatment appliances
• Check to see if your irrigation timer has been set properly
• Check to make sure you are watering properly with our Landscape Watering Guide
• Check your toilet for leaks, trickling sounds or water moving in the bowl
• Check your pool for leaks, especially if you have an automatic pool refiller
• Browse through our 100-tips at Water – Use It Wisely
• Take our Home Water Challenge, then visit the links at the end to see how you can reduce your water use

Another helpful brochure is our High Water Use Action Plan. It can help you figure out where all that water might be going.

Good luck and I hope you’re well on your way to reducing your water use at your home.

Donna DiFrancesco is a Conservation Specialist with the City of Mesa, Environmental & Sustainability Division where she educates Mesa, Arizona residents about xeriscape, water conservation, living green and sustainability. She is also a member of the Water – Use It Wisely regional campaign steering committee.

Many often think of “greening” as a technique that focuses on energy savings, but it is important to not forget the importance of saving “blue.” Not only is water a limited natural resource, but there is also a fundamental water-energy connection.

The treatment and delivery of water requires a great deal of energy, but it takes a lot of cooling water for energy production too. The electrical power industry is one of the greatest consumers of water, using more than 200,000 million gallons of water per day, according to the most recent U.S. Geological Survey for water.

Saving Water is Good for Business

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important to businesses, as customers are becoming more environmentally savvy. In fact, as reported in the UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study: A New Era of Sustainability, in 2008, 91 percent of consumers said they had bought a product or service from a company they trusted—showing a direct correlation between profits and public image.

Being an active water steward is one more way to enhance a company’s image and improve employee pride and motivation. Besides positive PR, an organization will benefit with cost savings, including lower maintenance and equipment replacement costs, in addition to reductions in energy and water bills.

Ways Businesses Use Water

The ways a business may use water are as varied as the types of businesses that use it. Is the organization a simple office setting or a manufacturer? A food processor, school, hospital or motel? All have different ways of using water, from simple bathroom and kitchen use to cooling towers, landscape irrigation, water purification, scrubbers or rinsing processes. Water use may range from a few thousand gallons a month to millions of gallons.

Ways Businesses Can Save Water

Simple steps can be taken like fixing leaks, installing low-flow showerheads, installing high efficiency toilets, xeriscape landscaping and recycling process water. However, the best savings will occur if a business creates a water management plan.

Three best practices for all organizations:

1. Have a goal to save water
2. Identify and implement water efficiency measures
3. Monitor savings and progress

Donna DiFrancesco is a Conservation Specialist with the City of Mesa, Environmental & Sustainability Division where she educates Mesa, Arizona residents about xeriscape, water conservation, living green and sustainability. She is also a member of the Water – Use It Wisely regional campaign steering committee.

GreenNurture has collaborated with the campaign, known for its 100 Ways to Conserve list for water use at home, on targeted co-branded conservation messages for the workplace titled, “We’re All in the Business of Saving Water.”

The messages will be used on such educational collateral as GreenNurture office prompts, newsletters and weekly e-mails, which are distributed to their client base, and on marketing materials. The co-branded collateral will be featured on the Water-Use It Wisely website as an added dimension to their overall mission and be seen in such offerings from their campaign as a Water-saving Widget.

Since its inception in 1999, Water – Use It Wisely has focused on water conservation in the home. The program started in Mesa, AZ, and has since grown to be the world’s largest water conservation outreach effort with more than 400 private public entities using the campaign materials, primarily throughout North America.

“We are extremely excited to be partnering with GreenNurture offering water-saving tips in the office, which will help keep water conservation among the employees top-of-mind at home,” said, Donna DiFrancesco, Water Conservation Specialist for the City of Mesa.

The partnership kicks off today, with a special radio show tonight at 7 pm (PDT) on KFNX called, “Your Triple Bottom Line.” You can listen to a live stream of the show and call in with questions toll free at 866-536-1100. You can also Tweet your questions to @your3bl.

Tune in to hear Donna DiFrancesco and GreenNurture CEO, Derrick Mains, share insights on how to save water and money with your business. Also joining the show is Park Howell, whose sustainable marketing firm created the Water – Use It Wisely campaign. He will offer insights on how to motivate your employees through communication to get them to embrace micro eco-actions, the incremental behavioral changes that are at the heart of the GreenNurture concept.

“Water is one of the most overused resources, and it’s costing businesses millions of dollars a year. Thanks to the Water-Use It Wisely campaign over the last ten years, people have become much more water-conscious in their homes. Now it’s time to extend that mentality to the workplace,” said Derrick Mains, CEO of GreenNurture. “This partnership gives GreenNurture an intelligent, effective way to bring important information to our customers about water conservation and adds yet another layer to the Water-Use It Wisely mission.”

About GreenNurture

GreenNurture helps companies incorporate the value of sustainability into daily practice, catalyzing corporate culture and harnessing the collective intelligence of employees to drive greater long-term financial, social and environmental performance. Visit www.greennurture.com for more information.

Water – Use It Wisely founder, Park Howell was named the 2010 “Ad Person of the Year” at the 25th Annual ADDY Awards held this past weekend in Phoenix. The ADDY’s are an extension of the American Advertising Federation and are held each year to recognize the top advertising campaigns and individuals in the state.

It was great to see Park recognized by his peers for his contributions to the industry over the last 25 years. But the most gratifying part of Park’s win is being recognized for the difference he’s made in the community and his passion for causes, including Water – Use It Wisely.

Park’s been instrumental in growing Water – Use It Wisely from its humble beginnings in Arizona to one of the world’s largest water conservation campaigns. It’s Park’s drive that’s given rise to Water – Use Wisely and it’s what ultimately won him the “Ad Person of the Year” too. Knowing Park he’s likely to deflect any praise to those who’ve worked with him throughout the years but we’d like to take the time to recognize him for his victory and all of his accomplishments. Congratulations Park! You deserve it. Check out the official press release here.

The project, “Water Conservation: Customer Behavior and Effective Communications investigates the effect of communication tools and strategies on residential water use and water conservation behavior of residential customers…” Basically, that’s a fancy way of asking if the stuff organizations like Water – Use It Wisely so passionately promotes resonates with its audience.

We invite you to take a look at the entire study for a comprehensive look at the results but a peak into a few insights are certainly encouraging. Below are a few results pulled from the Phoenix portion of the study (Water – Use it Wisely’s hope base):

• “There are a number of ways to save water and they all start with you” message was seen or heard by 75% of survey respondents.
• “Water your plants deeply, but less frequently to create healthier and stronger landscapes” message was seen or heard by 69% of survey respondents.
• “Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk and save 80 gallons of water every time” message was seen or heard by 61% of respondents.
• Customers that reported that “air pollution” is an environmental concern in the community were associated with lower water use.
• Customers that found sales associates at hardware stores “rarely credible” or “not credible” were associated with lower water use.

It’s encouraging to see that our message is being heard and we’re truly grateful to those passing that message along. It’s because of you that we’re making a difference so let’s turn it up a notch. Help us spread our message even farther in 2010.

Second is a recent feature in the CBS News series “Where America Stands,” entitled, “America’s Dwindling Water Supply.” The article details some sobering facts including how the U.S.’s water use stacks up against the rest of the world. According to the article Americans average using 150 gallons of water per day with 30 gallons being used by 9 a.m. Compare that to the 40 gallons of water per day used in the U.K. and 13 gallons per day used in some of the worlds poorest countries and it seems we’ve got a lot of work to do.

The rest of the article points to how we got here and what we can do to make a difference. There’s even a link to the Water – Use It Wisely tips page as a resource for how to get started. While there is certainly an urgency to make a difference now, the good thing is there are plenty of easy ways to make a huge difference. Our job here is to help you understand that. But remember, no tip or resource works without your commitment. It doesn’t take much, just a little time and a little effort and we can turn this thing around in a hurry.

The results are staggering. Looking at a study like this underscores how important it is that we value the water we have and work to ensure everyone around the world has access to the same vital resources we do. Something most of us take for granted each day is the same thing that has the potential to cause major conflicts around the world.

As we look at this study we should all be sure to think about the impact the next time we turn on the faucet, shower, or hose and realize how lucky we are and how valuable our water is.

According to the International Car Wash Association, washing your car at home or in the driveway uses between 80 and 140 gallons of water. Also, washing your car at home releases contaminated water directly into the environment or into storm drains intended for rainwater causing pollution in rivers, streams and oceans.

Soon, water rationing and restrictions on car washing may come our way. In fact, some municipalities have already banned home car washing with a hose, enforcing the ban with citations and possible imprisonment for violators.

Ecolo Green Car Wash is a response to this problem, providing services and products that use the equivalent of JUST one glass of water to wash a car.

This product works and we certainly hope you use it (find out more at our website - www.ecologreencarwash.com). But this product or any other like it won’t succeed unless we change our behavior first. This isn’t just about saving water washing your car. It’s about preserving the future by changing the way you act in your everyday life.

That can be expected considering the population increase, and Andrew Nusca and Larry Dignan of “Smart Planet” do a great job of breaking down the survey here. The bottom line is the downturn in water-use has stemmed from more effecient technologies in irrigation systems and power plants. This, of course, is great news but we can make it even better by continuing to do our part as consumers. It may not seem like a low flow shower head or reusing water from the dishes makes a difference, but it does. In fact, it makes a big difference.

The last 30 years are obviously a step in the right direction but water is more scarce now than ever and it’s going to take all of our efforts to continue to make a difference. It’s easy. Start here and spread the word.