Save money. Save water. Help the environment. Sound good?

Installing low-flow aerators on your faucets can help you to keep excess water – and money – from gushing down the drain.  Aerators are easy to install and no tools are required. They simply screw onto the end of any faucet.

These inexpensive aerators (<$4) reduce water consumption without sacrificing water pressure. This model is best suited for bathroom faucets and only uses 0.5 gallons per minute (gpm) – a 75% savings over a standard 2.0 gpm aerator. According to some rough calculations, it will yield a payback in UNDER A YEAR if you use your faucet for just one minute a day (assuming your existing aerator is 2.0 gpm). In less than 300 days, you could be making money on your investment.

Go with the (low) flow!

Who is your Sustainability Mentor? Your Energy Efficiency Idol? You may not have to look any further than your 10-year-old tyke. Our children may have a thing or two to teach us about environmental stewardship – after all, it is their future we are trying to preserve.

Manassas Park Elementary School in Virginia has developed full-circle sustainability initiative that combines efficient buildings with efficient behaviors.  The school buildings, designed by VMDO Architects with support from 2rw Consultants, are LEED Gold certified and use 40% less energy than a typical energy code-compliant building. Additionally, the rainwater collection system harvests 1.3 million gallons per year for flushing and irrigation.

Manassas Park’s energy efficiency improvements also serve as educational tools for students. Outdoor building displays are linked to monitoring and metering systems that providing teaching materials about heat, light, air, water, and energy.

Students have access to an easy-to-read energy dashboard gives students a “green light” when conditions are right for opening the windows and enjoying fresh air instead of relying on artificial climate control.

In addition, the top of the rainwater collection cistern functions as an outdoor classroom. Educational maps show children how rainwater falling at their school flows through Bull Run, the Occoquan and Potomac Rivers, and on to the Chesapeake Bay.  Check out this video (courtesy of The Chesapeake Bay Program) to see more ways that energy efficiency and environmental education are integrated into the school’s design.

Weaving education into sustainability initiatives trains our children to become stewards of the environment. By learning the value of saving energy and water, they can establish sustainable habits early and serve as environmentally-responsible role models for their peers – and their parents.

So keep your eyes and ears open. You may just find your most effective environmental educator at the dinner table tonight.

The issue of water conservation is getting a flood of attention in EnergyVibe’s hometown of Charlottesville, VA. As the City of Charlottesville formulates its 50-year Water Supply Plan, one of the key questions is, “What will our water demand be in 50 years?” The answer depends heavily on our assumptions about water conservation. A local group called Citizens for a Sustainable Water Plan held a presentation about how two types of conservation, passive and active, can significantly reduce future water demand despite population growth. The potential drop in water demand could consequently eliminate the need for a new (expensive) 135-foot dam. For more information, visit http://cvillewater.info.

PASSIVE CONSERVATION occurs regardless of behavior because it is accomplished by installing high-efficiency irrigations systems. The federal Energy Policy Act of 1992 set mandatory conservation standards for high efficiency toilets, showerheads and faucets manufactured after 1994. This means that when existing 5 gallons per flush (gpf) fail, they are guaranteed to be replaced by higher efficiency 1.6 gpf (or lower) toilets. On a commercial level, passive conservation can contribute to an even greater reduction in water demand through measures such as water re-use infrastructure or rainwater collection.

ACTIVE CONSERVATION involves behavior-based steps that you and I can take to conserve water beyond the efficiencies of the equipment we use. As part of active conservation, citizens make the choice to irrigate responsibly, shorten your shower time, and turn off the faucet when you are washing your hands. Immediately reporting leaks at work is another form of active conservation.

Pairing passive and active conservation is the most effective way to achieve a dramatic reduction in water demand. Given this local example, Charlottesville’s evaluation of water conservation will directly affect decisions about future infrastructure.

2rw can help with a comprehensive approach to water conservation in the context that is applicable to you. 2rw’s engineers can aid in passive conservation by designing high-efficiency water systems, and EnergyVibe can work with you and your organization to encourage active conservation through behavior change.