Water Matters – The challenge of water conservation Part II

Seem to have struck a chord with this topic – or better a pipe! Water is indeed a hot topic and the most challenging resource.

It was pointed out to me that besides the issue of water availability, the quality of the water that is available seems to drop as well. Thank you for your comment, Deepak. The point you raised is certainly confirmed from other sides and has also come up in varying conversations.

Yesterday, someone literally hit a water line outside my office. Fortunately the landlord is on site and was able to remedy the situation quickly. The commotion caused by 4 men trying to isolate and then repair a small water leak was indeed quite amusing. Instant comedy to share another day. Let’s just say that a Jamaican, a Mexican and two white guys there is a lot of funny conversation going on and leave it at that!
Later that day I had a meeting for a tenant improvement for a space located in a multi story building. When reaching the 20th floor and after passing the security guard, we commenced the tour of the space. It included a visit to the public restrooms, that are only accessible to anyone that has passed the aforementioned security check on this floor. Since it is a public space and the client has a set of bathrooms within their usable area, this space is hardly used. Why the elaborate description? Because the water was running in one of the water closets as though it was just flushed. No one would have noticed that if it was not for my walk through. And who know how long it has been running.

Reminds me of another story from a former client: she owned a couple of homes around Florida that she is renting out. This particular property was vacant for a while and eventually she received a water bill in excess of $1000. After inquirieing about the cause of the bill, the following was explained to her: There appeared to be a water leak on site. After the last month reading, they turned of the water service. Even though the employee was on site and noticed the leak before, they did not report it to anyone other than to leave a note at the door… Now my client was left with a outrageous water bill, terminated service and a damaged property .All it took was a phone call to prevent all of the above…

The point is ownership. Take ownership of the environment. Do the right thing and help preserve resources. Water is a simple resource to overlook, but that will soon change.

Besides the EPA Water Sense Program (http://www.epa.gov/watersense ), this morning i hear about the Broward county initiative Water Matters (http://www.broward.org/watermatters ). they have a couple of events coming up, surely worth checking out! Try to make it this Saturday March 14, to the Tree Top Park in Davie. Look on their website for more information.
Then there is the shower head exchange program from Miami-Dade County. A simple free tool to preserve water (http://www.miamidade.gov/conservation/ ).

Finally, if you like to save about 40% on water in use in your toilet, take a look at the dual flush retro fit kit: Flush Choice (www.flushchoice.com ). Tell them Sebastian Eilert, The Village Green Man, send you…


Every Drop Counts!

Village Green Man