California Water Savings Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions The Equivalent of Taking 111,000 Cars Off the Road for One Year

A study released earlier this year by the University of California at Davis (UC Davis), finds that the reduction in water consumption in the state of California has also resulted in what was reported to be a “substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.”

California experienced a four-year drought, which ended in 2016. In 2015, the state implemented regulations, requiring a 25 percent across-the-board cut in water consumption. 

The UC Davis team reports that more than 525 million gallons of water were saved during that one-year period just as a result of the restrictions.  This was on top of voluntary cutbacks on water consumption, which began as soon as the drought was declared.

As to how a reduction in water consumption could result in reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), “it’s all because of the close interconnection between water and energy,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO, and Founder of Waterless CO, manufacturers of no-water urinals.

“It takes energy to treat and distribute water. If less water is being consumed and distributed, less electricity is needed, so fewer gas emissions are released.”

According to the researchers, this is precisely what happened. They found that due to reduced water consumptions and the need for electricity, there was a reduction of more than 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of taking 111,000 cars off the road for one year.

"The scale of these integrated water-energy-GHG savings, achieved over such a short period, is remarkable,” says Professor Frank Loge, one of the authors of the study.  “Our results provide strong support for including direct water conservation in the portfolio… for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Reichardt adds that as scientists look for more ways to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they will likely focus more attention on improving water efficiency. 

“This study is clear, and there have been others like it.  Reducing water consumption not only protects our most important resource, but our atmosphere as well.”

Tips on making properties more water efficient

Millions of gallons of water are wasted every day in the United States. While several factors contribute to that waste, the two main issues are undetected leaks caused by an aging infrastructure and faulty irrigation systems/procedures incorporated by scores of property owners.

Like energy, property owners and managers must begin monitoring their water use on a weekly basis to ensure efficiency, according to conservation firm WaterSignal.

Here are 12 tips for making properties more water efficient by pinpointing problems owners and managers might not otherwise detect:

• Compare water usage against a bill that is 12-24 months old, instead of auditing water usage by comparing against the previous month’s water bill. An undetected leak may have occurred several months ago.

To read more tips on how to make your property more water efficient, click here to visit the Proud Green Building Website.

Going Waterless with Klaus Reichardt

On today’s podcast, Waterless CEO Klaus Reichardt talks about the initiatives his company has taken with it’s conservation efforts and he shares his thoughts on the future of the industry.

To listen to the podcast on MarketScale.com, click the image below.

Screenshot taken from MarketScale.com.

Africa’s first carbon-neutral brewery

Western Cape-based craft brewery Darling Brew has been named Africa’s first carbon-neutral brewery and is expected to offset a total of 687.96 t of carbon dioxide over the next year.

This, the brewery explained, will be equivalent to having eliminated the same amount of carbon from the environment as 17 829 tree seedlings having grown for ten years.

To read more from Simone Liedtke on Creamer Media Engineering News website, click here.

Showering, flushing account for almost half of water used in homes

SINGAPORE: Showering and flushing make up nearly half of the water used in homes, national water agency PUB said on Thursday (Mar 1).

In a study done with 400 households in 2016 and 2017, PUB found that showering remained the largest guzzler of water in homes at 27 per cent. This was followed by flushing at 18 per cent, kitchen use at 16 per cent and laundry at 15 per cent.

The numbers are similar to its findings in a 2004 study, where showering accounted for 29 per cent of water usage in homes, while flushing made up 16 per cent.

In addition to water usage, the latest study also included information on water-efficient fittings in households.

Read more on the Channel NewsAsia website.