Protecting The Environment Resolve To Drop 30...Gallons, That Is (NAPSA)—Nearly half of all Americans surveyed said they will make a “green” new year’s resolution this year, according to a poll released by Tiller, LLC. So why not resolve to cut down on your daily water use? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American uses about 100 gallons of water per day at saving the energy used to treat, pump and heat that water from the faucet. Letting the warm water run for just five minutes uses about as much energy asletting a 60-watt lightbulb run for 14 hours. By installing simple, inexpensive WaterSense-labeled faucet aerators on your bathroom sinks, you can reduce your household’s annual water use by about 500 gallons—equal to 14 loads of laundry. WaterSense-labeled faucets and home, but we can all use about 30 percent less by taking a few simple steps to use water moreefficiently. The greatest water-saving potential is actually in one of the smallest rooms of the house: the bathroom. Despite its size, it is the biggest water-wasting room of all—responsible for half of all indoor water use. The good news is that it’s now easier than ever to find water-efficient bathroom fixtures that won’t compromise convenience or comfort. Flush With Savings The best place to start is with your toilet, a notorious water waster. If installed before 1994, your toilet could use between 3% and 7 gallons of water per flush. Replacing older toilets with models labeled through EPA’s WaterSense program can save a family of four more than 16,000 gallons of water per year and roughly $1,000 over the next 10 years. aerators use 30 percent less water without sacrificing performance. WaterSense-labeled bathroom fixtures are available in a wide Photocredit: TOTO _# WaterSense-labeled toilets use less than 1.3 gallons per flush—20 percent less than the current standard—and are independently tested and certified to perform as well as or better than conventional models. There are currently more than 100 WaterSense-labeled toilets (see epa.gov/watersense for a list of models). The bathroom sink is the next place to look to drop a few gallons. Turning off the tap while you brush your teeth or shave saves up to 8 gallons of water per day or about 3,000 gallons per year. There’s also the added benefit of range of brands, styles, models and price points, and can be found at local home improvement stores, as well as kitchen and bath distributors. You can shed even more gallons inside the house with a few simple changes. For example, wash only full loads of laundry or dishes. Eliminating one dishwasher load per week can save more than 2,000 gallons of water annually. For a full list of WaterSenselabeled bathroom fixtures, visit epa.gov/watersense, and to help keep your resolution throughout the year, click on the link to sign up for EPA’s WaterSense Current e-newsletter, which offers quarterly water-savingtips.
