Colleges Working to Reduce Water Needs
Recently I blogged about the many campuses which are sourcing and offering healthy food to their students instead of the usual easy fast food.
I was contacted by Best Colleges Online, who provide interesting and useful information on higher education, college culture, online learning and how to succeed in the job market, to mention but a few. They seem to be a great resource for students!
Recently they posted an article on the initiatives taking place in campuses across the US to conserve water. I found it interesting to read what is happening, so, with thanks to Best Colleges Online, here are my Top 10 Personal Picks of the initiatives.
- Cal State-LA lowered their water bills and reduced water usage by about 27 million gallons in 18 months by using a wireless water management service. The system adjusts to weather changes (e.g. turning off sprinklers when it rains) and also saves valuable staff time.
- Drexel University collects rainwater and, instead of sending it off for treatment, uses it directly for non-potable uses such as toilets and gardening. Harford Community College captures rainwater to use in an evaporative cooling tower.
- Drought-tolerant and indigenous plants need less water and maintenance. Saint Mary’s College have planted oleander, lavender and nandina; drought-tolerant plants make up about 95% of their campus plants. Centralia are switching to native plants, and at UC-Davis and UC-Riverside, a new strain of grass was created which needs only 25% of the normal amount of water.
- Schools like Stanford have made use of water misers which sense when the water is needed and when it’s not – where implemented, they have reduced water usage by over 50%. Stanford have also recognized that university water usage doesn’t end off campus, and they provide information and resources to faculty and staff to impact their private homes as well.
- At UC-Santa Cruz, students arriving on campus will learn about water conservation in their orientation meetings, and the campus offers dorm room usage audits as well. Enhancing awareness of water usage can help conservation efforts, making those who consume water more careful in their usage. Using stickers, signs, and other awareness tools, schools are placing simple reminders in high water usage areas, such as busy restrooms. These reminders can help students be mindful about their water usage. Several colleges including UC-Santa Cruz, have shared water use data publicly and within their community to spotlight conservation of water.
- Instead of allowing bottled water as an option at campus events and at dining facilities, colleges like Harvey Mudd College are selling or providing refillable water bottles to faculty, staff, and students. UC-Berkeley’s I Heart Tap Water campaign promoted tap water as the beverage of choice for the campus. They have more than 450 water fountains on campus and have reduced campus usage of plastic water bottles by at least 25%. Schools like Dartmouth have employed the use of Brita pitchers and units that dispense filtered (and sometimes even flavored) water.
- At Oberlin College, students get involved in wastewater cleaning with The Living Machine. The machine processes wastewater into reusable greywater by relying on natural cleaning methods in wetlands, including plants and bacteria.
- Some schools previously thawed food using running water. Instead, colleges like Evergreen State have implemented better planning, and are able to thaw all food products naturally without the use of running water.
- Many colleges including Vanderbilt University are installing water-free urinals, which do not flush. Instead, the urinals use liquid chemicals and gravity, saving up to 40,000 gallons of water each year.
- Everyone likes to see a sparkly clean college, but many schools are recognizing that they don’t need to power wash as often as they have in the past. At the University of Washington, power washing has been reduced to the removal of graffiti and slippery materials only.
It is most encouraging to see these measures. Do you know of other campus initiatives?
Clare , I saw a lot of examples in Melbourne recently of conserving water . Mostly at toilets , but tanks everywhere at parks and public buildings to help with watering the gardens . Saw some wind turbines on the roof of the ANZ Bank building on the banks of the Yarra River , which flows through Melbourne .
When you publicize and share all these great ideas, I think it inspires others to do more!
Sonya Lenzo
Clare, thanks for sharing this listing of initiatives on college campuses to save water. I’m glad to hear about these efforts. I recall visiting a Japanese family several years ago, and in their bathroom, which was extremely small, there was a toilet with a small fountain on top. When you flushed the toilet, the water ran through the small fountain, which you used to wash your hands, and the water you had just used to wash your hands filled the toilet bowl. I always thought that was a very awesome design.
TKS
It’s awesome to see college campus’s stepping up in order to make necessary changes. Educating student’s about what they can do is a step in the right direction.
Leadership Is A Choice
They are all great ways to save water. The Vanderbilt University water free urinals…don’t know how it can work but will save a lot of water!
I once read somewhere that only 3% of the worlds water supply was fresh, drinkable water. We all knew that at some point we must conserve and not be wasteful of this resource.I think it’s amazing that people are already doing their best to conserve and preserve as much water as we can at this point in time in that specific area.
Always looking forward to more
~Mark Hogan
Thank you! –
It’s great to hear success stories of change actually happening!
Bring on the rest of the world!
Saving campus water at colleges sounds like people are finally acting rather than jawing. Green colleges should get a bonus of some kind.
I most like to see education about water conservation. Water is something that most of us take for granted, but we don’t realize that it is a limited resource. I’m from California originally, and CA has drought problems. Every 7 years like clockwork. I was always frustrated with the people who refused to acknowledge that there was a problem and wouldn’t even consider the smallest conservation measures. I’d love to see more education and appreciate you spreading the word about what’s happening.
Cherie Miranda
Clare,
This is a great start and collectively a tremendous savings in resources and money. I would fully expect other campuses to follow suit.
Dennis
It is great to read how colleges are teaching social responsibility to a generation that must become very aware very fast. It is amazing how easily a simple change of behaviour, done in-mass, can impact.
Water conservation is so important. We all need to do our part and I am glad to see the Colleges are doing their part to set a good example and maybe get the younger generations thinking what they can do to conserve this precious resource.
Stay Extraordinary and Do Great Things, Neil
I could only hope that this would inspire other campuses to follow suit.
Very inspiring and wondering how we can make more of a difference at home
Jennifer Battaglino
Hi Green Goddess,
It is always great to learn of ways in which Los Angeles area colleges and universities conserving water. In Southern California, CA has to purchase and essentially “import” water. Not only is LA water conservation eco friendly in terms of water, it is eco friendly in that water transportation cost to the environment as well. I hope that makes sense.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell