In a previous blog post, we discussed some of the methods you can use to reduce water usage in the home and in the garden, lowering your energy bill and doing your bit for the environment. While the tips for conserving water in the home are relatively easy to implement, when we get to work our minds are usually focused elsewhere, so conserving water can get put on the back-burner. However, corporations use far more water than home-owners, so conserving water at the office is where we need to be the most diligent! Taking a systematic approach to conserving water at the office could potentially help you to use 30% less water. Aside from the economic and environmental incentives, regulations pertaining to water use are becoming more stringent, so it helps to ensure that your company remains in compliance.

Here are some of the ways in which you can conserve water at the office:

1) Waterless urinals

Most office urinals automatically flush at a frequent rate – this is to avoid unpleasant odours and blockages. However, waterless urinals allow for both goals to be achieved, without having to waste unnecessary water. While there are several types of waterless urinal, one of the most popular types is the microbiological urinal, which uses microbes to break down liquids and keep the lavatory smelling fresh and pristine.

2) Faucet aerators

By installing aerators in the faucets in your workplace, you can dramatically reduce water consumption. Water is usually extruded from the tap in a large flow – aerators allow the flow to be broken up into smaller droplets via the use of small mesh holes in the tap, ensuring that less water gets wasted when you are washing your hands.

3) Use a water-efficient shower-head

Not all shower-heads are created equal! If you have a shower at your office, using a shower-head which is designed to extrude water at a lower rate can dramatically reduce the amount of water used per shower, without making it an unpleasant experience to use. Certain 1.5 gpm shower-heads can cut water and energy use by approximately 40 percent!

4) Start an initiative

Publicly announcing that your company is taking an initiative to lowering your water consumption sets a positive example for other businesses, and can provide you with some great PR. Appointing a person or team to be responsible for this initiative is the way to go, with their duties including: meter checking, ensuring water-efficient appliances are working correctly, putting up posters and handing out leaflets regarding water consumption, ensuring taps are not leaking and sending the company progress updates via email.

5) Be smart when watering the lawn and vegetation

Watering the lawn outside the office represents one of the biggest areas of water consumption for corporations. As we covered in another blog post, choosing water-efficient plants, watering during the early morning, checking the soil moisture for whether watering is required and aiming to feed the soil instead of the leaves are all ways in which to maximise the effectiveness of your outside watering endeavours.

In conclusion

Starting an initiative to conserve more water can really help boost morale in the office. Especially for larger businesses with different departments that don’t always interrelate, this is a great way to get everyone pulling together for an important goal. An initiative such as this represents the opportunity for thanking employees in the internal newsletter, and perhaps also giving individuals a spotlight mention for those who have been the most diligent with their conservation efforts.

(Photo by wagg66)