Water-saving toilets: designs have improved and "there's no trade-off now," said Shane Judd, product manger for water conservation at the Kohler Co.
"They're more efficient in terms of using less water and performing better than their 1.6-gallon counterparts."
"They're more efficient in terms of using less water and performing better than their 1.6-gallon counterparts."
Just installing a high-efficiency toilet, faucet and shower head can save an average family of four 39,000 gallons of water a year, compared with models considered the industry standard.
With all the attention on rising energy bills, there's been a big focus on energy-efficient appliances, but that hasn't always translated over to the water side.
"People just don't think about how much water they flush in their toilet. It's not top of mind," Judd said.
"When you tell somebody that 25% of the water that's consumed for indoor use is flushed down the toilet, they start to connect the dots" and see not only water savings but cost savings over time.
In the past few years, Kohler Co. has moved to green up its product line and now boasts that nearly every model of faucet it produces is water-saving, earning the Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense label.Focusing on a sustainable future...
The company is embracing what Johnson Controls Inc., Kohl's Corp. and other companies have dubbed the "triple bottom line" - balancing economic, environmental and social factors in strategizing for the future.
"Our fundamental premise was that it's really about the triple bottom line - the economic, environmental and social aspect - and how can we develop a strategy, because at the end of the day we're still about business, still about growth and still about advancing this company, but in a sustainable fashion," Judd said.
....The company has revamped its product design process so that "everything takes place through the lens of sustainability," Judd said.Case in point: the dual-flush toilet with no handle. Pick one button for "number one" and just 0.8 gallons of water will flush. Button number two flushes away a more significant amount of waste with 1.6 gallons of water.
"The design is very contemporary and easy to clean, so it allows consumers to install a product that has beautiful design but also conserves water," Judd said.
"The design is very contemporary and easy to clean, so it allows consumers to install a product that has beautiful design but also conserves water," Judd said.
Education campaign
Kohler's new green push extends beyond its factories and products to a national education campaign designed to educate Americans about water scarcity.
"Thirty six states will face water shortages by 2013,"
Kohler warns on its www.savewateramerica.com Web site, the host site for its awareness campaign.
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Haase: While reducing consumer use is vital, reducing commercial and industrial water waste is critical.
Kohlers LEED Waterless urinals could also revolutionize water savings in large scale applications reducing "40,000 gallons of water per fixture per year" in typical commercial installations.
