The roots of sustainability

21
Mary loves water conservation

I was recently reminded of my early roots in sustainability in multifamily. Specifically, carrots.

For my first major renovation, I wanted to do a toilet retrofit, which would replace over 450 toilets which used 1.8 gallons for every flush (which was code at the time) with ones using 0.8 gallons of water per flush. Given that the average person flushes 5-8 times per day, this could represent a significant reduction in water usage and drop our sewer costs (which were based on water consumption). I found a rebate program to cover 100% of the cost, which eliminated a major hurdle, budget. I was excited. My executives and facilities team were less so. Concerns were expressed over the “readiness” of the low flow toilet to manage the needs of multifamily.

I did some research and discovered that the low flow toilets had an extremely high MaP score, which means (without getting graphic) that the toilets would work. I shared the data on MaP scores; the team was unconvinced. So did what any young lady would do, I called the manufacturer and asked if I could borrow their demo toilet which I had seen at a conference. Miraculously, they said yes and shipped it to me. The demo toilet was clear so you could witness the glory of the flush event from the tank through the trap. However, I knew that flushing water would not be enough to prove efficacy.

For my presentation to executive leadership, and regional managers of the facilities team, I dumped three and a half pounds of raw baby carrots out of a bucket into the bowl. I pressed the button and “whoosh!” All the carrots were gone. As the tank refilled, I asked if anyone wanted me to do it again. They declined. “Any questions?” I asked the room, and one maintenance person raised his hand and asked, “Will it blow up?” I smiled, “No more than your standard toilet will.” And with that, my project was approved!

Once I had a full month of post-retrofit water data, I confirmed that water consumption was reduced at the property by 60%. We determined that the savings were achieved through a combination of mitigated water leaks (toilet leaks that had been undetected) and reduction of water usage per flush. I also tracked facilities work orders related to clogged toilets and saw tickets reduced from three per year to one. When I inquired about the cause of the one event, the maintenance supervisor laughed and told me it had nothing to do with the toilet. Apparently, a dispute between two young brothers resulted in the older brother flushing the younger one’s security blanket. Due to the blanket’s sentimental value, maintenance was called to extract it.

For all my young operational sustainability practitioners out there, the key takeaways are that:

  1. “No” is just a starting point. Find out the obstacles, and solve for them
  2. Measure results after the change…use multiple metrics to determine value
  3. Investigate if there is an unexpected outcome (a maintenance ticket)
  4. In moments of uncertainty baby carrots are wonderful.