Big Ideas: Water Conservation: Season 2 Episode 15
Katie and Dawn speak with Amy Vickers about conserving water at home.
Amy (photo courtesy of Amy Vickers)
Amy Vickers is a nationally recognized water conservation and efficiency expert, engineer, and author of the award-winning Handbook of Water Use and Conservation: Homes, Landscapes, Businesses, Industries, Farms (WaterPlow Press). As president of Amy Vickers & Associates (Western MA), she has advised over 125 U.S. and overseas water utilities and organizations. Amy is also the author of the first national water efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures that were adopted under the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992–now saving 7 to 9 billion gallons daily.
The discussion leads off with Katie asking about plumbing fixture use. Amy describes the amount of water used per capita in the U.S. We tend to think first about indoor water use, but Amy notes how significant outdoor water use is.
image courtesy of Amy Vickers
Amy also notes that people in different income categories are responsible for different proportions of water demand.
image courtesy of Amy Vickers
What can be done to conserve water? For one, look for the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense label on plumbing products.
image courtesy of Amy Vickers
And look to modify outdoor water use to dramatically conserve water.
image courtesy of Amy Vickers