One Step Closer to Water Conscious Construction

Heard of LEED certified?

It is the standard that house builders try to certify their homes through. It basically means using sustainable and energy conserving products. Really cool stuff.

Locally in Vancouver, the 2010 Olympics have required most of their buildings to be LEED certified, so it is an important standard. But what about water consumption?  Well, recently in North Carolina, the EPA have celebrated the very first water efficient home, built to use 10,000 less gallons than a normal house. Check out the article below, courtesy of our friends at Circle Of Blue.

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina — As green builders proliferate across the nation, blue buildings are claiming their fifteen minutes as well. This November U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials celebrate the very first water efficient house in the country.

Certified by EPA’s partner program WaterSense, the Briar Chapel Community home uses 10,000 gallons less water than a conventional abode. With less resource-intensive irrigation, efficient internal plumbing and low consumption appliances, builders say the structure saves water from lawn to laundry.

The accomplishment marks an important step toward increased consumer consciousness concerning resource use in the U.S. According to Water Partners International, the average American uses 100 to 176 gallons of water a day. That equals about 30 times the four to five gallons needed to survive. The average African uses 5 gallons.

Hope In Water

Hope International, a Canadian-based nonprofit organization dedicated towards enabling people in developed countries to connect with people in the poorest parts of the world.

One of their incredible projects is dedicated towards providing access to sustainable, clean water sources to the poorest people on earth.

Clean water is a cornerstone of all of HOPE’s overseas project activities. Where there is no water, HOPE helps people find water.

Hope International has projects in Afganistan, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethopia, Nepal, Philippines and Sudan. Hope International knows the importance of sustainable water resources for people.

According to Hope International, children living in the developing world are 520 times more likely to die from diarrheal diseases than children living in North America due to a lack of access to clean, sustainable water sources.

Access to uncontaminated water acts a catalyst for both HOPE’s development work and HOPE’s goal of supporting people’s desire to be free from a life of chronic poverty.

Clean water: it is something that we in North America easily take for granted while people die simply because they don’t have access to it. If you would like to make a difference, follow this link to Hope International’s water program.