Not a drop goes out

Green buildings are adroit in water and waste management

Water consumption by building industry is not limited to use in toilets and kitchens alone. When a building is getting constructed, it consumes huge amounts of water. There is little data on the water footprint of buildings but available figures paint a grim future. According to usgbc, buildings account for over 12 per cent of potable water consumption in the us and almost 65 per cent of waste output comes from building construction sector. The us Environment Protection Agency (usepa) estimates that nearly 40 per cent of water consumed in a household goes for flushing purposes. Toilets, showers, and faucets combined represent two-thirds of all indoor water use. The average American uses about 34,000 litres of water to flush 870 litres of waste down the toilet per year, estimates usepa.Effective from January 1, 1994, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-486) requires that all new toilets produced for home use must operate on 6 litre per flush or less. 

Read full story