Chamber’s sustainability plan starts with water

Second in a four-part series.

Water is, of course, our most precious natural resource in the desert, so it’s a primary focus for Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce members as part of their new sustainability plan.

“I was surprised to learn that our household of two people uses 230 gallons of water a day,” admitted chamber Economic Development Committee member Ed Coad.

Coad is investigating ways the chamber might assist local businesses to get used to thinking about conserving.

“In business, we have taken steps to reduce our dependence on natural resources such as gas and electricity, but many of us have not taken steps to reduce our water usage,” said the former Green Valley Recreation facilities manager, who is now managing Echo Construction Inc.

The first step, Coad said, is to determine how much water your business actually uses every day, and then establish a realistic and manageable goal of perhaps a 10 percent reduction.

“Create a water management program,” he suggested.

He points out some easy preventive steps any business owner can take, such as maintaining a company’s present delivery system.

“I think each business needs to establish in its maintenance department a regular weekly check,” Coad said.

“It doesn’t matter whether your water consumption is part of your lease agreement or whether you have your own separate water meter, you can still take steps to conserve water.”

Realizing that tenants don’t often focus on a maintenance problem because they don’t pay the bill, Coad still maintains that failing to discover and report a simple leak is perhaps the most critical oversight that contributes to overuse.

He reminds commercial owners and tenants to simply inspect fixtures regularly, replace parts immediately when there’s a leak, and take a look periodically at irrigation points.

“A leaking toilet or a dripping faucet adds up to many gallons of wasted water in a year. Don’t wait until you see a spike in your water bill to take action,” he advised.

Forming a regular monitoring habit is essential, Coad explained, adding that he hopes the EDC will eventually be able to get mall managers, for instance, to develop their own monitoring programs, perhaps assigning “mall captains” to motivate each other.

If upgrades would be useful, he says, they don’t have to be expensive.

“Simply by insulating water lines that run through non-insulated spaces that pick up the summer heat and winter cold can reduce many gallons of water that are wasted while waiting for the water to reach the desired temperature,” he said.

Replacing worn fixtures with water-efficient ones, such as low-flow faucets and shower heads, can make a difference. Selecting and replacing appliances that use water with more efficient ones that probably use less electricity can often mean a government tax break.

Restaurants might consider serving a glass of water only on request. Hotels can try to better coordinate laundry needs, and large companies might think about replacing grass landscapes with desert plants.

There’s no business that can’t get into the act of preventing the unnecessary use of water, Coad said.

“Remind staff that conserving water is also their responsibility,” he said. “School administrators have an excellent opportunity to involve students in poster projects that promote conserving water. Start thinking about water conservation at an early age.”

He recommends that employers encourage their staff to share their ideas about conserving and take advantage of their advertising plan to let customers know that they are a business that is serious about contributing to an environmentally sustainable community.

“There are a growing number of customers who support businesses that have an energy conservation program,” Coad said, “and it doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Green Valley resident Mike Touzeau is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.