raising standards Green F Facilities such as schools, hotels, retail stores, office buildings and hospitals account for up to 17 percent of publicly supplied water use in the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Reducing water use by adopting water-efficient products, servic-es and practices in these facilities can have a great impact in lower-ing water and sewer costs, and can help to meet challenges faced by communities to meet water demands, save energy and reduce stress on natural resources. If cost savings and social responsibility are not sufficient reasons for conserving water, consider that the Leadership in Energy and En-vironmental Design for Existing Buildings Operations and Manage-ment (LEED-EBOM) requires a 20 percent reduction in water use as a prerequisite for project recertification and offers up to 14 LEED water-efficiency credits. The Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB), which provides cleaning organizations with guidance to secure cleaning-related points under LEED-EBOM, calls for organi-zations to have a resource conservation plan, including water. Going through the process of building a water conservation plan helps organizations identify water use, discover opportunities for sav-ings, set goals, take action and commit to continuous improvement, leading to a more cost-effective, sustainable cleaning operation. Blue Is The New By: Dave Frank Ways to conserve the world’s most precious resource — water. Set Goals Keeping future water use and trends in mind, organizations can then start to set targets for water use and savings. One goal could be to reduce water use by a certain percentage per year for a period of years. When setting goals, organizations should ensure goals are achiev-able and measurable. Then they can communicate their goals to building occupants and stakeholders to gain support and raise awareness. Take Action Once goals are set, organizations can put together an action plan for achieving them. Part of this process is identifying projects and preparing a benefit and cost analysis of potential water conservation measures. Organizations should consider all the costs associated with a pro-posed conservation measure including the initial purchase price as well as maintenance, repair and employee training. Then determine the savings, including water and energy savings, labor savings, increased safety and so on. A labor, cost and resource analysis of the two systems will help organizations calculate the potential payback. Other goals might include retrofitting restroom fixtures to low-flow options, establishing a leak-detection program or using on-site alter-native water sources. Organizations should prioritize projects and document them in a detailed action plan. When implementing the action plan, organizations should ensure the necessary resources are available to complete projects on time. They should continue to promote projects to customers and encourage cleaning staff to take action to do their part in con-serving water. Identify Water Use And Savings Opportunities The first step in developing a water conservation plan is conducting a water audit. This typically involves a number of steps, including: ■ Analyzing the plumbing layout for a facility, including where water is brought into the facility and the number of water fix-tures in the building ■ Based on the number of people in the building at any given time, estimating the amount of water used at each location within the building by both occupants and cleaning workers ■ Reviewing the water and sewer bills and any metering data that might be available ■ Identifying any leaks or additional sources of waste (e.g. employees who let water run before filling buckets), then adding that data to the estimated water use for each fixture/location ■ Assessing and quantifying water conservation devices and practices already in place. The auditing process helps pinpoint where improvements can be made by repairing leaks or implementing water-saving systems, tools, products and equipment. Commit To Continuous Improvement Organizations should evaluate their progress against water con-servation goals by reviewing water bills, goals and action plans. This process allows organizations to set new goals and improve. Within the cleaning industry, we often talk about green cleaning as a journey, not a destination. The same is true for water conservation. CM David Frank is a 30-year industry veteran and the president of the American Institute for Cleaning Science. AICS is the registrar for the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standards certification program. 44 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2013
CMM – Archives October 2013: 44
