Green Toilets ~ Taking a Closer Look

Okay - so the silly title made you look. And this photo that I've been saving forever might have gotten your attention, too.

This is actually a serious article about a history-making bill (AB715) just signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California will lead the way for this new innovation in water conservation. Assemblyman John H. Laird (D-Santa Cruz) says that over the next 10 years this change will save an estimated 8 billion gallons of water. How? By implementing dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. The new toilets have two flush modes. They use a full flush for solid waste and a half flush for liquid waste.

The bill requires that half the toilets sold in California by 2010 (and all by 2014) must meet the new standard. The savings for an average household are pretty substantial. In a newer home, the dual flush toilets can save approximately 5,000 gallons of water per year. If toilets that are 1978 or older, an average family could save about 20,000 gallons of water per year. If we take the an average savings of about 12,500 gallons per household and multiply by an area the size of a city like Laguna Woods of about 12,000 households - that would be an annual savings of 150 million gallons a year. Now if they were also self-cleaning, too!

MSNBC has an interesting video about this history-making bill and a little more about how these toilets and urinals actually work.

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Marlene Bridges, REALTOR® 800 777-1775

South Orange County Real Estate Website

Orange County Seniors Lifestyles Blog

SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist®

CRS-Certified Residential Specialist®

President - Laguna Hills/Laguna Woods Chamber of Commerce

Marlene is a highly experienced South Orange County CA REALTOR® specializing in residential Real Estate and the sale of Homes and Condos in South Orange County, California and Saddleback Valley cities of: Laguna Woods, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo.

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